In July 1919, the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce, along with other local organizations, adopted resolutions designating the “Spanish style” as the preferred architectural style in the City.  An early important developer, Harry G. Maxwell (1882-1962), was the first to completely embrace the Spanish Colonial Revival style of architecture.

Harry G. Maxwell House at 520 West Valley View.

Until the 1929 stock market crash, Maxwell built only Spanish Colonial Revival homes throughout Fullerton, each only slightly different from the other.  The 1½-story “spec” home on West Valley View, completed in late 1929, is one of the last, or possibly the last, home constructed by Maxwell and is a particularly fine example of his attention to detail.

Maxwell served as Fullerton Mayor from 1936 to 1938 and was instrumental in the construction of the baseball field in Amerige Park.  A charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Fullerton, formed in 1921, Maxwell had a perfect attendance record for 40 years while also serving as president in 1926. Maxwell arrived in Fullerton after answering an advertisement for a bookkeeper position at the Stern and Goodman general mercantile store, leaving San Francisco the day before the disastrous April 18, 1906 earthquake.

1918 Maxwell family photo.