Historic Landmark Venue
Explore the legacy and architecture of The Rowley House, a unique venue for events and productions.
Discover the Legacy of Rowley House
The Rowley House is a historic landmark in Sunland, Los Angeles, serving as a unique venue for film productions and special events, while offering guided tours to explore its rich architectural heritage.
A Historic Landmark
Explore Our Rich History
As the first home built in the Sunland neighborhood, The Rowley House invites visitors to experience its legacy and architecture, making it a cherished part of Los Angeles's cultural history.
The Rowley Origins
The history of the pioneering Rowley family is covered beautifully by Tujunga historian Marlene Hitt in her book “Sunland and Tujunga: From Village to City.” The Rowleys are some of the earliest settlers in Tujunga, arriving in 1882. They homesteaded the land below Rowley Canyon, roughly where Hillrose Avenue heads east from Tujunga Canyon Boulevard. They set up a tent and some beehives that they had brought by wagon from Los Angeles, following the rough trails laid out by the woodcutters that were frequenting the canyons above Tujunga. The Rowleys were ambitious town-builders, establishing the first general store and initiating mail service to the area.
Mrs. Rowley became the teacher for the scattered families of the Tujunga area when the first teacher quit mid-year.
Marlene Hitt writes: “The boys in the school were rough; some carried weapons like guns or knives and would wield them if the teacher attempted discipline. Needless to say, the first teacher quit halfway through the year. But Mrs. Rowley’s father had been a sergeant in the Civil War and she knew from growing up how to handle such upstarts.”
The Rowleys had two boys who had all sorts of adventures growing up in the then-wild Tujunga Valley, many of which are recounted in Marlene’s book. The Rowleys later built a comfortable stone house on Hillrose that apparently is still there.
By Mike Lawler - former
president of the Historical Society
of the Crescenta Valley
