Whittier highlight
Historic downtown
Whittier's downtown, centered on Philadelphia Street and Greenleaf Avenue, preserves historic Craftsman and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture from its early development.
Uptown Whittier, the traditional central business core of the city, developed in the early 20th century with distinctive architecture reflecting the era and the city's character. The blocks around Philadelphia Street and Greenleaf Avenue still stand as they were built, with Craftsman homes and Spanish Colonial Revival commercial buildings creating a cohesive streetscape. These streets hosted the civic and commercial life of Whittier for generations—the places where residents gathered, shopped, and conducted the business of community.
The 1987 earthquake and its aftermath prompted major redevelopment efforts in downtown Whittier, but preservation priorities meant that the work focused on restoration and adaptive reuse rather than demolition. The Whittier Conservancy and the city's Historic Resources Commission work together to identify, protect, and encourage investment in significant buildings, helping the historic district remain both functional and true to its origins. Walking those streets today, you can trace the continuity of Whittier's history in its built environment.
That kind of continuity—honoring what came before while building for the future—is central to how families think about providing for the next generation. A term life policy bridges past and future in the same way: it honors the work and sacrifice that built the life a family has today while securing the resources needed to sustain it through the years ahead.