One of the westernmost off-ramps from the 91 Freeway in Riverside County is Serfas Club Drive. It’s on the western outskirts of Corona near the mouth of Santa Ana Canyon. Its name can be traced to two brothers.
The two brothers are Anastacios “Ernest” Serfas, and his younger brother Menelaos “Nick” Serfas.
The brothers were born in Los Angeles in the mid-1920s to Greek immigrant parents. They grew up in Los Angeles and attended USC, where they excelled in sports – something that would capture their interest for most of their lives.
After school and after returning from a stint in the Navy during World War II, the brothers opened what became a very popular restaurant – The House of Serfas. This restaurant had a sports theme and a few articles about it have called it one of the first sports-themed restaurants in California.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, many amateur and professional athletes dined at the House of Serfas, as did Hollywood actors, actresses, and producers.
By the mid-1960s, the brothers were looking to expand their holdings and get into the golf business. So, they took over the food and beverage concessions at two Los Angeles-area, golf-centered country clubs.
In 1969, they decided to also delve into golf course ownership and found a suitable facility in the foundering Mountain View Country Club, west of Corona. The Mountain View Country Club started in September 1962 as a golf-centered country club complete with new homes priced in the $30,000 range.
By the time the Serfas brothers entered the picture, the development was not doing well and was ripe for someone else to take charge.
In October 1969, the Serfas brothers bought the property for $2.2 million. They immediately made plans to keep the golf course, upgrade the facilities, expand the restaurant offerings and hours, and give it a new name: Serfas Country Club.
In November 1970, it was announced that the section of the new 91 Freeway between Corona and Orange County would open soon. As part of that new freeway, there would be an interchange at the new Serfas Club Drive, which had just been renamed from Wardlow Avenue. The brothers wasted no time in renaming the main street for their country club.
The country club does not appear to have lasted long, or was sold off quickly. Review of aerial photos show that while the old golf course is still present, it is far from green and has lots of weeds. Apparently, the only remnant of the Serfas Country Club is the name of the street it was on.
The Serfas brothers died in 1996 (Nick) and 2006 (Ernest). Their lasting contribution to Riverside County is the name of that 91 Freeway off-ramp.
If you have an idea for a future Back in the Day column about a local historic person, place or event, contact Steve Lech and Kim Jarrell Johnson at backinthedaype@gmail.com.
