SOME OF OUR HISTORIES...

The Brea Historical Society
In 1962, the city of Brea celebrated its 50th Anniversary and a group of Brea residents, realizing how much the city had changed in their lifetimes, began collecting objects and photographs that documented the city’s history. Their group expanded in number and, in 1971, formally organized into the Brea Historical Society. In the early 1980s, the Brea Historical Society first opened the Brea Museum at the old City Hall. There, they displayed oil artifacts and photographs. Several years later the Museum moved into its current location in the old American Legion Hall where it has a much expanded exhibit on Brea’s history, a collections' storage facility, reference library, research center, and meeting facility.

Brea’s American Legion Hall
In 1920, American Legion Post #181 built a small legion hall at Elm Street and Pomona Avenue (now Brea Boulevard). By 1928, members wanted a larger and more permanent structure; they developed plans for a new building. In 1930 when the present American Legion Hall was built, it was only one of three new structures on this block. The City of Brea had just completed a new City Hall Building and a municipal pool called “The Plunge.”

The American Legion Hall building was crafted using Spanish Colonial Revival style, a widely popular architectural trend that began in southern California early in the 20th century. The Hall has stucco walls topped by a low-pitch, clay-tile roof; it boasts of lovely, vertical pilasters alternating with tall windows ending in a large, arched entryway. The American Legion transferred ownership of this architectural treasure to the City of Brea in 1934.

The American Legion building along with City Hall and the Plunge served Brea from the 1930s to the 1990s. During these decades, the Brea Police Department (BPD) (http://www.ci.brea.ca.us/section.cfm?id=409) moved out of City Hall and in to the American Legion building. But by the 1990s, the bustling city had outgrown even these municipal buildings. In 1990, Brea moved its city offices - along with the Police Department - to the Brea Civic and Cultural Center (http://www.ci.brea.ca.us/).

The building remained vacant until 2001 when Brea Historical Society member Don Schweitzer sought permission from the City to house a permanent Brea history museum in this historic building overlooking City Hall Park. From 2002 to 2005, the Brea Historical Society and the Brea Museum & Heritage Center worked to raise funds and to renovate the former American Legion Hall. The building was retrofitted and some of its Spanish Colonial Revival features were restored. The Brea Museum & Heritage Center opened to the public in its current location in 2006.

In 2010, the old American Legion Hall (now the Brea Museum & Heritage Center) gained a new neighbor. A new collections’ storage facility was completed behind the museum. This building houses the Museum’s collections and preserves these artifacts for present and future generations to enjoy.

Brea’s Museums
Brea residents enjoy sharing the stories of their city’s past. In addition to the Brea Museum & Heritage Center, visitors will also enjoy the Olinda Oil Museum & Trail. The City of Brea and California State Parks operate this 12-acre historic park that features some of the original oil industry buildings, machinery, and tools. This historic site includes a two-mile hiking trail with marvelous views of Brea and Orange County. Go here for more information: http://www.ci.brea.ca.us/article.cfm?id=940.   

Brea’s rich cultural heritage as well as residents’ appreciation for fine art are on display at the Brea Gallery, which exhibits works by contemporary and classic artists. The Brea Gallery website has details on visiting:  http://www.ci.brea.ca.us/section.cfm?id=460.