"The Man Who Built Covina"

He died the same day as the famous singer Lark Ellen, and his death announcement was set right next to hers headlining the front page of the town paper. In his time, he was lauded as "the man who built Covina,"¹ but his name—and most of his life's work—was subsequently lost to history.

Edward Aaron Hubbard was born in Fairfield, Illinois, on June 2, 1880. He initially plied his building trade in Lyons, Kansas, before coming to Covina in 1922.¹ Not long after setting up shop here, he was commissioned to construct his first and most enduring commercial edifice: the bank building on the northeast corner of Citrus and College that's been a downtown landmark for many generations of Covinans.

The new home of the First National Bank of Covina opened for business in March, 1924.²
Photo courtesy Covina Valley Historical Society.

Concurrent with the erection of the First National Bank, Hubbard also built the likewise-familiar and still-extant retail storefront just to the north at 210-214 North Citrus.¹ From 1930-1949, the building at left below housed the Covina store of the J. J. Newberry 5-10-25¢ chain.^3,4

The bank and the adjacent retail space under construction in Winter 1923-1924.^a

In April, 1937, the First National Bank of Covina was acquired by Bank of America's parent company, Transamerica Corporation.⁵

The Covina branch of Bank of America in 1947.
Reproduced courtesy of the Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. Link to full-res image.

BofA moved to a new building at 135 East Badillo in September, 1957,⁶ and two months later, 200 North Citrus became the local office of Pasadena's Mutual Savings and Loan Association.⁷

Mutual Savings operated its Covina location for 24 years.

Today, E. A. Hubbard's bank building has passed its centennial mark and lives on as a branch of citibank.

Looking good for an old man of 99! I like to believe if that false frontage were stripped away, all the original stonework would still be intact.
Photo by Yours Truly, March, 2023.

In 1929, Hubbard constructed another Covina landmark: the Oddfellows Building at the northeast corner of Citrus and Italia.⁸ Known as the Logan-Stead Building after 1941,⁹ it fell victim to an arson fire in the early Nineties^10,b and was subsequently demolished. Condominiums now occupy the whole east side of the 300 North block of Citrus Avenue.

The Oddfellows/Logan-Stead Building soon after completion.
Photo by Tucker Studios, Courtesy Powell Camera Shop, Covina.

This little art deco jewel at 141 East College Street was built by E. A. Hubbard in 1935.¹¹

Covina's new Edison Company office soon after its opening...
Reproduced courtesy of the Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. Link to full-res image.

...and a few years later in 1941.
Reproduced courtesy of the Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. Link to full-res image.

In 1950, the building was remodeled¹² and expanded into the space seen above at right. Then, after Southern California Edison moved to another new office at 235 East Badillo in June, 1958,¹³ it became the HQ for the Covina Police Department.

The repurposed Edison building in 1960. It was demolished for parking circa 1990 as part of an expansion of Covina City Hall.¹⁴

Compiling a full list of Hubbard's works in Covina is not possible due to the many time gaps in the online newspaper archives, but he was also a prolific homebuilder in and around town—everything from modest stucco bungalows to hilltop mansions.¹⁵ His last commercial commission was a new plant for the Covina Argus-Citizen newspaper at 151 East College Street, which opened February 3, 1947,^16,c only 7 months before Hubbard died of pancreatic cancer at Covina Hospital on September 9.¹⁷

Edward A. Hubbard (1880-1947)
Source: Ancestry—Family's Collection.

One of the more rewarding aspects of history sleuthing is finding forgotten notables and giving them the recognition they deserve. Hopefully this article will help to restore Ed Hubbard to his rightful place in Covina's past.

References:

¹ Covina Argus-Citizen, September 10, 1947, p.1.
² Los Angeles Times, March 28, 1924, p.14.
³ Covina Argus, April 18, 1930, p.1.
⁴ Library of Congress: California - White Pages - Los Angeles Northeastern Section - May 1949, p.370.
⁵ Covina Argus, April 9, 1937, p.1.
⁶ Covina Argus-Citizen, September 26, 1957, p.34.
⁷ Los Angeles Times, December 1, 1957, p.305.
⁸ Covina Argus, November 29, 1929, p.1.
⁹ Covina Argus-Citizen, November 29, 1946, p.1.
¹⁰ Personal communication: Bob Findley on the "I Grew Up In Covina" Facebook group.
¹¹ Covina Argus, January 18, 1935, p.1.
¹² Covina Argus-Citizen, September 29, 1950, p.2.
¹³ Covina Argus-Citizen, June 19, 1958, p.1.
¹⁴ Los Angeles Times, May 11, 1989, p.297.
¹⁵ Covina Argus, November 7, 1930, p.2.
¹⁶ Covina Argus-Citizen, January 31, 1947, p.1.
¹⁷ Edward Aaron Hubbard, Certificate of Death #11493, State of California, Dept. of Public Health, filed October 10, 1947, in the Los Angeles County Recorder's Office.

Notes:

^a This photo has been digitally enlarged. The original can be viewed here.
^b The last mention of the address "300 N Citrus, Covina" in the Newspapers.com archive was in the June 12, 1990, edition of the Los Angeles Times.
^c The Argus-Citizen building still stands today, however its address is now 147-151 East College.