La Jolla Historical Society
Encyclopedia
The La Jolla Historical Society is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in La Jolla, San Diego County, California
, that is committed to the discovery, collection and preservation of La Jolla’s heritage through collections, programs and advocacy.
, Randolph established a Historical Committee and gathered photographs and documentation to create his seminal book La Jolla: Year by Year. The publication triggered increased interest in local history amongst La Jollans, culminating in a February 22, 1940, meeting in the Presbyterian Church attended by more than a hundred citizens to discuss La Jolla’s recorded past and how it might be best preserved. With the community’s support, Randolph’s collection grew, becoming the nucleus of the significant archival collection of images and documents that the Society maintains today.
La Jollans’ efforts supporting heritage education and preservation remained connected to the Library Association
for years. In 1955, the Association financed a second edition of Randolph’s book and, by the 1960s, community members realized a separate organization was necessary to address the growing interest in La Jolla history. After the Society’s founding, the board of trustees of the Library Association in April 1964 gave the Historical Committee permission to transfer the Randolph Collection to the new organization. Articles of incorporation
were filed on July 7, 1964, with the Society's first officers being Barbara Dawson (President), Hiomi Nakamura (Vice President), and A.B. Crosby (Secretary).
Throughout its history, the Society has operated out of numerous facilities, initially working from a room in the La Jolla Federal Savings & Loan building at 1100 Wall Street. It then met in private homes until 1968 when a small office was established at 7917 Girard Avenue. In 1971, operations were moved to the La Jolla Public Library at 1010 Wall St. (location of the present-day Athenaeum). Six years later, the Society moved to the Colonial Inn. Finally, in 1981, the Society moved to its current location in a 1909 cottage at 7846 Eads Avenue, located within the historically significant Scripps-Gill cultural complex in central La Jolla.
Today, the Society boasts nearly 900 members and has grown into a multi-faceted community organization with a growing slate of programs and an ambitious future. In July 2008, the Society was gifted the three historic buildings on the site of what was once the estate of Ellen Browning Scripps
, including historic Wisteria Cottage (formerly home of John Cole’s Book Shop
), the Society’s current headquarters (a 1909 beach cottage) and the adjacent 1894 carriage house. Current plans call for the renovation of the property to serve as the Society’s new home, featuring gallery spaces for public exhibitions, an educational center, gift shop, staff offices, and modern archival storage. The Society is in the midst of a multi-million dollar capital campaign to raise funds for the restoration of the three structures.
-covered pergola
in front of the entry, the Cottage was built in 1904 and acquired by the famous Scripps family
only months after its completion. In 1909, acclaimed architect Irving Gill
was commissioned to design a number of additions and modifications, including the trademark pergola.
In its hundred-plus year history, Wisteria Cottage has experienced a number of uses: guest house, temporary home for St. James by-the-Sea Church, the Balmer School (today’s La Jolla Country Day School
), and two different bookstores. The Cottage was designated Historic Site No. 166 by the City of San Diego in the 1980s.
Plans call for restoration of the cottage, two adjacent structures and the gardens and adapting their use as exhibit galleries, education programs, archival storage, and event venue.
One such cottage was built in 1909 at 245 Prospect Street, utilized as a residence and rental for decades. The La Jolla Historical Society, which had been located in a small office at the Colonial Inn hotel on Prospect Street, acquired the cottage as the Society’s new home after discovering the cottage would be demolished to make room for a three-story condominium. In 1981, the cottage was moved a few blocks north on Prospect and around the corner to its current location at 7846 Eads Avenue by La Jolla developer Dewhurst & Associates. The expense of moving the cottage was provided by the Revelle Family
, whose property the cottage now occupies, just down the hill from Wisteria Cottage. Once in place, plumbing and electricity was installed.
Over the past twenty-five years, in its adaptive re-use by the Society, the cottage has held archives collection files, staff offices of the executive director, office manager, archivist, and historian and accommodates a growing corps of volunteers. Work is located throughout four separate rooms, each retaining historical flavor with original wainscot and windows replete with “wavy” window glass –the effects of time on a century-old structure.
owned an extensive tract of property along the La Jolla coastline that included her first Victorian-style
home (Moulton Villa), a lathe house and this carriage house
still on its original Eads Avenue site that housed her horse-drawn carriages. A 1915 arson fire destroyed Moulton Villa and much of Scripps’ surrounding structures but the small Carriage House, originally built in 1894, escaped untouched.
With the age of the automobile approaching, the carriage house began to accommodate Scripps’ stylish new Pierce Arrow touring car, driven around town by chauffeur Fred Higgins. British by birth, Higgins remained Scripps’ chauffeur until her death in 1932. It was widely reported that he lived in the back room of the carriage house for some years, although in an oral interview years later he gave his address as 7866 Eads Avenue, another Scripps’-owned cottage farther down the street and no longer in existence.
The carriage house is characteristic of the many small buildings constructed in La Jolla in the early 1900s, featuring single-wall construction with wood siding finishing the main façade. A high-pitched roof and garage entry doors allowed large carriages to come and go with ease. The rear of the structure contains a series of small partitions that may have been used as living quarters at some time. One window repeats the small triangular-topped panes also found in Wisteria Cottage.
Between 2009 and 2010, the structure’s exterior was restored as closely as possible to its original appearance. The interior was modified to accommodate the Society’s extensive collections in a special climate-controlled environment with modern HVAC, air filtration, fire suppression system, and movable shelving
. The work was completed in early 2010 with a ribbon-cutting on February 5, 2010.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, that is committed to the discovery, collection and preservation of La Jolla’s heritage through collections, programs and advocacy.
Programs and collections
The La Jolla Historical Society produces a wide range of programs and events to fulfill its mission and enhance its appeal amongst a diverse demographic, including:- Exhibitions featuring images, art, and artifacts from its collection and on loan from other organizations. Recent exhibitions have included: By the Beautiful Sea (June – September 2008); Merchants & Memories (February–May 2009); All Roads Lead to La Jolla: A Journey through our Automotive Past (Dec 09 - Feb 2010); Waveriders: Perspective on Surfing in La Jolla 1930–1950 (May – July 2010); Identify: The Teenage Experience in La Jolla (August – October 2010); Postmark La Jolla: History of the US Postal Service in La Jolla (Aug – Nov 2010); The Big Picture: Selections from the Oversized Image Collection (Oct – Nov 2010); La Jolla: Then & Now (June - Aug 2011)
- Preserving a significant collection of photographic prints, audio and video recordings, real estate files, architectural drawings biographical files, books, newspapers, school yearbooks, art, printed ephemera and scrapbooks, manuscripts, artifacts
- Monitoring La Jolla’s historic sites and structures
- Regular lecture series
- Public walking tours of La Jolla’s historic central village
- Recording and transcribing oral histories of long-time residents
- Feasting on History, a fundraising event in local historic homes
- Ellen Browning Scripps Luncheon, commemorating La Jolla’s beloved philanthropistEllen Browning ScrippsEllen Browning Scripps was an American philanthropist who was the founding donor of several major institutions in Southern California.-Biography:...
- La Jolla Motor Car Classic, nationally renowned fundraising event for car enthusiasts
- Secret Garden Tour of Old La Jolla, featuring beautiful homes and treasured gardens
- Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social for young children and families
- Student Photo Contest, to promote local youths’ interest in La Jolla’s heritage through photography
Organizational history
The La Jolla Historical Society was founded in 1963 by a small group of community leaders and local citizens dedicated to preserving the community’s rich heritage and culture. However, the work of the Society actually dates back to the late 1930s with the arrival in La Jolla of Howard S.F. Randolph. A historian and genealogist from New England, Randolph advocated greater recognition of local history in the community, particularly in La Jolla's development during the 1880s and ‘90s. Working with the Library Association of La JollaAthenaeum Music & Arts Library
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is a non-profit membership library located in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California. It was incorporated as the Library Association of La Jolla in 1899...
, Randolph established a Historical Committee and gathered photographs and documentation to create his seminal book La Jolla: Year by Year. The publication triggered increased interest in local history amongst La Jollans, culminating in a February 22, 1940, meeting in the Presbyterian Church attended by more than a hundred citizens to discuss La Jolla’s recorded past and how it might be best preserved. With the community’s support, Randolph’s collection grew, becoming the nucleus of the significant archival collection of images and documents that the Society maintains today.
La Jollans’ efforts supporting heritage education and preservation remained connected to the Library Association
Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is a non-profit membership library located in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California. It was incorporated as the Library Association of La Jolla in 1899...
for years. In 1955, the Association financed a second edition of Randolph’s book and, by the 1960s, community members realized a separate organization was necessary to address the growing interest in La Jolla history. After the Society’s founding, the board of trustees of the Library Association in April 1964 gave the Historical Committee permission to transfer the Randolph Collection to the new organization. Articles of incorporation
Articles of Incorporation
The Articles of Incorporation are the primary rules governing the management of a corporation in the United States and Canada, and are filed with a state or other regulatory agency.An equivalent term for LLCs in the United States is the Articles of Organization...
were filed on July 7, 1964, with the Society's first officers being Barbara Dawson (President), Hiomi Nakamura (Vice President), and A.B. Crosby (Secretary).
Throughout its history, the Society has operated out of numerous facilities, initially working from a room in the La Jolla Federal Savings & Loan building at 1100 Wall Street. It then met in private homes until 1968 when a small office was established at 7917 Girard Avenue. In 1971, operations were moved to the La Jolla Public Library at 1010 Wall St. (location of the present-day Athenaeum). Six years later, the Society moved to the Colonial Inn. Finally, in 1981, the Society moved to its current location in a 1909 cottage at 7846 Eads Avenue, located within the historically significant Scripps-Gill cultural complex in central La Jolla.
Today, the Society boasts nearly 900 members and has grown into a multi-faceted community organization with a growing slate of programs and an ambitious future. In July 2008, the Society was gifted the three historic buildings on the site of what was once the estate of Ellen Browning Scripps
Ellen Browning Scripps
Ellen Browning Scripps was an American philanthropist who was the founding donor of several major institutions in Southern California.-Biography:...
, including historic Wisteria Cottage (formerly home of John Cole’s Book Shop
John Cole's Book Shop
John Cole's Book Shop was a bookstore in La Jolla, San Diego, California. It was founded in 1946 by John and Barbara Cole on Ivanhoe Avenue, and moved in 1966 to the Wisteria Cottage at 780 Prospect Street...
), the Society’s current headquarters (a 1909 beach cottage) and the adjacent 1894 carriage house. Current plans call for the renovation of the property to serve as the Society’s new home, featuring gallery spaces for public exhibitions, an educational center, gift shop, staff offices, and modern archival storage. The Society is in the midst of a multi-million dollar capital campaign to raise funds for the restoration of the three structures.
1904 Wisteria Cottage
Located at 780 Prospect Avenue in the heart of the Scripps/Gill Cultural District, Wisteria Cottage is one of La Jolla’s most distinguishing structures, outstanding for its proximity to the ocean, rich architectural roots, and significance of past ownership and residents. Named for the wisteriaWisteria
Wisteria is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes ten species of woody climbing vines native to the eastern United States and to China, Korea, and Japan. Aquarists refer to the species Hygrophila difformis, in the family Acanthaceae, as Water Wisteria...
-covered pergola
Pergola
A pergola, arbor or arbour is a garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained...
in front of the entry, the Cottage was built in 1904 and acquired by the famous Scripps family
Ellen Browning Scripps
Ellen Browning Scripps was an American philanthropist who was the founding donor of several major institutions in Southern California.-Biography:...
only months after its completion. In 1909, acclaimed architect Irving Gill
Irving Gill
Irving John Gill , American architect, is considered a pioneer of the modern movement in architecture. He designed several buildings considered examples of San Diego's best architecture.-Biography:...
was commissioned to design a number of additions and modifications, including the trademark pergola.
In its hundred-plus year history, Wisteria Cottage has experienced a number of uses: guest house, temporary home for St. James by-the-Sea Church, the Balmer School (today’s La Jolla Country Day School
La Jolla Country Day School
La Jolla Country Day School is a highly selective private school in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California. It was founded as the Balmer School by Louise C. Balmer in 1926. The school contains a lower school , a middle school , and an upper school...
), and two different bookstores. The Cottage was designated Historic Site No. 166 by the City of San Diego in the 1980s.
Plans call for restoration of the cottage, two adjacent structures and the gardens and adapting their use as exhibit galleries, education programs, archival storage, and event venue.
1909 cottage
In the early 1900s, La Jolla was a small beach-side town of a few dirt roads with horse-drawn carriages and about a hundred residential cottages, either rented or owned. Most cottages had one or two bedrooms with no plumbing or electricity. Typically, they were of simplistic exterior wood shingle construction and finished inside with wainscot and pine plank floors.One such cottage was built in 1909 at 245 Prospect Street, utilized as a residence and rental for decades. The La Jolla Historical Society, which had been located in a small office at the Colonial Inn hotel on Prospect Street, acquired the cottage as the Society’s new home after discovering the cottage would be demolished to make room for a three-story condominium. In 1981, the cottage was moved a few blocks north on Prospect and around the corner to its current location at 7846 Eads Avenue by La Jolla developer Dewhurst & Associates. The expense of moving the cottage was provided by the Revelle Family
Roger Revelle
Roger Randall Dougan Revelle was a scientist and scholar who was instrumental in the formative years of the University of California, San Diego and was one of the first scientists to study global warming and the movement of Earth's tectonic plates...
, whose property the cottage now occupies, just down the hill from Wisteria Cottage. Once in place, plumbing and electricity was installed.
Over the past twenty-five years, in its adaptive re-use by the Society, the cottage has held archives collection files, staff offices of the executive director, office manager, archivist, and historian and accommodates a growing corps of volunteers. Work is located throughout four separate rooms, each retaining historical flavor with original wainscot and windows replete with “wavy” window glass –the effects of time on a century-old structure.
1894 carriage house
Until about 1912, there were no cars in La Jolla, horse-drawn carriages and wagons being the transportation of the early days. At the time, Ellen Browning ScrippsEllen Browning Scripps
Ellen Browning Scripps was an American philanthropist who was the founding donor of several major institutions in Southern California.-Biography:...
owned an extensive tract of property along the La Jolla coastline that included her first Victorian-style
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
home (Moulton Villa), a lathe house and this carriage house
Carriage house
A carriage house, also called remise or coach house, is an outbuilding which was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and the related tack.In Great Britain the farm building was called a Cart Shed...
still on its original Eads Avenue site that housed her horse-drawn carriages. A 1915 arson fire destroyed Moulton Villa and much of Scripps’ surrounding structures but the small Carriage House, originally built in 1894, escaped untouched.
With the age of the automobile approaching, the carriage house began to accommodate Scripps’ stylish new Pierce Arrow touring car, driven around town by chauffeur Fred Higgins. British by birth, Higgins remained Scripps’ chauffeur until her death in 1932. It was widely reported that he lived in the back room of the carriage house for some years, although in an oral interview years later he gave his address as 7866 Eads Avenue, another Scripps’-owned cottage farther down the street and no longer in existence.
The carriage house is characteristic of the many small buildings constructed in La Jolla in the early 1900s, featuring single-wall construction with wood siding finishing the main façade. A high-pitched roof and garage entry doors allowed large carriages to come and go with ease. The rear of the structure contains a series of small partitions that may have been used as living quarters at some time. One window repeats the small triangular-topped panes also found in Wisteria Cottage.
Between 2009 and 2010, the structure’s exterior was restored as closely as possible to its original appearance. The interior was modified to accommodate the Society’s extensive collections in a special climate-controlled environment with modern HVAC, air filtration, fire suppression system, and movable shelving
Automated Storage and Retrieval System
An automated storage and retrieval system consists of a variety of computer-controlled methods for automatically placing and retrieving loads from specific storage locations...
. The work was completed in early 2010 with a ribbon-cutting on February 5, 2010.