DKP CLUBHOUSES AND THE PICKWICK HOTEL

[johnl]

Here is the next segment of my photos I'll share.  Note that these have a watermark with my name affixed and there is a reason.  Since I posted the photos of the DKP Road Trip to Featherly Park I've received e-mails from Europe showing these posted to other sites and am being asked if I've seen them.  Of course I have as I took them, but somehow in lifting the photos and posting to other locations the origins as to where they came from has been lost.  Hopefully this will help with future offerings.

The topic here is the Pickwick Hotel and the DKP Clubhouse.  The hotel was built in 1926 and originally named “El Torre Hotel” which is something I never knew until I did some research.  By 1929 it was re-named the “Pickwick Hotel” which it remained until it was torn down in June of 1988.  Here is a link with a couple of photos and some more data:  http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt1v19p938/?layout=metadata

I don't know exactly how it was set up in those early days and I wasn't exposed to it until 1956 when my family moved from Santa Ana to Anaheim.  I suspect the bus depot was always in the back alley as it looked to be original to the building.  By the time I arrived on the scene there were a series of retail shops on Los Angeles St., later named Anaheim Blvd. 

One of these was Tiny’s Hobby Shop which I use to ride my bike to and spend hours there.  Yes Mr. Goss, this is when I rode by a young Stan Betz (Betz Speed & Color) sitting on the curb in front of his shop on Chestnut mixing paint for Hot Rods. 

I was big into HO Trains and AMT Model car kits.  Tiny ran model contest and I was always entering.  One of my winning cars was a first generation Corvair done in candy purple with purple and white tuck and roll done with corduroy.  I’d cut the doors, hood and engine compartment lid open and they were hinged.  The engine was a small block Chevy in the rear.  The car was mounted on a mirrored glass with trophies, gas and oil cans displayed.

The hotel has more history to DKP than most of you know as there were two clubhouses there.  Our first was on Los Angeles St. at the south end of the building very close to where Tiny’s had been.  Later, when I was away in the Navy it was moved to the Chestnut St. location and I don’t really know the details why.

Just south of the first location was the Anaheim Library, now the cities historical museum.  This building has significance as it was the location where Pete Dayton and Mike Huggins came up with the club’s name and logo.

I drive through parts of Anaheim daily as my business is located not to far from all of this.  Memories continually stir of days long gone by.  Probably most can say where they grew up was great, but for me this was and is the place.  For a kid of nine years old to arrive in such a place and live the life and make the friends I have is beyond words for me.

Now to the photos………………………………..

[johnl]

A photo of the Corvair model I built back around 1960.  This shot was taken in my parents back yard and I still have this model today.

[johnl]

This is the front of club house #2.  L-R Kip Ralston, Art Alvarez, Steve Leikus, Mike Larson and myself.  Butternut parked in the foreground.  Note the Americans were now painted a brown in the centers to match the interior and sunroof.  Looks like we are moving trophies out of the clubhouse probably to go to a Bug-In.

[johnl]

Another photo of myself on the left with Steve Leikus.  Unknown blue car, but I'm thinking it might have belonged to Kip Ralston and Butternut to the right.

[speedwell]

once again thx john for sharing those stories with us
fabs

[johnl]

This is looking east on Chestnut St.  In the photo L-R are Bill McMillan, Steve Leikus, Mike Larson in the background, Liz (more about her later), Art Alvarez, Arnie Mohlman and Mark Thurber under the hood of his car.

[johnl]

Okay, this is the MONEY SHOT.  Unknown person on the left, Kip Ralston, Stan Davis with his arm around Liz.  Now Liz was the local Barfly and she had exited the Pla-Mor Bar at the end of the street and had to get in the photo.  Note the rather fancy dress she is wearing and certainly pick the right guy to have her photo with.  Next would be Arnie Mohlman and Mark Thurber's car. 

This was taken on a Sunday morning around 9:30am as I recall.  We were gathering to go somewhere but I can't remember what.  Jim E., maybe you can add to this??

[johnl]

The final shot of this series.  L-R Dave Patrick drinking coffee, Art Alvarez, Steve Leikus, Unknown, I think Stan Davis bent over showing us his best side..      Vehicles parked are the "Toilet", Arnie's '67 with real BMR's as that was all he could afford, the unknown blue car and Mark Thurber's car. 

In the background on Los Angeles St. you can clearly see the "Pla-Mor" behind Dave Patrick.  On the right was West Coast Auto Supply which was just to the east of our clubhouse.

A couple more thought have come to mind.  Gregg Bunch somehow managed to obtain a lamp from the Pickwick as the place was being torn down.  I've seen it at his house, but don't remember many details of that conversation although it was somewhat recent.

The other things that come to mind was Doug Haydon's Bachelor party held at the clubhouse and he was graceful enough to put his elbow through one of the plate glass front windows.  Whit Haydon and and I took him to Anaheim Memorial Hospital to get sewn up.  I remember calling his Mom and telling her he was okay.  She asked if he had been drinking and of course I lied...   

Last was we use to say that when you went in the clubhouse and turned on the lights the floor moved as it was full of cock roaches, but it was home for us....   

[deano]

Nice burnout marks in the bottom photo! Finally, some good photos do exist of the famed Pickwick Hotel and DKP Lounge. Fab photos JohnL...

[kingsburgphil]

Nice burnout marks in the bottom photo! Finally, some good photos do exist of the famed Pickwick Hotel and DKP Lounge. Fab photos JohnL...

I've been waiting for pictures of the DKP groupies, namely the Hunt sisters Valerie and Mallory  .

[Rennsurfer]

EXCELLENT photos, John! And as usual, thank you for sharing.

[johnl]

Nice burnout marks in the bottom photo! Finally, some good photos do exist of the famed Pickwick Hotel and DKP Lounge. Fab photos JohnL...

Ah, I wondered if there were any eyes out there that would spot the burnout marks.       Good eyes Deano and glad you like the photos.

These days when I drive around down there I'm sad as for what was once there.  Progress is not always good and I'm one to preserve old things such as homes, public buildings, senior citizens of which I'm becoming one rather rapidly and certainly not last are automobiles no matter what mark.  In my opinion they all have value and tell us of our past......

[johnl]

Nice burnout marks in the bottom photo! Finally, some good photos do exist of the famed Pickwick Hotel and DKP Lounge. Fab photos JohnL...

I've been waiting for pictures of the DKP groupies, namely the Hunt sisters Valerie and Mallory  .

Anyone who was around back in those times could never forget Valerie and Mallory.  What a pair is all I'll say.

Got to thinking and the Clementine 1302 in the Featherly Park photos might have belonged to one of them.  Jim E, where are you as I need your memory on this......

[johnl]

I've found another good site to see the Pickwick.  There are three photos you can click on and enlarge each one.  My favorite is the one with the 1958 Edsel wagon.  A rare vehicle indeed and I'd like to have one in my garage especially if it was the Bermuda model with the bleached phony wood on the sides.   

There is also an outline area in red showing where the hotel once stood and what has replaced it.  If you look down that row of trees on the north end of the old location you might just see a couple of those burnout marks.....   

http://wikimapia.org/4328838/Pickwick-Hotel-site

[Fritter]

Great stuff, thanks for sharing!

Looks like everyone just took their bumpers and brackets off at this time, tbars weren't until a few years later?

[Rennsurfer]

Here is the next segment of my photos I'll share.  Note that these have a watermark with my name affixed and there is a reason.  Since I posted the photos of the DKP Road Trip to Featherly Park I've received e-mails from Europe showing these posted to other sites and am being asked if I've seen them.  Of course I have as I took them, but somehow in lifting the photos and posting to other locations the origins as to where they came from has been lost.  Hopefully this will help with future offerings.

Amen to THAT! It's a trip to see how many of my photos end up on other web sites/pages/blogs/etc. Some of my online pictures date back to the nineties and it amazes me to see the miles they've traveled over the years. Hence why I watermark move of my shots.

To the people that have the class/respect to retain the photographers' credits. thank you. The the rest; learn from the prior group, dig?

Carry on.

[johnl]

Great stuff, thanks for sharing!

Looks like everyone just took their bumpers and brackets off at this time, tbars weren't until a few years later?

Mike,

My pleasure to share with all so that they may have a better understanding of where we came from.  Regarding the T-Bars I can remember Auto Haus offering them under the RaceTrim brand along with the chrome "Nerf Bars".  They were around back then, but no one had made the move yet.

[Fastbrit]

Very cool John (as always!) – you are THE MAN!

Now, if I could just get a publisher interested again... 

[Helge/DFL]

YES Keith! A third book!

[johnl]

Very cool John (as always!) – you are THE MAN!

Now, if I could just get a publisher interested again... 

Keith,

Thanks for the comments.  I am only the guy lucky enough to have kept some of this documentation in photos.  Maybe you should reconsider doing another book as I will have more to come in stories and photos.   

[mgmahaffey]

We move the clubhouse around the corner because it was cheaper and we lost a lot of members to the Vietnam war including you. It was a little smaller but I swear there were more cockroaches there. I think we paid about $40 a month. Isn't that Doug Hayden in the photo you weren't sure? . . . Aw yes, the Hunt sisters - or didn't we have another nickname for them     
Mike

[johnl]

We move the clubhouse around the corner because it was cheaper and we lost a lot of members to the Vietnam war including you. It was a little smaller but I swear there were more cockroaches there. I think we paid about $40 a month. Isn't that Doug Hayden in the photo you weren't sure? . . . Aw yes, the Hunt sisters - or didn't we have another nickname for them     
Mike

Mike, HOWDY !!!!      Okay, you've supplied the answer to why the clubhouse was moved and that makes sense.  I'm sure that the guy in the dark blue long sleeve shirt with his hands in his pockets is NOT Doug Haydon.  I remember this guy being around and I want to think he drove a Squareback but beyond that I can't put it together.  Maybe Edmiston will have an answer.

The "Hunt" sisters had a few other names as I recall..  Check with Brooks as I'm sure he will know......   

[WCB Hitler's Hot Rod]

Thanks for the history lesson/ class of DKP John ! I'm facinated with it all; especially learning what happened before my era with cal-look. I would like to see Dean Kirsten , Stephan or someone from Hot VWs write and publish a book covering cal-look clubs of all sorts along with DKP. Possibly a seperate book similiar in size to the ,"All about VW Performance Engines" that Hot VWs published years ago. IMO I think it would sell. Who else has the ultimate library concerning this....dig?

[johnl]

Thanks for the history lesson/ class of DKP John ! I'm fascinated with it all; especially learning what happened before my era with cal-look. I would like to see Dean Kirsten , Stephan or someone from Hot VWs write and publish a book covering cal-look clubs of all sorts along with DKP. Possibly a separate book similar in size to the ,"All about VW Performance Engines" that Hot VWs published years ago. IMO I think it would sell. Who else has the ultimate library concerning this....dig?

History lessons are good as we can learn from them.  I'm glad you are "fascinated" with this stuff as at times I feel most think I'm rambling and someone is looking for the duct tape to put on my mouth and wrap my fingers keeping them away from the keyboard.

It has been stated on this site more than once that I should write a book based on my remembrances but most of them are now here for anyone who wishes to read them.  A book would certainly be neat, but possibly in the "Big Picture" from a publisher's stand point there isn't enough of a market to support the topic. 

I'm sure Keith Seume and others that have written on the VW subject would know better than I.  Only time and effort would show the final results, but you must remember that it is potential $$ that makes publishing companies take such a task on.

Mean while, I'll keep exercising my fingers telling the stories of our past......   

[Sarge]

Man it's neat seeing some new pictures and remembering some of the times we had back then.  I can tell you guys that many a club meeting ended at the Pla-Mor... stale beer and cigarette smoke smells are permanently etched in my skull along with visions of the local losers that frequented the place.  For new guys here who may have missed it, I'll add the link to a similar thread from three years ago...

http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,3570.0.html

Thanks for all the great pics, John!

[johnl]

Man it's neat seeing some new pictures and remembering some of the times we had back then.  I can tell you guys that many a club meeting ended at the Pla-Mor... stale beer and cigarette smoke smells are permanently etched in my skull along with visions of the local losers that frequented the place.  For new guys here who may have missed it, I'll add the link to a similar thread from three years ago...

http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,3570.0.html

Thanks for all the great pics, John!

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo Jim,  Would you say that "Liz" was the "Queen" of Elmer's Pla-Mor??   

[Jim M]

John, THANK YOU and more please...........

[nlvtinman]

John,
Looks to me as if Liz was one of life's original "Cougars" and she had an eager group of healthy young men to tempt. 
That she would be wearing that white dress on an early Sunday morning has to say a LOT about her.   

Steve

[johnl]

John,
Looks to me as if Liz was one of life's original "Cougars" and she had an eager group of healthy young men to tempt. 
That she would be wearing that white dress on an early Sunday morning has to say a LOT about her.   

Steve

I don't think I saw her sitting in front of me at church last week...     

[nlvtinman]

Oh John, yes she was there. She was that grey haired 90 year old women with crepe paper looking skin... and the short skirt