by Sabrina P.
There were more people than seats at Froggy’s on Sunday, September 20. More than 85 guests gathered to celebrate the former Topanga schoolhouse and the 101 years of history. Some stood in the back and along the walls.
The Topanga Historical Society’s presentation, “From Schoolhouse to Froggy’s: 101 Years,” brought together former students, families and friends connected to its school and American Legion years, longtime Topangans who knew the building under different names, and others hearing its story for the first time.
Over a potluck lunch, Larry Anderson, Gretchen Ferguson (Deuber), Susan Nissman, Lance Roberts, Horst Speiss, Chantal von Wetter, Jimmy Wiley, Erica Schlihs, and others shared stories from the building’s long life. Several speakers brought firsthand memories of attending school there. One former student recalled the old merry-go-round, which the children would spin as fast as they could—occasionally sending someone flying off into the dirt.
Built in 1925 as Prier Hall, the building was Topanga’s first school with indoor plumbing and electricity. When enrollment outgrew the space, students moved up the road. Prier Hall became the American Legion Hall in 1954, and Legion meetings and events continued there into the 2000s. The same room later welcomed diners at The Goldrush, Shemrun, and La Chingona Tacos. Since 1994, it has been home to Froggy’s.
The connection between those chapters became clear when guests were asked how many had eaten at the original Topanga Fish Market. Nearly every hand in the room went up.
The Fish Market near Topanga Lumber was destroyed by arson in 1993. The following year, Lance Roberts and his parents, Warren Sr. and Patsy, carried the family business into the former schoolhouse as Froggy’s Topanga Fish Market. They opened the restaurant on Mother’s Day in honor of Patsy. One Topanga gathering place had found its future inside another.
The Topanga Historical Society will release a recording of the presentation so the stories shared that afternoon can become part of the historical record.
Froggy’s thanks the Topanga Historical Society, the speakers, those who brought food, memories, and photographs, and all who joined. At 101, the old schoolhouse still had more people than seats—and more stories than one afternoon could hold.
