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Building History

The Duryee Family resided in this large, shingled dwelling at 2164 West 20th Street between about 1905 and the early 1940s. (See email from Kent Duryee to the author on 10/02/2023. Thank you to him for correcting the photo and for providing some additional information on his grandparents.) In 1905, Harvey H. Duryee was a clerk for R.A. Rowan and Company, a real estate, insurance and investment firm. (See Los Angeles, California, City Directory, 1905, p. 444.)

Kent Duryee, Harvey and Grace's grandson added this bit of background on his family: "I do know that at some point Harvey became a real estate agent himself, and was no longer a clerk at R. A. Rowan. I believe he was self-employed, but I can't be sure of that. Both Harvey and Grace came from very wealthy families in New York. Grace was a close relation to the Astors, and Harvey's lineage had been prosperous in New York since the 1650s when our ancestor, Joost Durieux, came over as a Huguenot from Holland, where he had escaped to from France to avoid severe and violent religious prosecution. Harvey went on to own much of what is now Del Mar north of San Diego, and a lot of acreage on Lido Isle and Balboa Island in Orange County. He eventually wound up going north to the Mojave and started selling land in what are now the cities/towns of Palmdale, Littlerock, and Lancaster. He somehow procured 100 acres in Littlerock and started a small citrus farm." (See email from Kent Duryee to the author, 10/03/2023. Thank you again to Kent!)

The Los Angeles Public Library's California Index had a biographical interview done with him c. 1920: "City-born Harvey Hoad Duryee is an enthusiastic rancher. The vagaries of fruits, the building of county roads, the developing of citrus and deciduous fruits and trees, he admits to finding more interesting than clubs and similar social activities." It added that his hobbies were "fencing, wildflowers, pomology and his ranch in Lancaster." (See Los Angeles Public Library, California Index.org, "Municipal Reference Library 300 City Hall City Officials: Name Duryee, Harvey Hoag," accessed 10/04/2023.)

PCAD id: 21212