About Maryvale

In the mid-1800s, Los Angeles had no child welfare system. Orphaned or abandoned children roamed the streets struggling to survive and were entirely dependent on the generosity of strangers. Desperate to find a solution, Bishop Amat, the first Bishop of the Monterey/Los Angeles Diocese, petitioned the Daughters of Charity for help.

On January 6, 1856, five Daughters of Charity arrived from their American Provincial House in Maryland to open Los Angeles’ first orphanage and hospital in the small wood-frame Wilson Home on the site where Union Station stands today. The following year the Sisters built a new building adjacent to the first–which, in 1869, was officially named the Los Angeles Orphan Asylum.

In 1891 the orphanage expanded yet again, relocating to a much larger facility in Boyle Heights to accommodate the increasing number of orphans who needed somewhere to live. With a growing reputation as a safe place for children of all faiths and races—a refuge in an unstable and sometimes dangerous city—the Los Angeles Orphan Asylum became an indispensable part of the community.

After sheltering more than 8,000 children, earthquake damage and freeway expansion plans led to the destruction of the Boyle Heights building. By that time, the orphanage was so fundamentally important to the successful functioning of the city that a number of supporters stepped forward to assist in its relocation. Many of the women who rallied to the cause became founding members of the Los Angeles Orphanage Guild.

In large part due to the efforts of the LAOG, Carrie Estelle Doheny, wife of Edward L. Doheny, helped obtain land in Rosemead for the new campus and provided a substantial sum toward the costs of construction. The Los Angeles Orphanage Guild members worked tirelessly for the cause and successfully raised the additional funds needed to complete the new campus. In 1953, the campus was complete and the orphanage relocated to Rosemead. The new location came with a new name: Maryvale.

In 1999 Maryvale responded to community need by launching an Early Education Center in Duarte on the site of the former “Land of Aws” day care center.

Both the Los Angeles Orphanage Guild and the Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation continue to provide critical support for Maryvale’s work today.

Maryvale has grown far beyond its initial role of providing for every child’s basic needs in a loving and stable atmosphere; Maryvale is a multidisciplinary agency working to prepare families to rise above past hardship and prepare for future success through trauma recovery, educational programs, life skills and a wealth of other support. Maryvale’s current programs are focused on strengthening families and communities.