July 1995 — Demolition of Dillenbeck Canyon Market at Solemint Junction (on Sierra Highway at Soledad Canyon Road, just up from the northwest corner).

Dillenbeck Market started in the early 1960s when the development of the North Oaks subdivision dramatically increased the population of what came to be known as "Canyon Country." Its owners were Charlie Dillenbeck, whose family had been in town since at least the late 1940s and who worked at the Solemint Store on the opposite corner before he decided to venture out on his own; and Frank Collins, a poultry farmer.

Dillenbeck Market proved to be too much competition for the Solemint Store, which shut down within a few years' time. After that, Dillenbeck was the only meat market in the vicinity — but its days, too, were numbered as Canyon Country's population exploded in the 1970s and 1980s. A flurry of modern chain grocery stores opened on nearly every streetcorner in the heart of Canyon Country to meet the new demand, and Dillenbeck was history.

Collins and Dillenbeck did try their luck in the old Safeway space in Newhall before quitting for good. (Tresierras Market replaced it there.)

The original Dillenbeck building at Solemint Junction stood derelict for several years and had been condemned by the time it was razed in July 1995. As of 2014, the parcel remains vacant land.

In this photograph, across the street, on the northeast corner, the old TransWorld Bank sign is visibile. TWB was acquired by Glendale Federal Savings, which merged into California Federal Savings (CalFed) by the end of the 1990s.

[DILLENBECK story in development]