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Lowena Drive was developed by Herbert N. Lowe, who lived at 238 Junipero Avenue (now demolished), and operated a family-owned flower shop at 200 W. Ocean Boulevard. The Lowe family came from Minnesota, settling in California in 1887. Migrating from Oakland to Santa Barbar to Pasadena, they came to Long Beach in 1898 and bought five acres of land near Bixby Park, where they set up a nursery. The first residential development on Lowena occurred in 1919, with the construction of the Chateauesque apartment at 2202, and other addresses on Lowena for single-family or duplexes, some of which are gone today.
The house at 280 Lowena was constructed in 1923 by noted Contractor W. Jay Burgin as his own home. Burgin was a pioneering contractor in business since 1904, who established a carpenter mill in 1912 on Redondo Avenue near Anaheim. He constructed many notable buildings in Long Beach and was a member of the board of freeholders who wrote the City Charter in 1920. He was also first president of the Long Beach Builder's Exchange, a director of the Chamber of Commerce, and a member of many civic and charitable organizations. He lived at 280 Lowena until his death in 1952.
The two other Chateauesque buildings on Lowena Drive were constructed in 1926. The building at 260 Lowena was owned by H.N. Lowe and built by Dawley and Beatty contractors. In this same year, the Pacific Coast Club was built in the same style. Other structures on the block from this period are single-family bungalows of a vernacular style occurring commonly in Long Beach.
H.N. Lowe was a prominent figure not only for his development of his street, but for his achievements as a naturalist and scientist. He began shell collecting as a hobby in 1895, and gained professional distinction in his field. He traveled to Mexico, Central America, Cuba and other foreign countries to collect and discover marine invertebrates, and wrote books and articles about this subject. He collaborated with the Smithsonian Institution, the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and other museums. He discovered more than 100 new species, and had an extensive private collection. His address is listed variously as 238 Junipero, 2209 Lowena and 2219 Lowena.
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