Stys and the other people who built homes in the district had no formal training in the design and construction of houses . Only one house in the district was designed by a professional architect . The homes were built of local field stones from the alluvial plains around Claremont , as well as salvaged and recycled materials including the sides from railroad cars , items taken from the wreckage from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake , and materials from wrecking yards Many of Stys 's friends were unemployed during the Great Depression and several lost their homes . Stys sold off portions of his land for low prices , often asking for no down payment , and helped them build inexpensive houses out of salvaged and recycled materials
1933 Long Beach earthquake
1933 Long Beach earthquake
Russian Village District