Three years later, on 20 August 1961, the site reopened as Club El Circulo. A major feature article in the Chino Champion noted that the facility featured, "a swimming pool, lounge, dining room, cocktail lounge, picnic area and children's playground," most left over, probably, from Camp Kinder Ring.
In addition, there were plans for many more amenities, including a square dancing pad outdoors, tennis and basketball courts, a softball diamond, volleyball court, a shuffleboard area, an archery course, a badminton court, ping-pong tables, tetherball poles, horseshoe pits and an outdoor theater.
It was also planned to have a 9-hole "pitch and put" golf course. More grandiose concepts included a dam with a pool of water behind it for stocking fish, a large auditorium, a miniature golf course, and the development of home sites for members.
The site sat on 100 acres purchased from an unnamed Orange County development group and of this, 45 were intended for immediate use and the remainder set aside for some of those future concepts. The piece did identify the leading figures of the Club El Circulo [which obviously decided to keep a reference to the Workmen's Circle in the new concept] as Brea resident F.J. Nipp, who was president and sales manager; vice-president George Hacker of Fullerton; and William Rentz of Placentia, who was the secretary and treasurer.
The two-story main building, which still stands, was considered the heart of the facility with a dining room and lounge on the first floor and a cocktail lounge in the basement or lower floor. Seating capacity in the dining room was 130, making it desirable for renting to outside groups, as well as for members.
The article continued by noting that there were twenty-eight cabins, with double and twin beds with adjoining bedrooms, intended for members who wanted overnight accommodations. These were also holdovers from the Camp Kinder Ring area and the remnants of the last of these units have just been razed as the Canyon Hills subdivision grading work continues.
The newest aspect of the facility was a 36'x72' swimming pool, including a diving board, tile deck, walkways and sunbathing area. A wading pool for children was also completed. Under construction were a bath house and snack bar.
The children's playground was slated to be located adjacent to the pool area and the picnic grounds were proposed under a huge spreading oak tree. Notably, the piece continued, "up the hill, a future project calls for the development of a youth center, with dormitories and social hall for tenagers [sic]."
Another crucial component identified in the article was the fact that "the grounds are located in a high fire hazard area," so that "extra precautions are being taken." This included the clearing of land near the surviving buildings, removal of any chimneys from preexisting structures, the installation of fire hydrants and the fencing off of surplus land within the 100-acre parcel. Reference was specifically made to the conflagration of 1958.
Dues were set at $65 a year with a $10 initiation fee and it was reported that 200 people signed up in the pre-registration period.
About 1 1/2 years later, in a January 1963 spread about recreational opportunities in Carbon Canyon, the Champion gave further information about Club El Circulo. For example, some $90,000 had been expended on further improvements since the opening. General manager Jack Winter noted that a driving range was slated for a summer opening, the tennis court was about finished with a remodeling, and the baseball diamond had been completed. A children's recreation area and amphitheater were said to be in the planning stages.
The entrance to Club El Circulo from the 10 January 1963 edition of the Champion. The two-story clubhouse at the center still stands. |
Naturally, the celebration just over a half-century ago about the bringing in of what seemed, at the time, to be a limitless supply of water can be compared to our current condition!
Returning to the club, the article also pointed out that there was "Las Vegas entertainment" offered, including comedian and trumpeter Bob Hart, who headlined the club's New Year's Eve party. Other entertainment plans included twice-annual luaus (which was a very popular deal back in the 1950s and 1960s when you think of the connection to Polynesian-themed motels and hotels, restaurants like Don the Beachcombers and Bahooka, and other aspects) and outdoor Western barbeques.
The remaking of an amphitheater with a blue roof and white sides, the color pattern of the facility's buildings, was said to have been underway in a few months, providing a venue for children's programs, like puppet shows. The location was north of the clubhouse and next to the oak-shaded picnic grounds.
While most of the site was only accessible to members, the dining room (evidently expanded to seat up to 250, double the number stated in 1961) and cocktail lounge in the two-story main structure were temporarily open to the public.
The large stone fireplace was the centerpiece of the Club El Circulo clubhouse, as shown in the Champion, 10 January 1963. |
Winter was spotlighted for his fourteen years experience managing clubs, such as the Quail Valley Country Club near Lake Elsinore and Menifee, and Azusa's Rainbow Country Club. Likewise, the restaurant and bar manager, Dottie Benson, had much experience in that line, including at the Rainbow Club and West Covina's Coffee Dan.
The change in management, expanded facilities, and imported water, however, could not keep Club El Circulo from folding, however, by June 1964. There was, however, another enterprise on the way, which will be highlighted here soon.
4 comments:
Very interesting! Good post!
Thanks, Anonymous. Up soon is a post on the club that followed El Circulo.
My family were members of Club El Circulo. I was 14, my brother 12. We lived in West Covina, it was a bit of a hike to get there. One thing they had there that was not mentioned in the article was horseback riding. My brother and I rode around the back country near the club many times. I remember being there with my parents on New Year's Eve one year. It was always obvious, even to a young teenager, that they were trying to operate the place on a shoestring and that they had more plans than money to make them real.
Hi Bob, this is great and thanks for leaving the comment. If you happen to have photos and are willing to share copies, contact me at lahilahi@roadrunner.com.
Post a Comment