While every section of Anaheim, from business center to remote suburb, has shown great improvement during the past few years, and the residents thereof can point with pride to the numerous buildings springing up in their immediate neighborhoods, no section of the city has developed so rapidly as the Zeyn tract, in the northern end of town.
Two years ago this ground was covered with flourishing orange and walnut trees; today there are twenty-two beautiful residences on it, costing, with additional buildings and improvements, $62,000 and several others, some of them the most splendid homes in Anaheim, are being contemplated.
This property is the tract which fell to the lot of John P. Zeyn, one of the pioneers of the Mother Colony. The thousand acres, purchased from Don Onteveras, was parceled out by lot, and this was drawn by Mr. Zeyn. The old white house at the corner of Sycamore and Los Angeles streets, which has been his residence for so many years, was removed two years ago by C.E. Holcomb and four blocks of the ground sub-divided into 44 lots. These blocks are bounded by Sycamore street on the south, Lemon on the west, Dora on the south, and Los Angeles on the east, with Alberta and the newly created Zeyn street intersecting them.
Herman Stern was a pioneer settler on the new tract. He purchased a lot on the southwest corner of Alberta and Zeyn street, and built thereon a beautiful home at a cost of $7,000. Others have purchased and built thereon and the amounts expended on improvements are: W. E. Duckworth $3,500; Dr. C. W. Harvey $3,500; E. J. Hartung $4,200; A. E. Squire $3,200; G. W. Sandilands $3,500; Roger Dutton $2,000; H. P. Noll $3,800; Bob Rimpau $3,200; Charles Mann $2,000; Charles Fap $2,000; A. E. Squire, a second one, $3,000; E. L. Woodrich $2,500; C. Kee $2,500.
Others who have already built are Theodore Roberts, G. M. Beebe, Susan Beebe, Will Tlevellin, Frank Tausch, A.W. Thomas and Mr. Deering.
These residences range from $2,000 to $2,500 in cost of dwelling and other improvements. There are building restrictions in this sub-division, and nothing but substantial homes can be erected.
In addition to the homes already completed there are several others in contemplation. E. J. Hartung, who recently sold his place to J. O. Henderson, is beginning a new home on Zeyn street on which probably $3,000 will be expended. C. E. Holcomb and John Hartung are each making plans for the construction of the residences which will be among the most beautiful and costly in the city. Half of the original tract has been built on and a new subdivision to the north has been opened.
The bombastic residents of the Zeyn street tract claim that, notwithstanding its mushroom growth, it is the most beautiful residence section in Anaheim, and that numerous splendid additions and improvements are scheduled for the near future. One of the improvements is the substitution of ornamental lamp posts for the present overhead pole and wire system. Herman Stern set the pace by erecting a post on his corner a year ago, and several other property owners recently received permission from the city trustees to erect similar posts. It is believed the entire section will be lighted in this manner shortly.
Building in the business section of the city has been so brisk that little attention has been paid to the residential portion, but every section is showing activity. Many new residences are under construction and numerous others are being planned. Stringent times does not appear to effect operations in Anaheim.