The Calilornia Door Company Celebrates Its 66th Anniversary in Los Angeles

'Ihe California Door Company celebrated its 60th Anniversary in Los Angeles on September l, 1947. The original ledger shows the first transaction as having taken place on September l, 1887, in the company's warehouse at 2nd and San Pedro Streets, Los Angeles.

As a part of the celebration the directors of the company held a regular meeting--the first ever held in Los 'Angeles-at the office of the company, 4940 District Boulevard. Those present were : George O. Kellogg, secretary; Chalmers Glenn O. Fogleman, resident and Kilburn Moore. P. L.

The company has made great strides under the able management of Glenn O. Fogleman, who became resident manager in 1928. New lines have been added, and the increased facilities of the new warehouse, opened in 1941 and recently increased in size, have helped a great deal in handling the larger volume of ,busineSs.

Mr. Fogleman has been with the firm since 1918. He started his career in the sash and door line in 1904 with the Cresmer Manufacturing Co. in Riverside, Calif., and from 1911 to 1918 rvas 'rvith Bisbee-Fishburn Co., 'ivholesale sash and door firm of Los Angeles.

Les Breiner, oflice manager, has been wittr the company for many years.

The three salesmen who cover the firm's sales territory are R. V. Pye, rvho travels San Luis Obispo, Ventura, and Orange Counties. and the Long Beach district; Duke Calori, who covers the San Fernando Valley, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, and part of Los Angeles County, and Art Parkins, who covers the Los Angeles district.

The California Door Company's property at 4940 District Boulevard, Los Angeles 11, measures 120x66O feet. This is shown in an aerial view in the company's advertisement on another page of this issue. The original building on the property was 103x210 feet. This is now 103x310 feet, a 100-foot addition having been made in January, P47. The building is of reinforced concrete, and completely fireproof.

The truck indenture is an importarrt feature of the buildirg. Here six trucks can be loaded at one time. Four 'ailroad cars can be spotted for unloading on the private sprrr track, and an extra one in the yard.

All doors, plywood, and other merchandise are handled from cars into the u'arehouse by the Clark Carloader.

Doors, windows, screens, and insulation boards are placed on pallets in the cars, and are piled high in the warehouse ,by the Carloader, segregated as to sizes.

J. P. (Joe) Farrell was the first resident manager of The California Door Com-pany in Los Angeles. He began in 1887 and rvas succeeded in November. 1918. by J. A. Farnsworth, Jr., who was succeeded bv Mr. Fogleman in 1928.

History of Company

The history of The California Door Company covers a period of almost a century.

Bartlett Doe, about 1850, received bv vessel from Boston via Cape Horn the first cargo of doors and windows to be landed at San Francisco, and in co-partnership rvith his brother, John S. Doe, began business as the firm of ts. & J. S. Doe at 36-4O Market Street.

About the same time, George O. Wilson arrived on the Pacific Coast, going first to Puget Sound but returning to San Francisco a year or so later to establish with his brother, Nathaniel Irving Wilson, a business in doors, windorvs and blinds at the corner of California and Drumm Streets, under the firm name of Wilson & Brother.

In the 60's, Charles Franklin Doe, a brother of Bartlett and John S. Doe, who operated a lumber yard at Spear and Howard Streets, acquired the business of John Hall & Son, which firm conducted a door and window business at 114-116 Market Street. E. H. Kittredge, who was associated vrith C. F. Doe, took charge of the business and the name was changed to E. H. Kittredge & Company.

During the seventies these three pioneer firms combined, but retained their individual identities until July, 1884, when their separate interests were consolidated and merged under the corporate name of The California Door Company. Following this consolidation, the largest plant west of the Rocky Mountains manufacturing doors, rvindows and blinds, was built and operated at 15th and Wood Streets in Oakland. Calif., the output of which through its distributing branches in Oakland, San Francisco arrd [,os Angeles, reached markets from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Seaboard, New Zealand. Australia and South Africa.

At the tr:rn of the centrrry, to insure a future supply sufficient to meet its growing requirements in Sugar and Ponderosa Pine lumber, the company purcl-rased in El

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