The Lake Norconian Club is a historic former hotel/resort in Norco, California, opened in 1929, sited in a rural community, whose main businesses were poultry, rabbits, and agriculture. It was later known as The Norconian (sometimes billed as The Norconian – World's Resort Supreme) and Clark's Hot Springs. The resort complex is still largely intact, after over 70 years as a naval base and prison. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The listing included seven contributing buildings, five contributing structures, and a contributing site.
Creation In 1920, after years of land speculation in the San Diego/Julian area of California, Rex Brainerd Clark (May, 1876 – August 31, 1955), through his North Corona Land Company, purchased 15 square miles (39 km2) of land just north of Corona. The land was a failed agricultural community known as "Orchard Heights", but Clark renamed this hilly area "Norco", based on its position North of Corona. In less than three years, Clark's engineer, "Captain" Cuthbert Gulley (April 30, 1878 – 1961) – so named for his service in World War I – laid out streets and installed pumps and reservoirs and on May 13, 1923, "Norco" held its grand opening. In 1925, Gulley, while drilling a well, struck hot mineral water, giving rise to the idea of a health spa that would ultimately become The Norconian. Construction of the resort began in 1926, and consisted of a golf course, grounds, airfield, hiking trails, Lake Norconian pavilion, chauffeurs' quarters, garage, powerhouse, laundry, and a "clubhouse", which consisted of a first class hotel, two indoor bath complexes, ornate ballroom, dining room and lounge, and the first outdoor Amateur Athletic Union-qualifying swimming and diving pools in Southern California. They remained the only qualifying pools until those that were built in Los Angeles for the 1932 Summer Olympics. The clubhouse architect was Dwight Gibbs, who was also responsible for the Carthay Circle Theatre and the Pasadena Playhouse interior. The outbuildings were designed by G. Stanley Wilson, who also designed Riverside's Mission Inn. All the interiors were designed by A. B. Heinsbergen, who also designed the Pantages Theatre chain. The golf course was designed by John Duncan Dunn.
Success The Lake Norconian Club opened on February 2, 1929. It was renamed The Norconian on January 20, 1931, so travelers would not be confused and think the resort was a private club. The resort was initially a great success, with film and sports stars as regular visitors. It was not unusual to see Buster Keaton or Babe Ruth on the golf course. In 1938, actress Lona Andre set a new record for speed in women's golf, shooting 156 holes in 11 hours and 56 minutes. Norma Shearer shot two films at the resort and could be seen riding the trails on horseback on many occasions. Will Rogers, who also shot several films in the vicinity, regularly used the Norconian air field. In 1933, noted aviator Marshall S. Boggs, who piloted the first "blind" landing entirely using radio signals in 1931, crashed and was killed while making a routine approach to the airfield. The outdoor diving and swimming pools were in constant use for exhibition matches and AAU-sanctioned competitions, and many Olympic-caliber athletes swam and dove there, including Mickey Riley, Buster Crabbe, Esther Williams, Sammy Lee, Dorothy Poynton, Georgia Coleman, Duke Kahanamoku, Arne Borg and many others. On May 20, 1928, the Norconian pools' grand opening was held – the resort opened in stages – and 18-year-old Cecily Cuhna, heir to the Cuhna fortune, set the world record for the 400-meter swim. Some of the fastest speedboat races of the day were held on Lake Norconian. Participants included noted female racer Loretta Turnbull ("The Queen of the Seas") and her boat "The Sunkist Kid". A number of films were shot at the resort – three in 1929 alone, including location shooting for the Joe E. Brown pre-Code musical film, Top Speed. The site became so popular that Fox Studios built complete Norconian sets in their Hollywood sound stages. Norma Talmadge's first "talkie", New York Nights, premiered in nearby Corona, with dozens of Hollywood stars in attendance. Before and after the premiere, many of them stayed at The Norconian.
The Great Depression The Norconian began to struggle during the Great Depression, and by 1933, the resort was closed. After his divorce from Grace Scripps, Rex Clark was struggling financially. Norco was in the midst of a seven-year drought, and the agricultural success of the 1920s was all but a memory. In 1935 the resort suddenly reopened, likely due to a cash infusion from Rex Clark's former wife's trust fund. The Norconian sputtered along with some landmark occasions. In 1938, Walt Disney Studios, to celebrate the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, threw a party that has become legendary. The same year MGM tossed their own party at the resort, and in 1940 Fox studios followed suit. During this era, Jeanette MacDonald, Joan Crawford, Basil Rathbone, Stan Laurel and other stars regularly visited the Norconian, as did sports stars Lou Nova (boxer), Helen Wills (tennis), local star Jess Hill (USC coach and star, New York Yankees) and the Pitt football team of 1935. Nevertheless, for a decade the resort had been in constant jeopardy of closing amidst back taxes owed, mechanic's liens, labor issues and debt owed to creditors. After a name change to "Clark's Hot Springs" in 1940, the resort closed for good.
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