{"nrhp_refnum":"90001444","name":"Christmas Tree Lane","other_names":["Mile of Christmas Trees"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Santa Rosa Ave. between Woodbury Ave. and Altadena Dr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Altadena","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.18837585750006,"lon":-118.13633164380866,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-09-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A six-block stretch of Santa Rosa Avenue in Altadena, Los Angeles County, California, lined on both sides with about 135 Deodar Cedar trees and stone-lined gutters. The trees were planted in 1885 by Frederick J. and John P. Woodbury.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the lane is the most prominently recognized landscape feature in Altadena and is tied to the town's founding by the Woodbury brothers. The trees also gained significance through the annual Christmas tree lighting begun in 1920, probably the oldest such Southern California lighting spectacle, which drew hundreds of thousands of visitors and fostered community involvement.","narrative":"Christmas Tree Lane is a six-block section of Santa Rosa Avenue in Altadena, California, lined on both sides by about 135 Deodar Cedar trees and hand-laid stone gutters. Frederick and John Woodbury, the town's founders, planted the seedlings in 1885 to create a drive between their planned homesites, and ranch workers gathered stones from the Arroyo Seco for the gutters. The mature trees reach about 80 feet, and lost trees have been replaced over time. Homes along the street mostly date from after 1930. The street became known for its holiday displays in 1920, when the trees were lit for Christmas for the first time under the sponsorship of the Kiwanis Club. Crowds of cars and tour buses followed, with an estimated 150,000 viewers in 1967. The lane was listed for its link to Altadena's early settlement and for the community tradition of lighting the trees, recognized locally as a landmark of the town.","period_of_significance":"1920 - 1940","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Trees lost to age and disease have been gradually replaced; about 108 mature trees remain. The lighting event continues today and the street remains residential.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.917715-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/90001444.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001444/b65fe3a827-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001444/b65fe3a827-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"Geographer","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christmas_Tree_Lane.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Geographer</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christmas_Tree_Lane.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859027","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Tree_Lane","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5111451"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/christmas-tree-lane-90001444/"}