May 25, 2025. Throughout Windbreaker Country, we are lucky to have many street segments that are part of historic neighborhood and commercial districts and have interesting stories to tell. One such street is Mills Avenue, along the eastern edge of Claremont. A portion of Mills Avenue runs through the Russian Village District of Claremont, which is comprised of 15 folk architecture style houses and was built by Konstanty ("Steve") Stys, a Polish (not Russian) immigrant, and others during the Great Depression.
The District is located at the intersection of South Mills Avenue and East Cucamonga Avenue The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Local residents nicknamed the houses built by Stys the "Russian Village", mistakenly assuming that Stys came from Russia. The homes are constructed of local field stones from the alluvial plains around Claremont, as well as salvaged and recycled materials from railroad cars and debris remaining after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. (Source: Wikipedia).
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| Looking south on Mills Avenue in the Russian Village Historic District. Ride On! |
