11706 North Circle Drive is known as the S.C. Hookstratteen Residence and was built in 1939-1940.
The residence was designed for St. Cyr Hookstratten and his wife Kathleen. St. Cyr Hookstratten was the owner of the Whittier Ice Cream Company and an active member of the Whittier community. According to the Whittier Directory, the Hookstrattens lived in the home until 1955, when the house was purchased by Alan R. White.
According to an article in the Daily News, S.C. Hookstratten began his career in 1918 at the Christopher Ice Cream Company in Los Angeles where he quickly moved his way up to head bookkeeper. While working, he also attended law school, receiving his law degree from the University of Southern California in 1921. In 1928, he married Kathleen Wiehr and accepted a position as vice president in charge of ice cream sales for Western Dairy Products Company. Shortly thereafter, the stock market crashed and the great depression began. Eventually Hookstratten went into business for himself renting storage space in Los Angeles and peddling ice cream to wholesale accounts until he lost the business in 1932. Soon thereafter, he purchased the Whittier Ice Cream Company on Hadley Street which had been taken over by creditors. For years, Hookstratten provided ice cream to the Thrifty Drug Co. for their soda fountains, and by 1938, the Whittier Ice Cream Company was prospering. The soda fountain at the plant on Hadley Street became very popular and often had a half hour wait on summer evenings. Following World War II, Hookstratten became the director of wholesale ice cream manufacturing for the dairy industry and in 1947 sold the Whittier Ice Cream Company. He later became president of the California Dairy Industry.
Hookstratten was also involved in various community groups, including: the YMCA, Whittier Philharmonic Association, Rotary International, and the Chamber of Commerce. He served for over twenty years on the board of directors for the YMCA, and also served as president of both the Rotary Club and the Whittier Chamber of Commerce.
Local designation date is July 28, 1998. Its identification number is 36.
SOURCES: The information above has been obtained from the original local designation documents and edits from the Whittier Historic Neighborhood Association. It may also include ongoing current ownership input.