Nursery Office

Pindo Palms in front of nursery office.

Nursery Office

The California Nursery Company office was built in 1907, three years after John Rock passed in 1904. Notice the sign that says "Established in 1865"? This establishment date didn't appear in catalogs until after Rock's death. This 1865 has caused much confusion over the years. After considerable checking, this date was found to be a stretch. John Rock's "Rock's Nurseries" was established in 1865, but the California Nursery Co. was established here in Niles in 1884. This is a bit of advertising hype on someone's part or a  forgivable misunderstanding in the era before the internet.

Pindo Palms

Notice the Pindo Palms (Butia capitata) on each side of the entry of the office/museum. These palms are replacements for the palms that existed years before as seen in the above photo. Some neat person keeps cutting off the flowers. They do not know that if you wait, you will get an orange fruit that tastes amazingly good - like mango, peach, papaya, and other fruits. Another name for Pindo Palm is Jelly Palm.

Around 1939, when the nursery was getting ready for the 1939-1940 World's Fair, Edward T. Foulkes gave the nursery office the adobe treatment - tile roof, stucco, and windows where there were arches.

The Office Lawn

This area has been used for entertaining guests for a long time. Here is the event for the 1930 Pacific Coast Association of Nurserymen. In 1930, the Display Garden had not been  created yet, so the lawn is larger. 

The lawn was reduced after the Display Gardens were put in. Today people enjoy picnicking among the trees and watching the kids play on the lawn.