Claborn/Volock Home

2000 HERITAGE AWARD RECIPIENT

Redlands Area Historical Society

845 Sylvan Boulevard

1911

The building permit for this home was issued December 2, 1911 to a Mr. Harvey E. Ringle, owner, architect and builder. The wooden structure with 1½ stories and 10 rooms was estimated to cost $2,000.00.Mr. Ringle was a building contractor, with an office on East State Street. He and four subsequent owners never lived in the house making John V. and Jessie Claborn the first resident owners. They purchased the house in 1919 when they came to California and sold it in 1945.The bungalow style house has a high bellcast gable roof with large brackets. Dominating the roofline are twin dormers, each has three windows with side panels and multi panes above.Mr. Claborn was a retired Texas rancher who lived here until his death in 1931 at the age of 75. Jessie Swogger Claborn was a registered nurse who received a citation from the state of Pennsylvania for her help during the typhoid epidemic of 1903 and 1904. The Claborns had two sons. Mrs. Claborn moved to Santa Ana in 1942 where she lived and managed her many properties until her death in 1958.Horizontal redwood siding was used in the homes’ construction.

Two graduated posts support the porch with ornamental brackets at the top. The low step railings, porch piers and rounded balustrade are built from local river rock, which was a popular building material for this area. The southern exposure looks across Sylvan Blvd. to the Zanja. Under the gable is a two-sash window with horizontal wooden vents above. Below this window is a polygonal bay window with a shed roof. The center window has multi panes at the top. There is another set of cement steps with rock railings leading to the front porch.The current owner is Mrs. Julia Volock. She and her husband Frank were married in Riverside. After moving to Indiana for a short time they returned to California and in 1948 purchase the Sylvan home. Frank loved the park, to the east of the home, which would be a haven for their two sons and one daughter. Frank worked as a chef at Phil’s’ Charcoal Broiler on Redlands Blvd.. Phil’s was a popular restaurant for the movie stars going to or from Palm Springs. Later he was a meat cutter at Norton Air Force Base. Mr. Volock passed away on February 2, 1986. Mrs. Volock, along with raising her three children, worked for many years at Gill Battery and later retired from Teledyne.

The Redlands Area Historical Society is pleased to present this award to Julia Volock for the loving care she and her husband Frank devoted to this home making it one more treasure for the City of Redlands.

Written by Karen Flippin and researched by Marilyn Swogger Osbun