{"nrhp_refnum":"78000683","name":"Glendora Bougainvillea","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Bennett and Minnesota Aves.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Glendora","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.14074868900008,"lon":-117.86045167499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-02-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Landscape Architecture","Agriculture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A living landscape site in Glendora, Los Angeles County, California: a row of bougainvillea vines growing up twenty-five palm trees along the 400 block of East Bennett Avenue and the 300 block of North Minnesota Avenue, bordering an orange grove. The vines were planted around 1900 by Reuben Hamlin.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the vines are believed to be the largest growth of bougainvillea in the continental United States, running about 1,200 feet. It ties them to agriculture and landscape architecture, since such plantings bordered citrus groves in Southern California from 1895 to 1940. It also cites cultural value in the citrus-era image of the region, horticultural value as surviving early varieties and hybrids, and a historic cobblestone wall built in 1912.","narrative":"A double row of bougainvillea vines climbs twenty-five tall palm trees along two sides of an orange grove in Glendora, California, running 600 feet along Bennett Avenue and 600 feet along Minnesota Avenue. Planted around 1900 by Reuben Hamlin, a Canadian-born rancher, and credited to the urging of his wife Helen, the vines were thought to be the largest bougainvillea growth in the continental United States. In the 1930s and 1940s they rose 50 to 70 feet, and magenta to purple bracts appear year-round, heaviest in December, May, June and July. Heavy rain and wind in the 1950s damaged the palm fronds that served as their climbing frame, and the vines have since slumped. A 20-inch cobblestone retaining wall from 1912 survives beside them. The planting was listed for its links to the citrus era, when palms and bougainvillea lined groves and promoted Southern California to visitors, and for its horticultural interest as a surviving example of early varieties and hybrids.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Ruben Hamlin","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as occupied and accessible. The vines have slid down from their palm supports since the 1950s, and the surrounding orange grove was planned for subdivision into residential lots.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.278914-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/78000683.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859154","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/glendora-bougainvillea-78000683/"}