Reunion Recalls the Dawn of Suburbia

The year was 1939, and an acre of land on the Valley’s most desirable streets might set you back about $1,000.

It was the year that Charles Silverberg, then 7, moved with his parents and sister into a new home on a three-acre parcel along tree-lined Longridge Avenue. They were among the first families on the street, now one of Sherman Oaks’ more desirable areas.

This weekend, more than half a century later, Silverberg returned to his old neighborhood, bringing about two dozen of his closest friends with him.

In a reunion that drew people from as far as New York and Texas, 27 former denizens of what used to be known as Longridge Estates gathered Saturday to visit their old homes, and more important, to revisit their childhood memories.

In all, with spouses and significant others, about 50 people attended the Longridge reunion Saturday, to greet old friends and savor the nostalgia evoked by the street.

Among the former playmates who returned to Longridge Avenue were Sally Schneider from Santa Monica and Lester Burke from La Tuna Canyon, both 63 years old.

“You remember when your mother found us jumping on your bed without any clothes on when we were 6?” Sally Schneider asked Burke.

“I had nothing to do with that,” he quipped.

“Your mother called my mother, and believe me, we never did that again,” Schneider said.

Most of the people who showed up Saturday lived on the street in the 1940s and 1950s, went to the same schools, played in the same backyards, invited each other to birthday parties and, generally, enjoyed the benefits of suburban living in its heyday.

“This kind of street, well, there [are] not too many of them today,” said Annete Shapiro, who, along with her sister, attended the reunion.

“We had the first pool in the neighborhood, so everyone learned to swim at our house,” which became a kind of hangout on the street for everyone’s children, said Silverberg, an entertainment industry lawyer now living in Manhattan Beach.

In March, after toying with the idea for years, Silverberg finally set about organizing the reunion of the Longridge gang, or the “Legends of Longridge,” as their invitations read.

After a few phone calls, a committee was formed, and half a dozen former Longridge neighbors began a nationwide search for their childhood chums.

“It has turned out to be a very rich experience. It prompted all of us to dig into our family archives,” Silverberg said. “My hope and my expectation is that this is going to revitalize old friendships, particularly among those of us who live locally.”

Adding to the festivities and nostalgia Saturday, many of the attendees went on a tour of their former homes. Most of the current residents agreed to let the group back inside for one last look.

“Except for my house, it looks about the same,” said Silverberg, explaining that his family’s property was eventually split into five smaller parcels.

“In my mind, that home was our family home forever. It’s interesting, because even though they have lived there for almost as long as our family, they still think of it as being our house as well.”

“When my parents told their friends they were going to move out here they said: ‘You’re going to be murdered at night. You’re going to be in the wilderness,’ ” Schneider recalled.

Now, only a few blocks from busy Ventura Boulevard, homes on the street start at around $750,000 and are bought by stars such as Tony Danza and composer John Williams.

But Longridge Avenue was never a stranger to Hollywood fame.

With its large lots and idyllic setting, the area around Longridge Canyon has been drawing celebrities since the 1930s.

“Roy Rogers lived here before we did,” said Dorothy Desser Bayley, 58, as she walked up to the place she used to call home. The citrus orchard she remembers is gone, replaced by young trees and meticulous landscaping. The house is twice the size it used to be, but the pool Bayley’s father had installed is still there.

“Nothing looks familiar,” she said.

The house is undergoing an extensive renovation by the current owners, lawyer Steve Taylor and his wife, Elizabeth (not the actress), who have lived there for the past 26 years. Bayley, who now lives in Taos, N.M., moved out of the house in 1948 after the second World War.

“There was hay in the corners of the house when we moved in,” said Bayley. “We used to think Roy brought Trigger in here.”

Screen actress Susan Hayward used to live across the street. Next door, actor Tim Allen now lives in a sleek, modern mansion, which is also undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation.

“When my father bought the property he paid $1,000 an acre for three acres,” Silverberg said. Years later, people would ask him why he didn’t buy more land and he’d say, ‘Who had $1,000 to spend in those days?’ ”

Staff writer Solomon Moore contributed to this story.