This is what the seller of the above photo said:
8" X 10" black & white glossy photo. Untitled, someone has written on the covering shrink wrap, "HOLLY SUGAR PLANT - SANTA ANA c1952. No doubt that this IS the Holly Sugar Plant in South Santa Ana with the view to the SW across acres of farmland towards what is now South Coast Plaza. One corner is creased otherwise this photo is nearly perfect.I'm curious to know if any of you out there remembers the Holly Sugar Plant? I moved into Santa Ana in 1978, and it seems at that time, homes were already built along the north side of Sunflower Street.
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18 comments:
The sugar factory was down on Dyer Rd near where Grad dead ends at the 55. There is a "suites" type hotel there now! There are a couple of postcards with pictures of it on the Santa Ana History Website. Check it out!!!http://www.santaanahistory.com
The "Suites" Hotel is built on the waste or spoils field rather than on the actual factory site--but close. This was one of two sugar factories in operation in Santa Ana over time and one of a half dozen in Orange County overall.
You all forgot how bad it smelled.
Many have not forgotten the smell, which was the topic of conversation at a dinner party several weeks ago.
I have worked at the Cherry Rivet plant since Feb. 1978 and I watched them dismantle the Holly plant soon after which was directly South of the Cherry property. The sugar beet pile was graded over for several months before they began to build the hotels. Holly also had a remote warehouse on Warner which they accessed by forklift along the tracks which still cross Warner West of Grand Ave. The warehouse is also gone.
I haven't forgotten the smell. the prevailing wind from the West would blow it across the 55 Fwy.
The Corliss steam engine that powered Holly is here:
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That old sugar plant may have been there from as early as the 1870s, but more likely from around 1900. Certainly it was there by the early 1920s, when my mother, aunts and uncles were small children in Anaheim. They remember it clearly, and even as late as the early 1970s, it stood almost alone there on the valley. I mean there was very little around it for several miles. The distinctive thing about it to the average person were the lights on it and how they lit it up at night.
I miss the old plant. I worked there until it was shutdown
I went to elementary school at George
Washington, from 1962-1969, on Flower and Warner. Flower Street dead-ended there and there were orange groves until you got to the beet fields. You could always smell the Holly Factory when you went out to morning recess. Not as bad as some describe, pungently sweet, almost burnt smell. Brings back a lot of memories.
while not occuring directly at the sugar beet factory this site was adjacent to what was probably the worst commercal air disaster in orange county history,in november of 1968 a cable commuter twin otter on approach to orange county airport in heavy fog dropped below the glide path and hit a light standard,this spun the aircraft into the 55 freeway overpass at dyer rd,it exploded on impact showering burning debris across all lanes of the 55,luckly no one on the road was injured (with todays traffic i doubt they would be so lucky) but all 9 onboard were lost a very sad day indeed
yes i remember the holly sugar plant.i've been in orange county 48years and remember lots of things and places.some are still here ,but many are gone,replaced by high rises, new homes and buisness's. oh how sometimes i wish for those days.thank you,don catozza,1974 mater dei high school
Does anybody remember nearby Kerr Glass? And what about their fabulous idea for "glassphalt?"
I remeber the last days of the plant, working off of Haliday at Schiff Photo Mechanics. The old disel switcher (Alco?) always got my attention. When the facility was dismantled in '79 or '80 a welder's torch set off the residue in one of the big steel tanks. That got the FD there in time to collaspe the water main on our street as they fought the fire.
I have lived all my 47 years in Santa Ana on a residential porperty next the Holly Sugar Plant. My father still lives there and enjoyed the view of Saddleback Mountain everyday until the Birtcher Company built a technology park. My cousin would play on the property on the top of a "White Mountain" powder. It was beautiful brick building that could have be incorparated into the industrail park's design.
I remember my mom driving down the 55 to go to south coast plaza and we had the pass the Holly Sugar plant. IT STUNK!
I well remember that stinky Holly Sugar factory. Our class took a field trip there in 1957. We were gifted with a little bag of sugar as we were leaving. (We received a hand full of rivets, the year before, from the Cherry Rivet factory). Does anyone remember they filmed a "Fugitive" episode there? My girlfriend and I went to see it filmed and met David Janssen and Barry Morse. This was in the mid-60's and the place looked like a wreck by then. Fun memories. Thanks.
It must have smelled. I just remember driving over to the plant to pick up my grandfather who worked there. I don't remember a smell just the noise. I only remember it was a loud place.
I remember very well being introduced by a friend to the steam engine that powered the plant. My friend and I were involved with the restoration and operation of large Western Mfr. "hit and mis" gas engines (50 & 30 Hp) that had previously powered irrigation water pumps. Steam was more practical at the sugar plant, as it was used for beet processing, in addition to powering the engine.
A few corrections to above contributions: the Dyer factory was built in 1912 rather than 19th century.
Built by a county co-op and later sold to Holly.
The Holly locomotive was an EMD product rather than Alco, distinctive in that it was originally S.P.'s first wholly owned diesel. I had the pleasure of working with the loco on S.P. subsidiary NWP in Marin County in 1965 then having it follow me home to O.C. a few years later.
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