Featured image credit: Jim Heimman from his book California Crazy & Beyond – Roadside Vernacular Architecture
It’s understated to be sure, but there’s something special about the autumn in Southern California. You wouldn’t think our arid, sunny, and often sweltering atmosphere would be particularly welcoming of cinnamon and spice. And, sure, you won’t find many trees changing their colors. And you’ll definitely sweat through your first few pumpkin spice lattes if you don’t get them iced. But people in the Greater LA area tend to love Halloween. You can feel it in every lengthening shadow and scorching Indian summer afternoon. Perhaps this gives us some clue into the giant pumpkins that have punctuated SoCal’s landscape over the decades. Yes, that’s right, enormous pumpkins. And we’ll give you a moment to recover from your giggling fit before we clarify that we’re not speaking in euphemism.
The Burbank Pumpkin Building: The Oldest of SoCal’s Giant Pumpkins
Here in Burbank, the site of the JohnHart Village, a colossal pumpkin to challenge all giant pumpkins once stood across the street from what is today the always-bangin’ Porto’s Bakery. Colloquially referred to as the pumpkin building, this king of the giant pumpkins was a perfect example of programmatic architecture, or buildings that resemble other objects. In this case, a gargantuan pumpkin.
When the Burbank pumpkin building opened in 1927 as a nightclub called The Pumpkin Palace, promoters billed it as “The World’s Largest Pumpkin.” Who knows if this was ever verified? But the marketing stuck, even as the building hosted everything from a church to a real estate office over its lifespan. Interestingly, it was baptized in fire, surviving an opening night blaze that must have left it resembling an enormous flaming gourd heaved by a titanic Headless Horseman.
Tentative Timeline of the Burbank Pumpkin Building
Most Burbank historians agree that the pumpkin building opened in 1927, though some rumors date it to earlier in the ‘20s. Demolition crews likely wiped it off the map sometime in 1957, though we couldn’t confirm this. Today, its address of 3611 Magnolia Boulevard no longer exists. And in its place stands a non-descript gray wall that in no way resembles a pumpkin or any other fruit. Yes, pumpkins are fruits.
Burbank Pumpkin Building Timeline
- 1927 – The Pumpkin Palace nightclub
- 1930s (early) – The E & E Studio Club
- 1935 – Valley Gospel Center
- 1938 – Stan Summeril Real Estate
- 1950s – Magnolia Park Hardware
- 1950s (late) – The Pumpkin Inn
Yet, there are also rumors that Burbank’s pumpkin building housed a children’s bookstore, a beer garden, and a cafe, with many memories of the iconic structure no doubt lost to time.
Norco’s Pumpkin Rock: The Most Accessible of SoCal’s Giant Pumpkins
Deep into Riverside County sprawls the dusty hills of Norco, nicknamed “Horsetown USA”. And with a population of two horses for every person, it more than earns the moniker. Yet there’s more to Norco than equestrian pursuits. One need only pass by on the 15 freeway to see evidence perpetually leering from its perch amongst the summits of Pikes Peak Park. It’s a skeletal jack-o-lantern painted onto the facade of a 15-foot-tall boulder known simply as Pumpkin Rock. And you can hike right up to its welcoming grin.
Prior to its rebirth as Pumpkin Rock sometime in the 1990s, it had the less prestigious name of Elephant Butt Rock. In its natural form, an iron-gray boulder with a crack down its center, the name unfortunately fit. On its way to becoming an iconic example of SoCal’s giant pumpkins, it briefly enjoyed its time as a massive Christmas bauble and an orbic representation of the orange-and-blue 76 gas station logo. But nothing stuck quite like a pumpkin.
As you can imagine, a looming jack-o’-lantern seen from miles around attracts its fair share of graffiti. But a couple of locals act as guardian angels of Pumpkin Rock, or at least guardian janitors, regularly scrubbing away any vandalism. The odd hiker occasionally pitches in as well. Yet, Pumpkin Rock is a revered form of vandalism itself, silently posing the question: where is the line between art and vandalism? Maybe we’d ask the artist(s) but no one knows who originally threw down Pumpkin Rock’s striking paint job. Cue the scary music.
Making Your Pilgrimage to Pumpkin Rock
Getting to Pumpkin Rock is one of those rare things in life that’s easier done than said. By that, we mean it’s not a very strenuous hike, but you’ll have to correctly navigate a series of interweaving trails to get there. All-in-all, you’re looking at a roughly 1.5-mile round trip, half of that uphill, and none of that in the shade, but it’s not exactly arduous terrain. Rather than try to break down the best path upward ourselves, we’ll leave it to The Hiking Guy to guide you to pumpkin glory.
Wilmington’s Smilin’ Jack: The Giant-est of SoCal’s Giant Pumpkins
Our final of SoCal’s giant pumpkins makes the other two look like pumpkin puppies (pumpies?). Smilin’ Jack has been flashing his pearly whites every October since 1952. In fact, he’s become quite the tradition for the folks at the Phillips 66 Los Angeles Refinery where Smilin’ Jack spends the rest of the year as Horton Sphere tank #304, an inconspicuously gray 3-million-gallon oil tank. At least they don’t call him Elephant Butt #304.
Billed as the “World’s Largest Jack-o’-Lantern”, we can assume he is, in fact, quite large but can’t say for certain that he actually counts as a jack-o-lantern. After all, carving into this big guy would be a much more flammable experience. When October rolls around, a crew lays down 21 coats (minimum) of orange paint to resurrect the giant jack-o-lantern with the 80-foot wide smile. Then, right after Halloween, Smilin’ Jack vanishes in waves of gray as local paint companies rub their hands with glee.
It’s a heck of a trick, and it wouldn’t be complete without its treats. That’s why volunteers dole out bags of the refinery’s classic caramel popcorn. Needless to say, a seasonal pilgrimage to 1660 W Anaheim Street to see this grandaddy of giant pumpkins is worth it.
Anytime’s the Right Time for Big Pumpkins in SoCal
So, yes, SoCal is rightfully deserving of its reputation for some of the best giant pumpkins in the West. Yes, we know how that sounds. But let’s be honest, decorum went out the window the day we reported on a bark scorpion barking up the wrong… ahem, tree. The Burbank pumpkin building is long gone, Smilin’ Jack can still be visited around Halloween time, and Pumpkin Rock is around any time of year. So, you’ve got no excuse. Get out there and ogle some pumpkins!
