Consists of documents, photographs, programs, and architectural drawings collected by the Lanterman family as a founding family of both the Church of the Lighted Window and La Cañada-Flintridge. Throughout the Lantermans’ time in La Cañada, different family members were active on the church’s Board of Trustees and were an integral part of its development.

Four members of the Lanterman family were among those who signed the original charter of the church in 1897. Prior to this, local families gathered at the Lanterman home for informal worship. For the first fifty years of its existence, the church was the only church in the entire valley and was a center for social services and community gatherings. The original building was built in 1897, then rebuilt in 1924. The Lanterman family provided the initial property as well as other significant donations to the church over the years, including stained glass windows, an organ, additional land, and a parsonage. The original name of the church was the La Cañada Congregational Church; however, its popular name, “Church of the Lighted Window,” originated from a Tiffany window given in memory of Jacob and Ammoretta Lanterman. California Poet Laureate Stephen McGroarty described the memorial as “a lighted window that shines out upon the lonely night…” The name of the church has changed several times, from La Cañada Congregational Church (1897), La Cañada Valley Community Church (1898), Church of the Lighted Window (1954), and back to La Cañada Congregational Church (2008). The church is a designated state historical landmark (HLA n-007). The Lantermans are one of the founding families of La Cañada Flintridge. Jacob and Ammoretta Lanterman brought their family to California in the 1870s. Along with their children and grandchildren, they established the local church, school district, and developed the land. Their grandson, California State Assemblyman Frank Dexter Lanterman, championed water rights for unincorporated areas as well as reforms in the treatment of the developmentally disabled.

4 Document Cases and 2 Rolled Document Boxes

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Collection is open to the public for research. Use is restricted by rules intended to protect and preserve the materials in good condition for the future. Contact the Lanterman House Archives at least 48 hours in advance to ensure access to the materials. For additional information, please contact the Lanterman House Archives.