Bidwell Law Office

Rolfe Bidwell used this craftsman house as his law office during the early 1900s. His Law office was also the location where the first City Council would conduct their meetings.

A product of the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century, the Craftsman is epitomized by the work of the Green Brothers in Pasadena (Gamble House).These homes were generally built between 1905 and c. 1930.Again, there are many permutations of the craftsman but they have: low pitched gable roofs, wide eaves, a broad front porch/verandah, and wood siding (a mass-built version with stucco siding and smaller porches was built in the late 1920s and 30s and called California Bungalow).

This was the law office of Rolfe C. Bidwell who was city attorney between 1911 and 1950 (and namesake of the Bidwell Forum). In November 1911, the first City Council, elected at the time of incorporation (November 13, 1911), met here to organize Glendora. The Council continued to meet in the building at the rear of his home (facing Vermont Avenue) for two years until the first City Hall was built on north Michigan (Glendora) Avenue.

Rolfe Bidwell, and numerous others, spent that first decade documenting historical narratives and events, collecting artifacts, and preserving invaluable data of life in Glendora and the upper San Gabriel Valley that would help start the Glendora Historical Society.

Historical Archives. Glendora Historical Society. 314 N. Glendora Ave. Glendora, CA. 91741. Apr. 19, 2022.