The Street Seen: Beverley Has Three E's
F.P. Howard’s Subdivision (Kensington to Ocean Park between Lincoln and Beverley)
In 1886, F.P. Howard subdivides the 25-acre Corry Beverley Smith property on the northwest corner of Lincoln and Ocean Park Blvd. The subdivided lots fail to sell. More than 30 years later, in 1920, a large part of the tract is re-subdivided. Some of the old streets are closed, and new streets are created. In 1922, part of the 1920 tract is again re-subdivided to accommodate a new John Muir School.
F.P. Howard’s Subdivision (1886)
In 1884, J.H. Lucas and Sylvia Sessions, heirs to the Lucas Ranch, sell Blocks 24, 25 and 26 of the Lucas Tract1 to Englishman Corry Beverley Smith.2 In 1886, F.P. Howard3 subdivides4 Blocks 24 and 25 (from Kensington to Ocean Park between Lincoln and Beverley) into Blocks A (15 lots), B (15 lots), and C (30 lots) of F.P. Howard’s Subdivision.
Streets established with F.P. Howard’s Subdivision:-
Kensington Rd -
Beverley Ave - named for Corry Beverley Smith
Mountain View Ave - abandoned in 1920 with the establishment of Tract 3734
Howard St - named for Dr. F.P. Howard. Abandoned in 1920 with the establishment of Tract 3734
There are a few sales.5 In 1891, the Los Angeles County Delinquent Tax list shows Corry B. Smith as the delinquent owner of all 60 lots in F.P. Howard’s Subdivision. In 1892, Corry Smith returns permanently to England.6
Twenty-six years later, the 1918 Sanborn map shows only four7 improved parcels in the entire F.P. Howard’s Subdivision - all on the east8 side of Beverley Avenue.
Tract 3734 (1920)
In 1920, Hellman Commercial Trust & Savings Bank re-subdivides Blocks A, B and part of Block C (lots 1 - 3 and 8 - 15) of F.P. Howard’s Subdivision as Tract 3734. Compared to the 1886 subdivision, Tract 3734 has smaller (cheaper) residential lots, and the lots on Lincoln are sized for commercial use with a rear alley. Mountain View Ave and Howard St are closed by City ordinance.
Streets established with Tract 3734:-
Cedar St - aligns with existing street in Sunset Park
Pine St - aligns with existing street in Sunset Park
Maple St - aligns with existing street in Sunset Park
7th St - replaces Mountain View Ave - aligns with existing street
Tract 4651 (1922) and Tract 4653 (1922)
In 1992, the Tract 3734 corner at Pine to Ocean Park between 7th and Lincoln is re-subdivided into Tract 4651 and Tract 4653. Maple St (7th to Lincoln) is closed by City ordinance. Tract 4651 is owned by Santa Monica Board of Education and is the site of the 1922 John Muir School.
Corry B. Smith acquires Block 24 (11.35 acres), Block 25 (14.34 acres), and Block 26 (10.85 acres) of the Lucas Tract for $2,378 (36.54 acres at $65. per acre).
Corry Beverley Smith (1841 – 1923). Born in England, he is a British Army officer. In Wales, in 1870, Captain Corry Smith marries Fanny Angharad Rees (1847 – 1926). Major Corry Smith, commander of the Royal Westmoreland Regiment of Militia, retires in the Childers’ reforms of 1881 as an honorary Lieutenant Colonel. He lives at “Clairwood” in Surrey with his wife Fanny, five children, and three servants. In 1884, Colonel Corry Smith (age 43) arrives in Santa Monica, where he acquires Blocks 24, 25, and 26 of the Lucas Ranch Tract. In 1887, he makes a comparatively large donation ($300 of $1,200 total raised) to the St. Augustine by the Sea Episcopal Church building fund. In 1891, Corry Smith is listed as delinquent on taxes for Block 26 and for all of the properties in F.P. Howard’s Subdivision (i.e. Blocks 24 and 25). In 1891, after 7 years in Santa Monica, he returns to England - where he adopts the hyphenated surname Corry-Smith. He dies (age 82) in Surrey, England.
Dr. Frederick Preston Howard (1835 - 1900). Born in England. F.P. Howard, a London-trained physician, leads an itinerant life, including 5 years working for the Hudson Bay Company in northwest Canada. In 1869, he is in San Francisco associated with the Pacific Pneumatic Gas Company, which provides gas for illumination. In 1872, he marries Caroline Huber (1847 - 1927) in Los Angeles. They are the parents of twelve children (nine surviving) in 16 years. From 1873 to 1875, Dr. Howard owns Apothecaries’ Hall drugstore in downtown Los Angeles, specializing in Lundborg perfumes and Kentucky Bourbon (unadulterated and suitable for medical purposes). In 1875, Howard sells his Los Angeles drugstore to devote himself to cultivating tobacco in Gilroy and the San Fernando Valley. He forms the real estate firm of Howard and Seymour. From 1875 to 1878, Howard moves to Darwin, Inyo County to take up silver and lead mining. Between 1880 and 1886, Howard splits his time between business interests in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Howard returns to Los Angeles in 1886 to administer the estate of wife’s brother Joseph Huber, Jr (1834 – 1881). In 1886, Howard is part of syndicate that buys the 25.5-acre Bliss Tract in Downtown Los Angeles, which Howard subdivides as F.P. Howard & Co’s Subdivision of the Bliss Tract. He subdivides the Corry Smith property in Santa Monica. In 1896, Howard is involved in the contested and contentious hearings over the $60,000 estate of his mother-in-law, Apollonia Huber (1814 - 1895). In 1900, he dies of pneumonia (age 63) in Los Angeles. Howard is particularly fond of gardens and flowers. His children establish successful nursery, floral, and landscaping businesses. Note: this is but a cursory biography and omits many details of his life.
F.P. Howard lives and works in downtown Los Angeles, and this subdivision is his only involvement in Santa Monica real estate. Although Howard files for the subdivision (and has his name on the subdivision - and names a street after himself), it is Corry B. Smith who owns the property. Howard has no further involvement in the property.
Unlike the other contemporaneous Santa Monica subdivisions, F.P. Howard’s Subdivision has no advertising and no auctions. The lots in Blocks A and B of F.P. Howard’s Subdivision are large (more than 15,000 sq-ft) and extend from street to street. The 75-ft by 160-ft lots in Block C on the east side of Beverley Avenue have Pacific Ocean views, and several of these lots are sold in 1886 for $300 each (just over $1,000 per acre). Some of these lots are acquired by relatives of F.P. Howard. Emeline Huber (1838 - 1935), the sister of Howard’s wife, is married to prominent Los Angeles real estate investor Ozro William Childs (1824 - 1890).
When Corry B. Smith returns to England in 1892, he still owns most of Block 24 and Block 25, and all of Block 26 of the Lucas Ranch Tract. He exchanges letters with Tanner & Taft, his Santa Monica lawyers. In 1900, Corry Smith closes out his Santa Monica holdings. He sells Block 26 of the Lucas Ranch to E. J. Vawter.
The four pre-1918 improved properties on F.P. Howard’s Subdivision are:-
2429 Beverley Ave - 1912 Kill residence.
2441 Beverley Ave - 1911 Higgins residence.
2501 Beverley Ave - 1906 Ocean Park Water Company reservoir.
2511 Beverley Ave - 1911 Japs residence.
The lots on the west side of Beverley Ave are not in F.P. Howard’s Subdivision. In the 1887 Highland Tract and the 1905 Hill Crest Tract subdivisions, those lots are located on 6th St (and extending all the way to Beverley).