Photo by James BunoanYou really have to look to still find Orange County's R.F.D. past—unless, as in this case, it's still in plain view at the northwest corner of Newhope Street and Westminster Avenue in Garden Grove. Here are the remains of what those in the area say was once the Idle Hour chicken farm.
Chicken coops aren't known for their architectural splendor—but this corner lot isn't all poultry. On one edge, a nice little Spanish-style house rests, with tall curved arches supporting the porch roof, and the requisite Spanish tile eyebrow. Plastic sheets cover the roof, but this house is still an ample reminder of how clean and simple the 1930s-era Spanish revival style was, and why it's still popular today.
And on the corner of another building, you can still see a vintage exterior wall clock—non-running—with neon that reads “idle hour eggs poultry” and letters broken out. The people and the chickens are long gone.
