Melrose-Backs Neighborhood
The Melrose-Backs Neighborhood, an historic district in Anaheim, was a true family neighborhood with walks between the houses and fish ponds and gardens in the back yards. The Kuechel, Melrose and Backs families, all prominent in Anaheim history, were represented here for 95 years. Conrad and Samantha Kuechel, the original property owners, were among the original German colonists. Their daughter, Mary, married Richard Melrose and their daughter, Jessie, married Fred Backs, Jr. Starting with the houses at the corner of Adele and Emily in the early 1860s, the family progressed its way around the corner and down Hedwig (now Philadelphia), building those homes between 1903 and 1914. The historic district also includes the Ames house, built in 1911 by Judge Homer Ames, Melrose’s law partner. This district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Melrose-Kuechel Houses No. 1 and 2, 226 and 228 E Adele St
Judge Ames House, 303 N Philadelphia St
Melrose House, 307 N Philadelphia St
Fred Backs Jr. House, 317 N Philadelphia St
Fred Backs Honeymoon Cottage, 321 N Philadelphia St
Anaheim, Orange County
Photographers: Mary Madden, Gary Miller, Larry Slonim
SoCal Landmarks teamed up with members of the Photographic Society of Orange County (PSOC) to document this landmark.