Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum — Attraction in City of Industry

The Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum is part of LA's "Passport 2 History" program! If you don't know what that is, please look it up as there are over 80 participating museums, that give you stickers when you go there and there are actually prizes the more you go to. It's a fun way to learn about museums.

The museums in the P2H program range in their grandiosity, from very small adobes to full scale art museums. I was expecting the former, but we go much closer to the latter! They're not fooling around here, and they're constantly growing and renovating. They had quite an impressive visitor's center where you wait for the tour (complete with free coffee - a part of the history lesson of the community's prohibition ties). If you get there early, you can enjoy the koi pond (with an impressive soft shell turtle among the large fish and other turtles) and graveyard.

There are two tours - The Workman House and the second house next door (that's name escapes me at the moment). We only had time for the first tour (each is 45 minutes and we had a 5 year old with us), but it was very cool and informative. The exhibits are kind of bare in comparison to other homestead museums, where there are more artifacts from the home - but I think there is much more of that in the second home that we missed. AND there is a behind the scenes tour where they take you in the basement and second floor! The best part... ALL of these tours are FREE!!! That's right! They even have a cute little gift shop that actually has interesting relevant items and toys that are reasonably priced! So we got some old time candy sticks and a slide whistle because... why not?!?

I know this may be out of the way for many... but make a day trip out of it! We visited here, The Puente Hills Mall (The Twin Pines Mall from Back To The Future!!! - Be sure to go inside and check out the Twin Pines Mall sign inside the mall!), The Hsi Lai Temple (SUPER cool place that is very welcoming to visitors), a tamale shaped building, the Armenian Martyrs...

Workman and Temple Family HM is a historic house museum once owned by the Workman and Temple families. It is a hidden gem. Glad we visited this place! The museum has free tours of La Casa Nueva and Workman House both last up to 40 minutes. This museum is rich in cultural history and 19th century architecture. Tour guides were deeply knowledgable and professional. First, we toured the La Casa Nueva of Temple family which is a Spanish colonial revival style house built in 1923. he home (9,000 square feet, as built, with 2,000 square feet (190 m2) of dormitory space constructed in 1930 for a military school using the home) contains twenty-six rooms, including nine bedrooms, six bathrooms, a barber shop, commercial size electric cold storage unit, basement with a late 1870s bank vault for storage, and other notable features such as hand painted designs on windows as well as a vibrant use of stained glass of the period. Mr. Temple is a bit fond of world history, hence, he had some historical figures all over the house. Its main entrance door has architectural design of twisting grape vines, eagles, wheat and the royal crown of Spain. Upon entry you'll be at the central lobby of the house with huge chandelier, stained glass window center and four enormous oak wood doors (two on the left and two on the right) that leads to different section of the house. The Workman house has broad outlines, including large porches on the north and south sides. Its foundation is made out of adobe, a natural hardened mud soil. The house had unique basement entrance on the front porch where all the cooking was done which serves as the central heating system for the house. Overall, I highly recommend you visit this...

Trees 🌲 gone. Initial tour with Mr. Lin and secondary with the delightful Cecilia Lombardi and third with Tony C. Thanks for the hospitality, private tour and answering my many questions. Hi to Michelle! Lovely trees.

1917 La Casa Nueva Architects: Walker & Eisen Builder: Sylvester J. Cook Style: Spanish Revival Windows by Wallis Tile by Pedro Sanchez Blessed by Reverend Cantwell 1923

1870 Workman House Architect Ezra F. Kysor Initial home built by William Workman.

F. 1850's El Campo Santo One of the finest kept monuments to honor the Workman/Temple families. Notice the detail on the rod iron for the inner cemetery for family. Craftsmanship on the Grecian Mausoleum is superb.

Director of this Museum is Author/Historian/Cal State Fullerton graduate Paul R. Spitzzeri who is an Award of Merit book winner. The arbor of lovely trees is gone and I am thankful for the stroll, shade and beauty they provided many for...