Raenford Academy, c. 1940, 4001 Hayvenhurst Avenue, Encino

Photograph of an exterior view of the Encino Country Club, [s.d.]. The main building is in the distance at right and is a three story structure with a covered porch and a wrap-around balcony. An American flag is flying from a tower over the entrance to the club. A dirt road curves toward the building from the foreground at center. At right is a large grassy area with a single oak tree in the middle. More trees can be seen at left, while a mountain range is visible in the background.

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Until World War II, Hayvenhurst Avenue in Encino effectively ended at what is now Lanai Road. The estate of developer William Hay --named Hayvenhurst -- was located at 4400 Hayvenhurst (now the intersection of Hayvenhurst and Lanai). Beyond that was a dirt road that led into a canyon comprised of oak trees and chaparral. At the end of the dirt road (4001 Hayvenhurst Avenue, near what is now the intersection of Hayvenhurst and Escalon),was the location of the Encino Country Club, that had been built in the early 1920's. When it went bust in the early 1930's, it was converted to a military academy known as Raenford Academy or the Raenford School for Boys. (See Picture). When WWII broke out, many of Raenford's teachers and administrators were drafted or otherwise drawn into the war; it closed in the early 40's. The home lay fallow for many years, until 1952, when, according to the Valley Green Sheet on March 3, 1952,

"Burco Inc., owner of 610 acres acquired in that vicinity for development of residential lots, has decided that, having come into possession of the building with the acreage, the only practical thing to do is demolish the reinforced concrete rendezvous of delinquent juveniles in order to keep peace with residents of Encino ... Featured in a recent pictorial magazine as the Valley's 'haunted house,' the abandoned country club facility, constructed some 30 years ago, has become a place of evil repute in late years." Thus, the beginnings of what is now quintessential "Valley," and "postwar suburbia in Los Angeles" was established and the character of the area forever altered.