David Malcolm Renton
Encyclopedia
David Malcolm Renton known as “DM”, was a builder and business executive in southern California. He is best known for his Craftsman style homes
in Pasadena
and for the construction of the Casino Ballroom
and other homes on Catalina Island
in the early 1900s. Renton was influential in the development of Catalina Island under William Wrigley Jr., serving as vice-president of the Santa Catalina Island Company and the Wilmington Transportation Company from 1919 to his retirement in 1936. He also served as president of the Wilmington Catalina Airlines from 1931 to 1942.
, son of John and Catherine (Nicholson) Renton and one of six children. His father died when he was 14 years old, and Renton left home at the age of 16 to become an apprentice in the construction trade in Massachusetts in 1894. In 1902, he moved to Pasadena, California
with two friends to establish the building company Upton, Ellsworth & Renton. He later pursued home building on his own as a general contractor.
In the early 1900s, California was growing at a rapid rate as westward expansion turned from the gold rush to a real estate boom. The development of railroad and automobile transportation was transforming Southern California into a winter vacation destination. Renton took advantage of the construction boom to make a name for himself. He was recruited in 1919 by gum magnate William Wrigley Jr.
to implement resort development plans for Catalina Island
on the basis of the quality of work done for Wrigley’s private home in Pasadena. Renton became a trusted employee of Wrigley, who was based in Chicago, and undertook major development projects in real estate development, public works, tourism and local industry, including mining and pottery production. The most significant of these projects are listed below. The massive variety of development on the island also included the construction of a golf course and a spring training camp for the Chicago Cubs, ranching and farming, film and entertainment, an exotic bird park, and more.
In order to understand the scope of development in the 1920s, one can compare the count of visitors, which grew by more than a multiple of 8 in one decade. In 1919, the annual visitor count was 90,000 people and in 1930 it had reached 750,000 visitors. By the time Wrigley purchased Catalina Island in 1919, he had established a major international business selling gum through the William Wrigley Jr. Co. Through force of his marketing and advertising prowess, Wrigley had amassed a fortune with which he financed the majority of the projects Renton undertook for the company.
and bungalow courts. He also built homes in the Colonial Revival
style. He built homes in Pasadena
, Newport Beach
, Orange Heights and Long Beach
. He is known to have worked as contractor for well-known architectural design firms like Greene & Greene as well as building homes of his own design.
Two bungalow courts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
. The tower was built to house a 60-inch telescope for an astronomical observatory. The observatory was a project of the University of Chicago, under the direction of Professor George E. Hale
and Professor Edwin Frost
. Located at an elevation of 5700 feet on an undeveloped summit, the lumber for the building had to be packed to the mountaintop by mules. Surmounting these logistical challenges, Renton also built housing for astronomers in residence. For the Mt. Wilson Toll Co.
he additionally built forty bungalows and a hotel, which was completed in 1904.
. The Georgian Colonial home, named after Wrigley’s wife and designed according to her ideas, was begun in 1920 and completed in 1921. The home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and is now operated as the “Inn at Mount Ada.”
Walter Harris was a draughtsman for Renton and Nils A. Walberg (1862–1933) was an artist and decorator for Mt. Ada.
The mining on Catalina Island under Renton’s management was notable for the use of salt water flotation
in separating the zinc and silver from the raw ore. In the 1920s, oil flotation was the standard process for collecting mineral particles from sulfide ore in a liquid slurry. At the time, salt water had not been used in a flotation mill and it had not been shown that organic compounds could be effective floating agents.
Although the chemists and engineers consulted had advised that salt water would not work in theory for the flotation mill, with practical application it was discovered that kelp and saltwater organisms furnish potassium iodide needed to successfully separate minerals in a salt water mill. Separating the silver, lead and zinc was further helped by an accidental addition of kerosene and linseed oil which naturally precipitated iron pyrites. Based on their successes, metallurgical and mining engineers came to look at the mining works and examine the quality of concentrates achieved with a salt water floatation system.
The factory produced trial souvenirs in the intervening years before Catalina Clay Products was founded and expanded the line of offerings in 1930. Using red and white clays found on the island, the products were fired with enamels of local mineral oxides to produce distinctive Catalina colors. A storefront opened in Avalon in the summer of 1930. By 1931, business was promising enough that Renton decided to open branches on the mainland: in both Hollywood and the Mexican style section of Los Angeles known as Olvera Street
. Their pottery and signature painted tile and wrought iron tables were picked up by major department stores. A Los Angeles Times article ("Ancient Pottery Art Revived" December 27, 1931) noted that "Avalon-ware is recognizable for its flint-like hardness and beauty of form and color…”
The business was sold by Philip K. Wrigley
to the Gladding, McBean
company in 1937. Today, Catalina Pottery is a treasured collectors item.
is an iconic Art Deco
style building. It is distinctive in design with a cantilevered roof for a large circular ballroom without any pillar support. The building was designed by the firm Webber & Spaulding, and Renton managed the construction of the massive $2 million dollar building which began in April 1928 and was completed May 1929.
, “Rancho Santa Catalina,” until he passed away in 1947. He was a member of the Masonic order (32nd degree, Shriner) and the Scottish Rite Consistory.
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
and for the construction of the Casino Ballroom
Catalina Casino
The Catalina Casino is located in Avalon on Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles. It is the most recognizable landmark in the City of Avalon. It contains a theatre, a ballroom, and a museum.-History:...
and other homes on Catalina Island
Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is long and across at its greatest width. The island is located about south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is...
in the early 1900s. Renton was influential in the development of Catalina Island under William Wrigley Jr., serving as vice-president of the Santa Catalina Island Company and the Wilmington Transportation Company from 1919 to his retirement in 1936. He also served as president of the Wilmington Catalina Airlines from 1931 to 1942.
Life
David Malcolm “DM” Renton was born on Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
, son of John and Catherine (Nicholson) Renton and one of six children. His father died when he was 14 years old, and Renton left home at the age of 16 to become an apprentice in the construction trade in Massachusetts in 1894. In 1902, he moved to Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
with two friends to establish the building company Upton, Ellsworth & Renton. He later pursued home building on his own as a general contractor.
In the early 1900s, California was growing at a rapid rate as westward expansion turned from the gold rush to a real estate boom. The development of railroad and automobile transportation was transforming Southern California into a winter vacation destination. Renton took advantage of the construction boom to make a name for himself. He was recruited in 1919 by gum magnate William Wrigley Jr.
William Wrigley Jr.
William Wrigley Jr. was a U.S. chewing gum industrialist. He was founder and eponym of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in 1891. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
to implement resort development plans for Catalina Island
Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is long and across at its greatest width. The island is located about south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is...
on the basis of the quality of work done for Wrigley’s private home in Pasadena. Renton became a trusted employee of Wrigley, who was based in Chicago, and undertook major development projects in real estate development, public works, tourism and local industry, including mining and pottery production. The most significant of these projects are listed below. The massive variety of development on the island also included the construction of a golf course and a spring training camp for the Chicago Cubs, ranching and farming, film and entertainment, an exotic bird park, and more.
In order to understand the scope of development in the 1920s, one can compare the count of visitors, which grew by more than a multiple of 8 in one decade. In 1919, the annual visitor count was 90,000 people and in 1930 it had reached 750,000 visitors. By the time Wrigley purchased Catalina Island in 1919, he had established a major international business selling gum through the William Wrigley Jr. Co. Through force of his marketing and advertising prowess, Wrigley had amassed a fortune with which he financed the majority of the projects Renton undertook for the company.
Craftsman style homes, 1902-1919
As general contractor in southern California, Renton developed residential sub-divisions for the new summer populations moving to California, and included stately homes in both the CraftsmanAmerican Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
and bungalow courts. He also built homes in the Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
style. He built homes in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, Newport Beach
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
, Orange Heights and Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. He is known to have worked as contractor for well-known architectural design firms like Greene & Greene as well as building homes of his own design.
- 1080 North Hill Avenue, Pasadena, CA
- 1415 Michigan Avenue, Pasadena, CA built in 1914.
Two bungalow courts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
- Bryan Court at 427 S. Marengo Ave, Pasadena
- Bellevue Court on 440 S. Marengo Ave., Pasadena
Mt. Wilson Observatory, 1904
Renton's first major solo job was the construction of the observation tower of the Mt. Wilson ObservatoryMount Wilson Observatory
The Mount Wilson Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a 5,715 foot peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles...
. The tower was built to house a 60-inch telescope for an astronomical observatory. The observatory was a project of the University of Chicago, under the direction of Professor George E. Hale
George Ellery Hale
George Ellery Hale was an American solar astronomer.-Biography:Hale was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was educated at MIT, at the Observatory of Harvard College, , and at Berlin . As an undergraduate at MIT, he is known for inventing the spectroheliograph, with which he made his discovery of...
and Professor Edwin Frost
Edwin Brant Frost
-Biography:He was born in Brattleboro, Vermont. His father, Carlton Pennington Frost, was dean of Dartmouth Medical School.Frost graduated from Dartmouth in 1886. He continued his education as a post-graduate student in chemistry and in 1887 became an instructor in physics while only 21 years old...
. Located at an elevation of 5700 feet on an undeveloped summit, the lumber for the building had to be packed to the mountaintop by mules. Surmounting these logistical challenges, Renton also built housing for astronomers in residence. For the Mt. Wilson Toll Co.
Mount Wilson Toll Road
The Mount Wilson Toll Road is a historic roadway which ascended Mount Wilson via a vehicular passable road from the base of the foothills in Altadena. It was accessible from Pasadena via Santa Anita Avenue which drove right to the front porch of the toll house...
he additionally built forty bungalows and a hotel, which was completed in 1904.
Atwater Hotel, Catalina Island, 1920
When William Wrigley Jr. solicited bids for new construction on Catalina Island, Renton was awarded the first contract to build new summer bungalows. Thereafter, Renton was kept on for further development, including the 160-room Atwater Hotel. When Wrigley proposed to have a brand new hotel built in time for the opening of the 1920 summer season, contractors on the mainland did not think it was possible since all materials had to be shipped from the mainland by barge and labor was not readily available. Machinery from Renton’s lumber mill was relocated to the island to produce all the required furniture on-site in the spring of 1920. The hotel opened July 1, 1920. The hotel was built in combination with a cafeteria covering an entire city block that could serve 1,500 and was billed as the largest in the world.Mt. Ada, Catalina Island, 1921
After purchasing Catalina Island, William Wrigley Jr. commissioned Renton to design and build another private residence on a hill overlooking the south end of Avalon BayAvalon, California
Avalon, or Avalon Bay, is the only incorporated city on Santa Catalina Island of the California Channel Islands, and the southernmost city in Los Angeles County. Besides Avalon, the only other center of population on the island is the small unincorporated town of Two Harbors...
. The Georgian Colonial home, named after Wrigley’s wife and designed according to her ideas, was begun in 1920 and completed in 1921. The home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and is now operated as the “Inn at Mount Ada.”
Walter Harris was a draughtsman for Renton and Nils A. Walberg (1862–1933) was an artist and decorator for Mt. Ada.
Zinc and silver mining, Catalina Island, 1923-1927
Interested in the possibility of mining on Catalina Island from water well drilling and a brief episode of mining activity there in 1864, Renton established a mine at Blackjack Mountain in 1923. The first ore shipment was sent to smelters with about twenty tons of raw ore containing silver, lead and zinc. During the four years of operations, additional mines were opened up at Pebbly Beach, Renton Vein and Cherry Valley. From February to November 1926, they manufactured and shipped close to 3,000 tons of concentrates and received returns of over $90,000. When mining operations were closed due to an international drop in ore prices in 1927, DM had a 100-ton flotation mill in operation at White’s Landing, together with aerial cable tramways conveying the ore from the mines to the mill.The mining on Catalina Island under Renton’s management was notable for the use of salt water flotation
Froth flotation
Froth flotation is a process for selectively separating hydrophobic materials from hydrophilic. This is used in several processing industries...
in separating the zinc and silver from the raw ore. In the 1920s, oil flotation was the standard process for collecting mineral particles from sulfide ore in a liquid slurry. At the time, salt water had not been used in a flotation mill and it had not been shown that organic compounds could be effective floating agents.
Although the chemists and engineers consulted had advised that salt water would not work in theory for the flotation mill, with practical application it was discovered that kelp and saltwater organisms furnish potassium iodide needed to successfully separate minerals in a salt water mill. Separating the silver, lead and zinc was further helped by an accidental addition of kerosene and linseed oil which naturally precipitated iron pyrites. Based on their successes, metallurgical and mining engineers came to look at the mining works and examine the quality of concentrates achieved with a salt water floatation system.
Thompson Dam, Catalina Island, 1924
Developing Catalina Island as a resort meant undertaking a major public works project to find water sources on the island through a system of wells and reservoirs. Prior to 1919, the majority of fresh water on the island was supplied by barge. Water development culminated in 1924 in the construction of a 100,000,000 gallon reservoir, contained by the Thompson Dam, which was connected to supply the town of Avalon via 12 miles of pipeline from the island interior. A major feature of the achievement was the engineering to lay the pipe over a 1460 ft mountain peak.Catalina Pottery, 1927-1937
In 1927, Wrigley and Renton decided to construct a tile factory using Catalina clay from the hills that they had analyzed to produce building materials and other fine items. The idea was to meet the demand for roof and enamel tiles in the major construction that was booming in California, in conjunction with the “Spanish Mission” revival in architecture. Beginning with construction materials to be sold on the mainland, Renton experimented with other products including souvenirs, vases, bookends and figurines.The factory produced trial souvenirs in the intervening years before Catalina Clay Products was founded and expanded the line of offerings in 1930. Using red and white clays found on the island, the products were fired with enamels of local mineral oxides to produce distinctive Catalina colors. A storefront opened in Avalon in the summer of 1930. By 1931, business was promising enough that Renton decided to open branches on the mainland: in both Hollywood and the Mexican style section of Los Angeles known as Olvera Street
Olvera Street
Olvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Many Latinos refer to it as "La Placita Olvera." Circa 1911 it was described as Sonora Town....
. Their pottery and signature painted tile and wrought iron tables were picked up by major department stores. A Los Angeles Times article ("Ancient Pottery Art Revived" December 27, 1931) noted that "Avalon-ware is recognizable for its flint-like hardness and beauty of form and color…”
The business was sold by Philip K. Wrigley
Philip K. Wrigley
Philip Knight Wrigley , sometimes also called P.K. or Phil. Born in Chicago, he was an American chewing gum manufacturer and executive in Major League Baseball, inheriting both those roles as the quiet son of his much more flamboyant father, William Wrigley Jr. After his father died in 1932, Philip...
to the Gladding, McBean
Gladding, McBean
Gladding, McBean, LLC is a ceramics company located in Lincoln, California. It is one of the oldest companies in California, a pioneer in ceramics technology, and a company which has "contributed immeasurably" to the state's industrialization...
company in 1937. Today, Catalina Pottery is a treasured collectors item.
Casino Ballroom, Catalina Island, 1929
The Casino Ballroom on Catalina IslandCatalina Casino
The Catalina Casino is located in Avalon on Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles. It is the most recognizable landmark in the City of Avalon. It contains a theatre, a ballroom, and a museum.-History:...
is an iconic Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style building. It is distinctive in design with a cantilevered roof for a large circular ballroom without any pillar support. The building was designed by the firm Webber & Spaulding, and Renton managed the construction of the massive $2 million dollar building which began in April 1928 and was completed May 1929.
Wrigley Memorial, Catalina Island, 1932
Over the two decades they had worked closely together, Wrigley and Renton had formed a close working relationship. Wrigley often referred to Renton as his “hands” in being trusted to carry out their plans, but they also shared a certain type of energy and enthusiasm for thinking ambitiously and creating something where nothing stood before. Renton’s final construction project for his boss was to build the Wrigley Memorial. The plans for the tomb used Catalina materials, flagstone and tiles, in a magnificent 80-ft high resting place that is now a part of the Wrigley Botanical Gardens.El Encanto, Catalina Island, 1933
As his own independent project, Renton developed the “Paseo del Encanto” (Promenade of Enchantment), which opened in August 1933. He engaged artists and performances with Señora Consuelo de Bonzo, who owned the Casa de la Golondrina on Olivera street. El Encanto matched a new development program that Wrigley's son (Philip K. Wrigley) and president of the Santa Catalina Island Company had outlined to preserve the atmosphere of old California in Catalina’s history and natural ruggedness.Personal life
Renton married twice. In 1906 he married Elizabeth Blaisdell Ryder and had two sons: Malcolm Joseph Renton and Arthur Lincoln Renton. His first wife died in 1935 and Renton remarried to Isabel Blanche Cline in 1937. When Renton retired in 1936, he lived at a cattle ranch in San Luis Obispo County, CalifSan Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
, “Rancho Santa Catalina,” until he passed away in 1947. He was a member of the Masonic order (32nd degree, Shriner) and the Scottish Rite Consistory.