El Molino Viejo, 1817-2017 with Speaker Cathy Brown

Monday, May 22, 7:00 p.m.

The City of San Marino is home to El Molino Viejo (The Old Mill), the oldest commercial building in Los Angeles County, which this year is celebrating its bicentennial.  The San Marino Historical Society is pleased to have the Executive Director of El Molino Viejo, Cathy Brown, share some its stories on Monday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Library’s Barth Community Room.  In its speakers series at Crowell Public Library, the San Marino Historical Society presents quarterly programs focusing on topics especially selected for residents of San Marino.  These talks are free and open to the public.

In 2002, Cathy Brown began work at the Old Mill as the Assistant Director.  She is a graduate of UCLA with a BA in History. She will talk about the history of El Molino Viejo and the people who have made it a home and those that have influenced its history. She and John Quinn, President of the Old Mill Foundation, will conclude with a review of the Old Mill Foundation's plans for this special year.

Completed about 1816 as a grist mill for Mission San Gabriel, the original two-story structure of the Old Mill measured 53 by 26 feet. The lower walls are five feet thick and are composed of oven-baked brick and volcanic tuff, while the walls of the upper level are built of layers of sun-dried adobe slabs. The present entrance room (with its collection of antique paintings and furnishings) served as the grinding room of the mill. The top level was originally used as the granary, where the milled grain was stored. The California Art Club maintains an art gallery there today.  Outside is an attractive garden highlighting native California trees and plants. This patio is the home to a chamber music concert series each summer.

Learn more about this treasured architectural landmark, a fascinating link to the past and a notable California cultural center on Monday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m.  For information on the San Marino Historical Society call (626) 304-9375 or email smhistorical@earthlink.net.