Guide to the Irvine Valencia Growers Packing House Records MS.R.114
Processed by Hatheway and Associates, William Landis, Andre Ambrus, and Cyndi Shein; machine-readable finding aid created
by Cyndi Shein
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
(cc) 2008
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
Title: Irvine Valencia Growers packing house records
Creator:
Irvine Valencia Growers
Identifier/Call Number: MS.R.114
Physical Description:
23.6 Linear Feet
(47 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1923-2003
Abstract: This collection comprises records created and collected during a Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) project completed
prior to the demolition of the Irvine Valencia Growers (IVG) packing house in Irvine, California, which belonged to the Irvine
Company. The IVG packing house played a significant role in the growth of the Valencia orange industry in Orange County. The
records of the packing house provide insights into the agricultural business and labor history of the county and constitute
a rare and extensive set of resources for the study of citrus agriculture in Southern California.
Language of Material:
English
.
Access
Collection is open for research. For preservation purposes, access to materials in boxes 1 and 3 is restricted. Researcher
use copies of these materials are available.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. Intellectual property rights are retained by the creators of the
records and their heirs. Some of these materials are in the public domain. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please
contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Preferred Citation
Irvine Valencia Growers Packing House Records. MS-R114. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine,
California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Acquisition Information
Gift of the Irvine Company, 2004.
Processing History
Preliminary processing done by Hatheway and Associates and reviewed by William Landis in 2004. Finding aid begun by Andre
Ambrus in 2005 and completed by Cyndi Shein in 2007.
Processing Note
Prior to their donation to UC Irvine, the materials were compiled and organized by Hatheway and Associates, consultants for
the Keith Companies, who contracted with the City of Irvine to perform the HABS project. For the most part, Hatheway's organizational
scheme and description of materials has been retained.
Historical Background
Planning for the Irvine Valencia Growers (IVG) packing house in Orange County, California began as early as 1926. Initial
plans, which were abandoned in 1928, included a joint facility with the Frances Citrus Association. Ultimately, the contract
for the project, including all plans and specification and supervision of construction, was awarded to F. S. Bishop. IVG reached
an agreement with the A. T. & S. F. Railroad on April 29, 1929 to provide railroad access to the facility. The land was acquired
from the Irvine Company on July 1, 1929. The main purpose of the packing house was to protect the fruit from injury and decay
during its journey from the citrus groves to the consumer. Oranges were picked by hand and transported by truck to the packing
house. At the packing house they were sorted, graded, washed, and waxed. The oranges were then systematically and carefully
packed in cartons, stacked on pallets, and stored in the pre-cooler until loaded onto the trucks or railway freight cars that
transported them to their final destinations.
The first orange trees were planted in California in 1804 at the San Gabriel Mission, but the Californians did not send their
product east in any significant quantity until 1877 after the opening of the transcontinental railroad. Citrus fruit soon
became one of California's few export products and provided a significant economic base for the young state. The earliest
California orange crops consisted of Navel oranges, which were harvested during the winter in Riverside County, and Valencia
oranges, which ripened during the summer in Orange County. Complications in distribution in the early 1890s resulted in financial
hardship for many growers and led them to band together into cooperatives. The growers established the Southern California
Fruit Exchange in 1893 to protect their interests. The organization was renamed the California Fruit Growers Exchange in 1905
and renamed Sunkist Growers, Inc. in 1952. Throughout the years, the term "Sunkist" had been used by the exchange to identify
their highest quality fruit.
James Irvine, owner of the Irvine Ranch in the early 1900s, was a supporter of the co-operative principle of marketing produce.
The Irvine Ranch joined the California Fruit Growers Exchange. The Irvine Ranch had three co-operatives: The Valencia Growers
Association, the Golden West Citrus Association, and the Frances Citrus Association. The first articles of association for
IVG show the company name "Valencia Growers Association" crossed out and replaced by the name Irvine Valencia Growers. From
its inception, the Irvine Valencia Growers was directed by men who were employed by the Irvine Ranch and/or close friends
of the Irvine family, providing the Irvine Company with the potential to exert a strong influence over IVG. Case in point:
IVG's first president, A. J. McFadden was also the president of the Irvine Foundation and later president of the Irvine Company.
The Irvine Company acquired the packing house at some point, thus becoming the owner of its records.
Over the years, several alterations were made to the Irvine Valencia Growers building complex, greatly changing its appearance
from its original state and compromising its historical significance from an architectural standpoint. Although the packing
house was recognized as a cultural resource, an environmental impact report in 2003 recommended demolition of the complex
due to its fragile condition and the prohibitive cost of preserving it. The historic status of the packing house led to a
Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) project in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the U.S. Department of the
Interior, National Park Service. HABS is administered by Heritage Documentation Programs and is the Federal Government's oldest
preservation program. HABS was created in 1933 to document America's architectural heritage by recording the history of significant
built environments prior to their destruction. The site upon which IVG once stood is now part of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail
in Irvine; it is commemorated by a historical marker and a large mosaic.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection comprises records created and collected during a Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) project completed
prior to the demolition of the Irvine Valencia Growers (IVG) packing house in Irvine, California. The IVG packing house played
a significant role in the growth of the Valencia orange industry in Orange County. Spanning 70 years, its records provide
insights into the agricultural business and labor history of the county and constitute an invaluable resource for the study
of citrus agriculture in Southern California. The collection documents the day-to-day business, practices, and environment
of IVG. The collection also documents such topics as the early 20th-century cooperative approach to fruit growing in California,
the pervasive influence of the Irvine Company on the cooperative, and the association of the IVG packing house with significant
citrus worker strikes that took place in the county from 1935 to 1936.
These materials are the product of an agreement between the City of Irvine, the Irvine Company, and the Keith Companies to
document the packing house prior to its demolition in 2003. The collection primarily comprises photocopies of historic documents
owned by the Irvine Company and original documentation created by the Keith Company for the HABS project. The narrative text
of the HABS report conveys the historical context and significance of the IVG. The HABS project also provides maps, architectural
records, and photographs that documented the IVG complex prior to its demolition. Materials include incorporation articles
and by-laws, board and shareholders' meeting minutes, financial records, audit reports, annual reports, trademark files, growers'
pool records and accounts, appraisals and inventories, correspondence concerning machinery and equipment, worker training
and safety materials, and fruit crate labels, oral histories, and other interviews.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged in two series.
- Series 1. Historical American Building Survey (HABS) project documentation, 2001-2003. 3.5 linear feet
- Series 2. Irvine Valencia Growers business records and historic documents, 1923-1998. 20.1 linear ft.
Keith Companies and Hatheway and Associates.
Irvine Valencia Growers Packing House HABS "Outline Format" Documentation Report. Irvine, California, 2003. Box 47: Folder 1. Irvine Valencia Growers Packing House Records. MS-R114. Special Collections and
Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.National Parks Service. "Heritage Documentation Programs. HABS." U.S. Department of the Interior: 2007. http://www.nps.gov/hdp/habs/index.htm
(accessed January 31, 2008).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Film negatives -- California -- Orange County -- 20th century.
Maps -- California -- Irvine -- 20th century.
Land use -- California -- Irvine -- History -- Sources.
Oral histories -- California -- Irvine -- 20th century.
Fruit crate labels -- California -- Orange County -- 20th century.
Photographic prints -- California -- Orange County -- 21st century.
Citrus fruits -- Cooperative marketing -- California -- Irvine.
Slides -- 20th century.
Architectural drawings -- 20th century.
Photographic prints -- California -- Orange County -- 20th century.
Orange growers.
Historic buildings -- California -- Irvine -- History -- Sources
Citrus fruit industry -- California -- Irvine -- History -- Sources
Historic American Buildings Survey
Historic American Building Survey (HABS) project documentation Series 1.
2001-2003
Physical Description: 3.5 Linear Feet
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains materials prepared in conjunction with a Historic American Building Survey (HABS) completed in 2003 by
The Keith Companies and their project subcontractor, Hatheway and Associates, and includes a historical report, photographs,
maps, and drawings. Volume I and IV of the HABS report are particularly rich, providing item-level information about the contents
of the photocopied records of the IVG packing house, which are located in Series 2 of this collection.
Arrangement
The series is arranged as it was produced by the HABS consultants, with the multiple volumes of the report itself followed
by supplementary information.
Restrictions
Unbound archival copies of the Master Index, Volume I, and Volume IV of the HABS report are housed in boxes 1 and 3, to which
access is restricted. Duplicate copies for researcher use are available in Box 47 and described below.
IVG packing house documentation report by HABS
Master index and user guide
2003
box 1 RESTRICTED, folder 1
Archival original
Conditions Governing Access note
Original report is restricted. Use copy is available.
Volume I, narrative text
2003
Scope and Contents note
Comprises an architectural description of the IVG packing house and its various construction phases, extensive historical
background information on the orange industry in Southern California and on the Irvine Ranch, an overview of the business
structure of the IVG packing house, biographical information on its founders, and interviews with several employees.
box 1 RESTRICTED, folder 2
Archival original
Conditions Governing Access note
Original report is restricted. Use copy is available.
box 47, folder 3
Volume II, photographs
2003
Scope and Contents note
Comprises printouts of digital reproductions of HABS project photographs taken by Tom Zimmerman and copies of historic photographs
of the IVG packing house and its surroundings. Includes extensive data about each photograph. Copy prints and negatives for
the HABS photographs are in "Related materials" within this series. Copy prints and negatives for the historic photographs
are included in Series 2 of this collection.
box 47, folder 4
Volume III, maps and drawings
2003
Scope and Contents note
Comprises photocopies of maps and drawings of the IVG packing house, building sections, and orchards (originals dated 1929-2001).
Copies of the historic maps and drawings are included in Series 2 of this collection. Several of the drawings were prepared
by Thirtieth Street Architects, Inc. for the City of Irvine as part of a 2001 adaptive reuse study of the packing house. Copies
are in "Related materials" within this series.
Volume IV, catalog of business records and historic documents
2003
Scope and Contents note
Serves as an index to the photocopied records and documents in Series 2 of this collection.
box 3, folder 1
Archival original
Conditions Governing Access note
Original report is restricted. Use copy is available.
Related materials accompanying the documentation report
box 45, folder 9-12
Drawings and plot plans of the general site and main building sections by Thirtieth Street Architects, Inc.
2001
HABS project photographs by Tom Zimmerman, copy negatives, and descriptive data
2003
General Physical Description note: 70 photographic prints and corresponding negatives
Scope and Contents note
See also the historic photographs in Series 2, box 8.
box 2, folder 1
Drover, Christopher, Phase I cultural resources inventory for Planning Area 9, Irvine, California
2001
Scope and Contents note
Inventory was prepared for the Irvine Community Development Company under the auspices of the Keith Companies.
box 2, folder 2
Templeton Planning Group, supplemental environmental impact report
2003
Scope and Contents note
Materials include Thirtieth Street Architects, Inc. feasibility study.
Irvine Valencia Growers business records and historic documents Series 2.
1923-1998
Physical Description: 20.1 Linear Feet
General Physical Description note: no content
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series comprises copies of Irvine Valencia Growers' business records, photographs, minutes, reports, fruit crate labels,
and other historic documents. These copies were made by Hatheway and Associates in 2003 from originals owned by the Irvine
Company.
Arrangement
The series is arranged as it was produced by the HABS consultants.
box 8
Historic photographs of the IVG packing house facilities and orchards, 4x5 copy negatives, and descriptive data
circa 1940- circa 1960
General Physical Description note: 21 photographic prints and corresponding negatives
Scope and Contents note
See also the photographs produced by HABS contemporaneous with the HABS report in Series 1, box 7.
box 9, folder 1-2
Articles of incorporation and amendments
1926-1989
box 9, folder 3-4
Bylaws and amendments
1926-1977
box 9, folder 5-6
Minutes, organizational meeting of the Board of Directors
1926-1998
box 9, folder 7-10, box 10, folder 1-9, box 11, folder 1-4
Minutes, Board of Directors meetings
1926-1998
Scope and Contents note
Materials document the primary management group of IVG and how they responded to changing political, social, and economic
climates over time. Materials also provide insight into the Irvine Company's role in the finances and operations of the packing
house.
box 11, folder 5-6
Minutes, annual shareholders meeting
1926-1998
box 11, folder 7-8
Fruit Growers Exchange agreements, funds, and compacts
1926-1946
Scope and Contents note
The Exchange was key to the marketing of citrus in California. Materials provide insight into the impact of the exchange on
an individual packing house.
box 11, folder 9-10
Frances Mutual Water Co. agreements, resolutions, and by-laws
1923-1963
box 11, folder 11-12
Revolving fund agreement and resolutions
1926-1977
box 12
Accounts payable
1926-1943
Scope and Contents note
Materials provide a highly detailed account of money paid to various contractors and suppliers for construction of the IVG
packing house, as well as a glimpse of the management practices of both the packing house and the Irvine Company.
box 13, folder 1-10
Expense ledgers
1929-1944
Cash disbursements
Scope and Contents note
Materials record cash disbursements to various accounts, funds, individual agencies, and entities. They represent a nearly
continuous record of the business expenses of the packing house for over 50 years. Each box contains a detailed listing of
the items in that box (a printout from the catalog found in Volume IV of the HABS report).
box 16, box 17
Record of checks drawn
1926-1943
box 18
1944-1945 January
1944-1945
box 20, box 21
Disbursements and cash received
1945-1959
box 24
Disbursements and checks drawn
1960-1968
box 28, folder 1-2
Maps of orchards associated with each grower and shareholder
circa 1990
Growers' pool records
Scope and Contents note
Materials provide details about production, organized by fruit, brand, and grower, including many prominent people in the
history of Orange County. Most boxes provide printouts from the Catalog (Volume IV) with a detailed listing of the items in
that box.
box 28, folder 3-4
Financial statement
1967-1969
Growers' accounts
Scope and Contents note
Contains production records that provide details about the number of boxes of fruit produced by different growers at different
orchards and detail the impact of business cycles and weather on production over time.
box 41, folder 5-6
Annual reports
1976-1985
Scope and Contents note
Prepared for the IVG board and shareholders at a time when increasing property values and development began to compete with
the use of land for agricultural purposes in Orange County.
box 41, folder 9-10, box 42, folder 1-14
Trademark files
1928-1995
box 42, folder 15-16
Building records and notices of completion
1931-1969
box 42, folder 17-18
Building Committee minutes
1938, 1968
box 42, folder 19-22
Appraisal reports
1972, 1976
box 43, folder 1-2
Inventories of raw material, equipment, and machinery
1971-1978
box 43, folder 5-6
Correspondence regarding machinery and equipment
1930-1981
box 43, folder 7-8
Fire sprinkler system correspondence and drawings
1978
box 43, folder 9-10
Job descriptions
circa 1991
Scope and Contents note
Documents address the entire spectrum of labor required to run a packing house. Materials are in English and Spanish.
box 43, folder 11-12
Crew foreman training handbook
circa 1990
box 43, folder 13-14
Safety handbook
circa 1990
Scope and Contents note
Materials are in English and Spanish.
box 43, folder 15-16
Information for Santa Fe rail car loading
1971-1978
box 44, folder 1-2
"Irvine Valencia Growers switches to bin handling," P.H. Greene and G.R. Strauss,
The California Citrograph (volume 47, number 10)
1962
box 44, folder 3-4
Job hazards list
circa 1990
Scope and Contents note
Materials are in English and Spanish.
box 44, folder 5-13
Citrus Safety Training Program lecture scripts and slides on citrus, packing, and forklift safety
circa 1980- circa 1990
box 44, folder 14-15
Accident prevention analysis reports (State Compensation Insurance Fund)
1973-1977
box 45, folder 1-8
Maps and drawings of the IVG packing house site and buildings
1929-1978
General Physical Description note: Photocopies on acid-free paper
box 46
Fruit crate labels for IVG brands Satin, Linen, Irvale, Madras, Velvet, Tweed, and Serge
circa 1950- circa 1960
box 44, folder 16-17
IVG stationery
circa 1950- circa 1960
