Glendale History: Back to School Edition!

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This postcard, one of many documenting the history of Glendale's area schools in the Glendale Public Library's Special Collections Room, features one of Glendale's earliest school buildings, Union High School. Built in 1908, the school occupied the land bounded by Colorado Street, Louise Street, Maryland Avenue, and Harvard Street (although the street names were different at the time).

After operating as a high school until 1923, the building would serve as the site of Glendale Junior College (now known as Glendale Community College) from 1929 until the building was damaged by the Long Beach earthquake of 1933. Following the earthquake, the College continued to hold classes on the same Harvard Street campus, using tents and bungalows in lieu of the actual school building, until it moved to the current location in 1937.

Today, the Glendale Central Library now stands on the land where the Union High School building once stood.

The Special Collections Room in the Glendale Central Library contains news clippings, books, maps, and other materials that cover the history of Glendale, neighboring cities, and California in general. The collection is particularly useful for local history and genealogy research projects. Special Collections also houses the Cat Collection, one of the largest collections of feline-related materials in the world.

The Special Collections Room is currently open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m and 1 to 3 p.m., and by appointment. Please call (818) 548-2037 for additional information.