Italian Vineyard Company
The Italian Vineyard Company was a 5,000 acre vineyard established by Secondo Guasti in 1900. The vineyard was located in a town named Zucker in the Cucamonga Valley, and by 1910 the town's name was officially changed to Guasti.[1]
The Italian Vineyard Company eventually became recognized as one of the leaders of the grape growing and wine producing industry in California.[2] By 1917, Guasti had succeeded in creating one of the largest vineyards in the world that produced nearly 5 million gallons of wine per year.[3]
History
[edit]Secondo Guasti arrived in Los Angeles, California in 1883, and in just four years he began to produce wines for local Los Angeles restaurants.[4] Eventually, Guasti's love for wine led him to establishing the Guasti Winery, and by the late 1890s Guasti was recognized as one of the key producers of wine in Los Angeles.[4]
According to legend, Guasti arrived to the Cucamonga Valley in the early 20th century and dug twenty-four feet into the earth, uncovered water, and immediately recognized that he found an opportunity to expand his wine business.[3] In 1900, Guasti took a risk and organized a group of investors to purchase eight square miles of land in Cucamonga, California and founded the Italian Vineyard Company.[5] In order to construct and run the vineyard, Guasti, with the help of the Italian consul in Los Angeles, encouraged Italian immigrants to come work for him in Cucamonga Valley.[6] As a result, Guasti created his own town for the newly imported Italian workers that included institutions such as a fire station, school, market, bakery, boarding house, and a doctor's office.[5]
In 1910, Guasti built a mansion in the West Adams district in Los Angeles. Located at 3500 W. Adams Boulevard, the home is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 478.[7] After his death, the family sold the home to choreographer Busby Berkley. [8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Guasti Plaza | City of Ontario, California" (PDF). June 20, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- ^ Cal Poly Pomona's Southern California Wine and Wine Industry Collection. "Guides: Southern California Wine and Wine Industry Collection: History of Wine in Southern California". libguides.library.cpp.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
- ^ a b Susan Straight (2012-12-01). "Spirits of Guasti: Between the 60 and the 10". Boom: A Journal of California. 2 (4): 60–67. doi:10.1525/boom.2012.2.4.60. ISSN 2153-8018.
- ^ a b Mollno, Linda Frances (2008). Deep Roots and Immigrant Dreams : A Social History of Viticulture in Southern California, 1769-1960. The Claremont Graduate University. p. 140. OCLC 726742142.
- ^ a b "From Penniless Immigrant to 'Wine King'". Los Angeles Times. 2000-10-08. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
- ^ George M. Walker & John Peragine. (2017). Cucamonga Valley Wine : the Lost Empire of American Winemaking. The History Press. ISBN 978-1-4396-6254-0. OCLC 1012846648.
- ^ "Guasti Villa - Busby Berkley Estate". LACity.org. Historic Places Los Angeles. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
The property meets the criteria for HCM designation because it is identified with 'a historic personage,' as the home of well-known film director-choreographer Busby Berkeley.
- ^ "Secundo Guasti". West Adams Heritage Association. westadamsheritage.org. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
After his death, the Guasti family sold the house to film choreographer and director Busby Berkeley.
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