Early in 1923, the present Toluca Lake area was a flourishing ranch, famous for its lush crops of peaches, apples and walnuts and known as the Forman Toluca Ranch. Its productive groves have long given way to beautiful streets of fine homes and estates. Toluca Lake, a community within two communities, North Hollywood and Burbank, had its inception 76 years ago through efforts of a syndicate of Hollywood financiers and developers who named the development Toluca Lake Park. Due to other promotional undertakings, the original subdividers vacated their Toluca Lake Park tract office. M.A. “Andy” Vargo (“Mr. Toluca Lake”), who had been a salesman with the company, opened his own real estate office, and it was Vargo who was largely responsible for the later development of the community. The area also is the setting for two picturesque lakes — the original one on the North Hollywood side the other in Burbank. Water originally came from springs from the outcropping of the Valley’s water table. Today, water is supplied from wells at the lake’s edges to maintain the lake level. The entire lake bottom was surfaced with four inches of asphalt concrete to stop water seepage. |
- 1966 Magazine Spread About Toluca Lake
