52 Ancestors: Thankful - New Friends

Over the last few months, I've connected with two new friends and am so thankful for the connections.

The first was an artist who contacted me about the book he was publishing.

Painting the Grand Homes of California's Central Valley by J.P. Lane

James spent nearly 2 years traveling, researching, and painting.  The book covers 52 homes in 30 towns throughout the Central Valley with 20 architectural styles, painting tips, and even jokes.  And just guess which home is included in the book?  That's right, the home of my grandparents, Sig and Loraine Levy!

What a thrill to see the painting he did of their home.

James wrote:

Sigmund Levy was the son of Herman Levy, who emigrated from Germany to Fresno and signed the Fresno City Charter, and mother Goldie Benas Levy.  As a young man he was training to be a WWI Army Air Service when the armistice was signed and the war ended in 1918.  Later in life he became a prominent real estate and insurance broker together with his brothers in the Fresno area.  Herbert and Leon also lived in Wilson Island.

Sig and his wife Loraine had this Spanish Revival home built, which contains Monterey influences.  It featured modern amenities for the 1930s and was shown in local newspapers and magazines of the day.

The image I painted from the front makes this home look big, but the view from the side shows that it is immense!  This is one impressive home.

Sources: "Wilson Island Stories of the 1900s: The Sigmund and Loraine Levy Home at 1549 Echo Avenue.  Austen, Debi Levy.

Year Built: 1934

Architectural Style:  Spanish Revival

Architect:  Orville R. Taylor

Builders:  Taylor-Wheeler

Visitor status:  Private residence, please admire from afar.

FUN FACT:  The neighborhood is called Wilson "Island" because Rosanna created a few dead-end streets, essentially cutting off parts of the neighborhood from outside traffic (and riff-raff).

You can read some blog posts I've done about the house HERE and HERE.

Within a day or two, I had another new friend reach out to connect.  Turns out her father used to work at Levy Bros., the business of Sig and his brothers, Herb, Leon, and Ben.  

We spent some time talking by phone and one thing led to another and when she told me how old she was, I figured out that she probably knew my parents which she did!  My parents graduated from Fresno High School in 1944 and 1946 and she graduated in 1945.  She remembered so many friends of my parents and she was so happy to reminisce.  We've 'talked' a few times since and it's fun to share stories and pick her brain about Fresno history.  She remembers hearing stories that her dad would tell when he came home from work in the 1930s-1940s.

Levy Bros. office, c. 1920, Sig Levy on right

I'm so thankful that I was able to connect with new friends!

52 Ancestors: Favorite Photo - It's not just a house

A house is not just a house - it holds special memories for generations.  One such house is this one - I doubt there are too many homes that a professional artist captured in color.  This "photo" hung on my parents' wall for years and I was lucky enough to take it home with me when we cleaned out the house in 2013.  Thanks brother and sister!  

Sig Levy house, Echo Avenue, Fresno - Artist Donna Locati

My grandparents, along with my Dad and his older brother, built and moved into this home in 1934 when my dad was just 7 years old.  I've written about the house HERE and HERE.  But to recap.....

The house looked a lot different in 1934 when they moved in.  I can just imagine the excitement of the young family as they looked forward to the many memories that would be made in that house.  Amazing what a little landscaping does.

In 1982 when my grandmother died, we went to finish cleaning out the house and I took a few photos.  It sure was bittersweet to see a 'For Sale' sign in front.

My 2nd cousin (our grandfathers were brothers) lives around the corner and knows the owners of the house, only the second owners since 1982.  I remember at one point my dad was in Fresno and because he was fearless, he stopped the car in front of the house and marched himself up to the front door and rang the bell.  Sure enough, the owners were home and invited him in for a tour.  

Google Maps shows it looks like this today.  Much nicer to see the foliage cut back so the house can be seen better.  I did like the dark trim and balcony railing, though.

I love having the painting in my home - it brings a smile to my face every time I walk by.  Be sure to take some photos today of your house, and other important houses, so you can see the changes as time goes on.  Remember, it's not just a house.  

Speaking of houses

Several years ago I wrote about an important home in my family – the home of my paternal grandparents, Sig and Loraine Levy, in Fresno, California.  You can read about it here.  But I’ve found some new photos recently that prompts me to revisit this very special home.

The home was built by Taylor-Wheeler Builders in 1934 for Sig and Loraine in what is known as the Wilson Island historic district.  The name “Wilson Island” is a local term that refers to the initial plan for the neighborhood where Wilson and Echo Avenue were designed to dead-end at Carmen Avenue, which formed a backward “P” shape or “island”.  The district qualifies for Fresno’s Local Register of Historic Resources (historicfresno.org).  The home is a Spanish revival home with a Monterey influence, which is interesting since Loraine was raised in Monterey, California.

Sig and Loraine were, obviously, quite taken with their new home and took these photos on July 4, 1934 to remember what it looked like as they moved their young family in.

Front of house 1549 Echo Avenue Fresno, California

If you look closely (and with help from the zoom tool), you can see the sign that shows it was built by Taylor Wheeler Builders.  I wonder if they’d moved in yet or were just getting ready.

And another angle with more of a view from the side of the house.



The room upstairs with the balcony was my Uncle’s bedroom with windows both on the balcony and on the side of the house.  My dad’s bedroom was upstairs on the corner in the back.  What’s interesting is that the three corner windows on the first floor on the side corner were about where the den would have been.  And I always remember that den being very dark without any windows on that side – did they remodel at some point and cover those windows up?  I do remember that was the wall where the cuckoo clock hung (that bird was NOISY!) and there were no windows there.  Maybe my cousin who knows the people who own the house today can confirm that for me.

And a view from the back.



The upstairs windows on the left were my dad’s bedroom – and the windows on the right were my grandmother’s room.  The little window to the left of my grandmother’s room was the bathroom but I don’t remember what the other little window was – maybe there were two windows in the master bath. 

My grandmother was good at labeling these photos – here’s what she wrote on the back of that photo.



I find it interesting that even in 1934 when she had been married for only 15 years, she called out that it was “her” room.  I remember that it was her room and Grandpa had his own room but I’m surprised that they weren’t sharing a bedroom back then.

And there are even photos of the kitchen!  These photos were taken by Laval Commercial Photography on August 1, 1934.  I wonder why they had a professional photographer take photos of their kitchen?



Looks like they had new fangled contraptions in the kitchen – a phone and a mixer.  I’ll bet those were hot items in 1934!  This is pretty much how I remember the kitchen and there never seemed to be much out of place as Grandma didn't do much cooking.  I do remember arriving for the weekend and she’d bring out the ice cream and make us a milk shake.



This is another angle of the kitchen.  Check out the washer and dryer in the hallway!  To the right of the washer and dryer was the side entrance door and to the left was a bedroom that was used by the maid in the early days.

I don’t know why but when we went to help clean out the house in 1982 after Grandma died, I took pictures.  I guess even then I was interested in my family history and wanted to remember forever the home my dad grew up in.  Things had changed just a bit in almost 50 years!






And the back of the house – you can’t even see the windows in Dad’s bedroom anymore.



The house was in disarray that day, but I’m glad I snapped a few photos.

Living room Dad learned to play on that piano

Dining Room

Hallway with Grandma’s bedroom in the background Loved the banisters!

And a very special photo of my two daughters in the backyard in front of the citrus ‘orchard’ – I’ll never forget those cheesy flamingos!