The Story Behind Alhambra’s Francis Q. Story

Francis Quarles Story circa 1900, and the Queen Anne Victorian home he had built in 1883 in Alhambra (Photos – Alhambra Historical Society)

Recently there’s been quite a bit of attention given to the historically significant F.Q. Story home, which is for sale in northeastern Alhambra, and the ongoing efforts to preserve this home. But do you know about the influence F.Q. Story had on Alhambra and Southern California as a whole? Here’s the story behind Alhambra’s Francis Quarles Story.

By Chris Olson and Joe Castillo, Alhambra Historical Society

Francis Quarles Story was a Boston wool merchant, whose ill health and financial losses from a massive fire in 1872 brought him west from Massachusetts to San Francisco in 1876. He spent his winters traveling through Southern California to find where he would settle with his wife, Charlotte Devereaux Story. In the late 1870s he chose Alhambra and became active in the development of our city. He was instrumental in building the SGV Rapid Transit Railway in 1877 – later selling it to Southern Pacific. He studied the cultivation of citrus, planted orange groves, and is credited with founding the national advertising campaign that made the Sunkist Orange famous. In 1883, Story had a residence built for himself and his wife at 502 Story Place in Alhambra. The multi-storied home was situated on the 30 acres he owned – its long, grand driveway beginning at the corner of present-day Almansor Street and Alhambra Road.

Today, Story’s home can still be found at 502 Story Place with its matching carriage house just a few doors south. But it may be hard for you to recognize from the photo above. Unfortunately, the home was significantly damaged in a fire in a mid-20th century fire and was greatly altered as a result. Today, it’s more Federalist in its architectural style than its original exquisite Queen Anne Victorian design, but in its glory days, this was one of Alhambra’s finest homes. In 1928 Story donated a portion of his land to the City of Alhambra. That land became present-day Story Park.

In his own right, Francis.Q. Story developed a keen sense of business operations, which gave him a well-rounded background in how businesses ran and how to get a business to become the best that it could be. Even more importantly, Story knew how to network, long before the term “networking” was key to business growth opportunities. He shrewdly started his rise in the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, getting appointed to key positions at a time when Los Angeles was growing in the business world. By 1906, Story was involved in so many community organizations and programs that many were probably wondering if there was more than one Francis Q. Story. He became executive chairman of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce tariff committee for the burgeoning citrus industry, and Southern California’s citrus products became known throughout the world. Story spread his wings to other community entities, becoming the first President of the San Gabriel Valley Country Club. He was a board member of the California Club, Southern California Automobile Club, the Municipal League, and the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce. But he didn’t stop there. Story was also in leadership positions in 16 other LA-area based organizations for decades including the California Protective League, the Los Angeles Directory Committee, Security-First National Bank of Los Angeles, First National Bank of Alhambra, the National Irrigation Association, the California and Arizona Conservation Commission, the Executive Committee of the Nicaraguan Canal Association, the Chamber of Commerce’s National Education Association, and the Alhambra Orange Growers Association.

Southern California and Alhambra owe Francis Q. Story a debt of gratitude. His leadership, direction, and management of more than a dozen different organizations all focused on expanding, enriching and elevating Los Angeles and its surrounding cities, ultimately making these communities and this region more prosperous than he could have ever imagined.

The Alhambra Historical Society’s 2024 membership drive is going on now! For more information about joining, visit alhambrahistoricalsociety.org. The Alhambra Historical Society is a 501c3 non-profit organization working towards preserving Alhambra’s robust history and educating residents about the historically significant people and places that are unique to Alhambra and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley. The Alhambra Historical Society Museum is located at 1550 West Alhambra Road, Alhambra and is open from 1:00 – 4:00 pm, the first and third Saturday of every month.