Claremont's Agricultural Heritage

Claremont's Agricultural Heritage. . , The Meadow Park townhome community is situated just south of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains with a clear view of Mt. San Antonio, colloquially referred to as Mt. Baldy For nearly a century prior to its development, this plot of land was home to agriculture, Lee C. Pitzer, one of the first settlers in North Claremont, purchased this sagebrush-covered plot of land in 1903 and converted it into a small lemon grove. The lemon grove did so well that Pitzer purchased an additional 200 acres of adjacent property and became the first citrus grower in North Claremont. Deciding to settle near his groves in 1912, Pitzer had a house for his family built on the southwest corner of Towne Avenue and Base Line Road, Architectural historian, Robert Winter, has described the 3,200 square foot stone bungalow, designed by architect Robert Orr, as the "finest stone house in Southern California" and today the former home has been preserved and integrated into an assisted living facility., For many years, the Meadow Park site, located at the southeast corner of Towne and Base Line, was the location of citrus trees and a water reservoir belonging to the Pitzer Family. In the 1970s, the site was converted into strawberry fields first maintained by Cal Fruits and later, Jim Tagami of Tagami Farms. The four acres of land proved to be fertile ground for the cultivation of strawberries. In 1993, Tagami opted out of the business and passed ownership to Adrian Vargas, a former employee and partner of Mr. Tagami, who continued to oversee and maintain the Claremont property as a strawberry field until its redevelopment in 2014.