The impending demolition of the structure at 337 D has
prompted my fellow Davis history buff Rich Rifkin to lament that there will be
“no more physical legacy of the Penas in Davis” and that 337 D is “the last
physical record of the historic Pena family in Davis.”
Let me set Rich’s mind at ease. The fact of the matter is
that the “physical legacy” of the Pena family survives 337 D in at least four
ways.
First, several members of
that family are buried in the Davis cemetery. As I understand it, burial of the
kind seen there is what physical legacy is very much about.
Second, a recent online phone
directory for Davis lists seven people with the name Pena, at least a few of
whom are likely members of the Davis branch of the family. That seems a pretty
solid physical legacy.
Third, a major street--a
drive no less--is named Pena in honor of the family.
Fourth, one might narrow
one’s lament to the lack of a house that has “the Pena surname tied to” it. No
other house “is called by anyone ‘the
Pena house,’” Rich has written. But this, also, is not true. |
| Old North Davis, pp. 107-8 |
 |
| E-500s People, p. 11 |
In the 1999 Davis history book Old North Davis, the house at 516 E is termed “the Pena Home.” It
was built for and lived in by the well-known Galvino Pena (pp. 107-8).
This
label is repeated and the report elaborated in the 2011 booklet E-500s People (p. 11).
So, do not fear, Rich. The Pena physical legacy is not
confined to the structure at 337 D.
