By Mark Mutz
On Wednesday, Jan 8th, 2025, the Andrew McNally House in Altadena was destroyed by the Eaton Fire (the Eaton Fire started on Tue, Jan 7th, at about 6:18 PM).
The Andrew McNally House was the home of La Mirada-founder Andrew McNally (March 4th, 1836 – May 7th, 1904), Vice President of Rand, McNally & Co (William H. Rand was President). Rand, McNally & Co. was one of the largest and best-known map publishers.
March 27th, 2007, the Queen Anne Style house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It remained a private home until it was destroyed by the Eaton Fire.
In 1880, Andrew McNally and his family arrived in California from Chicago.
In 1887, McNally had an approx. 7,000 square foot, 9 bedroom mansion built in Altadena, on approx. 15 acres of land. McNally also had a private rail spur built from Altadena Junction to his property to store his private railroad car. The home became McNally’s winter residence, with his sights also on what would become La Mirada.
In 1888, McNally purchased 2,200 - 2,300 acres (depending on the source) of former Rancho Los Coyotes land from the Robinson Trust for $115,000 - $200,000 (depending on the source). The Robinson Trust was also known as the Los Angeles & San Bernardino Land Company, and the (Abel) Stearns Ranchos.
Also in 1888, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway depot was built in La Mirada (on Stage Road). The depot was where La Mirada residents picked up their mail until the 1950s. The depot was demolished in around 1960.
700 acres of McNally’s land was developed into the Windermere Ranch, with olive, orange, and lemon groves. At its peak, the ranch became the largest olive orchard in the world (at the time).
The Neff Mansion, as it’s know today at Neff Park, was constructed on the ranch in 1893.
McNally had created an olive oil empire (and the first industry in La Mirada). The mill and packing house where the olives were processed were also located on Windermere Ranch, at one time it produced some of the finest, purest oil available. March 10th, 1933, the Long Beach earthquake damaged the building, after which olive oil production halted at Windermere. McNally’s olive oil mill and packing house was in close proximity to the railroad depot which enabled easy shipping of his olive oil and citrus.
In 1896, McNally and his son-in-law Edwin Dorland Neff (June 20th, 1860 – Nov 22nd, 1943) formed the La Mirada Land Company to create a new community of gentleman’s ranches at Windermere Ranch.
In 1901, Andrew McNally turned over The McNally Olive Oil Company and Windermere Ranch to his daughter, Nancy McNally “Nannie” Neff (Aug 29th, 1863 – Jan 28th, 1959), and her husband, Edwin Dorland Neff. The Neffs appointed Robert C. McGill (June 5th, 1867 – April 29th, 1940) as the head accountant of the companies, which flourished for 40 years under his care.
May 7th, 1904, Andrew McNally died in Altadena after developing pneumonia. June 21st, 1904, the Los Angeles Herald newspaper ran an article of which the following is an excerpt:
MAP MAKER HAD VALUABLE ESTATE-Andrew McNally Owned Many Ranches
McNally’s property in California was estimated to be worth $198,000. This includes the Windermere ranch in Rancho Los Coyotes at La Mirada, which is valued at $89,150, residence and orange ranch at Altadena, $18,000, personal property including furniture and live stock, $25,000, and real estate at Altadena and * Lordsburg. There is also the Valencia ranch near San Juan Capistrano worth $20,000. The total annual revenue from the entire estate in California is stated to be $17,000. Andrew McNally was a resident of Chicago, but spent each winter at his Altadena home. He died there on May 7, and in his will named his son, Frederick George McNally, as his executor.
* In 1917, Lordsburg (in LA County) became La Verne.
In 1940, following Robert McGill’s death, McNally’s grandson William Norbert “Bill” Neff (June 1st, 1903 – April 24th, 1962) and his wife, Mina Braly Neff Benson (July 26th, 1908 – March 7th, 2006), assumed supervision of the property. His draft card (C. 1941) stated his employer as “Mc Nally Ranch Co”.
In 1953, the Neff family sold 2,218 acres of their property to Jack Spears of Pioneer Land and Realty Company of Los Angeles for $4.5 million and retained 10 acres surrounding the Neff house; today’s Neff Park.
In 1954, Louis M. Halper took control of the land for $8 million. Construction began and by 1956, 7,800 homes in 13 tracts had been built.
In March 1960, the community was incorporated under the name Mirada Hills, becoming the 68th city in Los Angeles County.
In Nov 1960, a local ballot measure changed the city’s name to La Mirada, the original name given by Andrew McNally.
The loss of the Andrew McNally House was just one of several losses of historical buildings in the January 2025 wind-driven fire-storms.
Story about current owner who had been restoring the historic home the last few years here.
