Named in 1922 by landowner Alex Ratner (c. 1878-1935), who saw his first success with a New York deli. Born in the Russian Empire (western Ukraine region), Ratner came to New York in 1899. After a short spell in Texas, he returned to Manhattan and partnered with brother-in-law Jake Harmatz on a kosher dairy restaurant c. 1907. They incorporated it as “Ratner’s” ten years later, although it was really Harmatz’s – especially since Ratner had left the Big Apple for the San Fernando Valley in 1914 to soothe his lung problems. (The restaurant, once a New York institution, closed in 2002.) Along with Ratner came his wife Anne (1880-1954), who also hailed from the western Ukraine area, and their kids Maurice and Ida. A third child, Rose, was born here in 1915. The Ratners were among the SFV’s first Jewish residents and Alex has even been called the founder of Roscoe – you know it now as Sun Valley – because the general store he owned on San Fernando Road gave life to the fledgling community. He would later add a gas station and grocery. The Ratners themselves lived on a ranch on La Tuna Canyon Road.
Find it on the map:
