In California, the ‘Victorian’ refers to homes built in this style that were most popular between 1875 through 1910. It was part of a worldwide movement that had started in London in the mid 1850’s during the reign of Great Britain’s Queen Victoria who was queen from 1837 to 1901. There are still cities across the United States and Canada that have Historically protected areas where Victorian homes are plentiful such as San Francisco, Toronto and south Boston. An excellent example of Queen Anne Architecture is John Steinbeck’s childhood home in Salinas California.

While there were many homes in the South Bay built during this time most have by now been torn down to be replaced by apartments or townhouses. There are a few Queen Anne, Gingerbread and Shingle homes left in South Redondo. There is one or maybe two in Old Torrance that were moved in when the lots in Los Angeles they were originally built on were being redeveloped or appropriated for road widening or freeway construction. There is also still some left in San Pedro. Especially on Vinegar Hill, where the ship captains built their homes between 1880 and 1920. This area of San Pedro thankfully did receive Historic Protection after about half the original homes were torn down.

One of the most popular styles of Victorian to be found in the South Bay is the ‘Folk Victorian’. It was popular until into the first decade of the 20th Century and is often mistaken for a Craftsman.

There are still areas such as Angelenos Heights just to the northwest of Downtown Los Angeles where Victorians are protected and have been restored. There are still many scattered throughout Los Angeles and even in Long Beach.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s the Victorian Style surged as a style especially in townhomes that can be found mainly in North Redondo.