The Elephant Packing House was built in 1924, in Fullerton,

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

, Southern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Valencia orange The Valencia orange is a sweet orange cultivar named after the famed oranges in València, Spain. It was first hybridized by pioneer American agronomist and land developer William Wolfskill in the mid-19th century on his farm in Santa Ana, s ...

s were packed here, from the abundant

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

s that then dominated the county and gave it its name.

William Wolfskill William Wolfskill (1798–1866) was an American-Mexican pioneer, cowboy, and agronomist in Los Angeles, California beginning in the 1830s. He had earned money for land in a decade as a fur trapper near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he had become a ...

had developed and extensively planted the Valencia orange here in the 19th century. It is one of the last remaining examples of a citrus packing house in Fullerton.

History

The packing house was built in 1924 by the

Union Pacific Railway The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

to complement its neighboring train station. The packing house first shipped oranges under the Elephant label, and was later leased by grower C.C. Chapman to pack his Old Mission brand oranges. After it fell out of use for orange shipping, the warehouse was used by a lawn furniture distributor. In 1960 the Union Pacific Railway sold the structure, which has been used by a variety of tenants. It was expanded in 1971. The railway station has since been relocated.

Description

The packing house design is predominantly in the Mission Revival Style, with

Spanish Colonial Revival Style The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

architectural elements. The main building measures by , with one story above grade and a full basement. The interior is lighted by two sawtooth roof monitors. The north side faces onto railroad tracks that run immediately adjacent to the packing house.

Railroad shipping

The Elephant Packing House was located on the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

line for shipping to the

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and elsewhere. The line is no longer in service. A Mission Revival style

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

(built 1923) was already adjacent. It has been preserved and been moved to the

Fullerton Transportation Center The Fullerton Transportation Center is a passenger rail and bus station located in Fullerton, California, United States. It is served by Amtrak's ''Pacific Surfliner'' and ''Southwest Chief'' trains, as well as Metrolink's 91 Line and Or ...

, next to the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

station there (built 1930). All three buildings are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

References

ElephantPackingHouse Fullerton perspective sm

External links

City of Fullerton: Elephant Packing House
{{National Register of Historic Places Packing houses Orange production Buildings and structures in Fullerton, California National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, California Industrial buildings completed in 1924 Agricultural buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in California Agricultural buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places Agriculture in California History of Orange County, California Mission Revival architecture in California Tourist attractions in Fullerton, California

History

Description

Railroad shipping

See also

References

External links