Edison Historic District
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Along the 500 and 600 blocks of West Second Street in Pomona, a group of brick buildings records how the city moved from horse-drawn trade to the automobile. Built between 1885 and 1923, they include early hay, feed and blacksmith businesses, garages, an auto agency, a cooperative grocery with a dance hall above, a National Guard armory, an Auto Club office and a large Southern California Edison building. Pomona Garage opened in 1910 and began the town's auto-related industries, and its jitney service ran to Santa Ana and Anaheim. The Edison building began as a transformer station in 1906 and grew to fill its lot by 1928, tied to Pomona's part in proving long-distance power transmission. Because a 1960 downtown mall stopped at Park Street, this stretch escaped the stucco and metal facades applied farther east. The result is a cohesive streetscape from around 1900-1910 that has kept its character, with Mission Revival styling at the 1904 armory.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1904-1923 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Classical in style, with a Mission Revival armory (1904) |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Acreage | 3.4 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Edison Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.