National Register of Historic Places

Hetebrink House

Fullerton, Orange County, California
Listed
June 30, 1993
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
93000597

About this property

The Hetebrink House is a Mission Revival style historic home in Fullerton, California, built in 1914 for John Hetebrink. Located on the south-east corner of what is now Fullerton College, the building has been uninhabited since 2001. John Hetebrink —the "Tomato King" — was one of the original settlers of Fullerton and owned two 40-acre ranches north of Chapman Avenue, much of which is now occupied by Fullerton College and California State University, Fullerton. Although the land the house stands on was originally a tomato field, the ranches are said to have held walnut and orange groves as well. Hetebrink built the house in 1914, the year after Fullerton College opened next-door. Albert "Pete" Hetebrink is the third of John's seven children (1900-2001) and Fullerton College's 1923 student body president. In the 1970s, Pete offered the property to Fullerton College, which had by then bought up much of the surrounding acreage the ranch originally occupied. There exists debating stories on the order of events, but the result was Pete later rescinded his offer, with the reason being the college had planned to turn it into a parking-lot (joining the two lots that currently flank it). The house was submitted to the National Register of Historic Places on May 24, 1993, and added on July 1 of the same year. The house is still owned by the Hetebrink family. The last known resident of the house was Pete, and has been left unoccupied since his death in 2001. As of March 2019, the structure itself has been in a state of disrepair.

Location

515 E. Chapman
Fullerton, Orange County, California
33.87548, -117.91482

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Fullerton College Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Fullerton Union High School Auditorium (Additional Documentation)
Civil War
0.3 mi
Dewella Apartments
Industrial
0.4 mi
Pomona Court and Apartments
Listed
0.4 mi
Fullerton Post Office
Industrial
0.5 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of La Mesa
1847Mexican-American War
13.8 mi
Battle of San Gabriel
1847Mexican-American War
14.4 mi
Engagement at Chino
1846Mexican-American War
14.8 mi
Battle of La Mesa (California)
1847Mexican-American War
15.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Hetebrink House listed on the National Register?

Hetebrink House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 30, 1993.

What type of historic resource is Hetebrink House?

Hetebrink House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Hetebrink House?

The period of significance for Hetebrink House is recorded as the industrial era.

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