Los Angeles
County
Biographies
AUGUSTUS HOUSTON BARRY
One
of the early settlers and real estate brokers in Monterey Park is A. Houston
Barry. Houston, as he is known to his
friends, was born on November 30, 1890, in Galveston, Texas. He is the son of David C. and Ida (Houston)
Barry. Educated in Galesburg, Illinois,
for his early schooling, his family moved to Pasadena, California, in 1906
where he attended Throop Polytechnic Institute, which is now the California
Institute of Technology. His education
came to abrupt end in 1909, and at the age of nineteen, he launched his career
in real estate as an employee of the Robert Marsh Company, which was located at
Sixth and Spring streets in Los Angeles.
In
1912 Mr. Barry went into business for himself and from then on, into
subdividing nine parcels of land and building over two hundred homes. In 1924 seven acres of orange land were
purchased at Delta and San Gabriel Boulevard, which was subdivided. Later in 1936 he purchased thirty acres of
land located between McPherrin and Atlantic
Boulevard, near the present location of the Monterey Park Civic Center and
Barnes Park. He still holds his general
contractors license.
Moving
his business to Monterey Park in 1936, Mr. Barry built some forty homes in this
area. His office has been at the same
location, 750 West Garvey Avenue, Monterey Park, for twenty-five years. Building his home on Ramona Hill, at 310 West
Harding Avenue in 1954, Mr. Barry still resides in this home with this sister,
Miss Eleanor Barry. They have a
panoramic view of the entire city of Monterey Park and a greater part of the
San Gabriel Valley.
Mr.
Barry’s philosophy has been that honesty is the best policy. When asked why he chose Monterey Park to
plant his roots, he readily explains that the city of Monterey Park has a
suburban atmosphere with an exceptional climate and is yet close to large
metropolitan areas.
Houston
Barry has a very interesting hobby—coin collecting. He has one of the largest One Dollar
collections in the San Gabriel Valley and owns a rare United States Dollar
which bears the date of 1895. Exhibiting
his collection on many occasions, he has been the recipient of awards for his
outstanding collection. Mr. Barry is an
active member of the San Gabriel Coin Club and the Monterey Park Coin Club.
An
active member of the Rotary Club of Monterey Park, Mr. Barry has participated
in the Rotary VISA and International Youth Projects. He is a member of the Immanuel Presbyterian
Church of Los Angeles.
When
it comes to politics, Mr. Barry states that he is a registered Democrat, but
sometimes votes Republican.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Historical Volume & Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park,
Rosemead, San Gabriel & Temple City, by Robert P. Studer,
Pages 508-509, Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California. 1962.
© 2013 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPHIES