La Jolla Historical Society facts for kids
The La Jolla Historical Society is a special non-profit group in La Jolla, San Diego, California. Its main goal is to find, collect, and keep safe the history and stories of the La Jolla community. They do this through their collections, fun programs, and by speaking up for what's important.
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What They Do: Programs and Collections
The La Jolla Historical Society wants to be a place where everyone can learn about La Jolla's past. They also work to protect old buildings and help people of all ages understand each other better through history.
They offer many different programs and events. For example, they've had exciting exhibits about:
- How climate change affected La Jolla's buildings in the mid-1900s.
- The history of the post office in La Jolla.
- The story of surfing in La Jolla from the 1930s to 1950s.
- What it was like to be a teenager in La Jolla.
Besides exhibits, they also:
- Keep a huge collection of old photos, videos, architectural drawings, books, newspapers, and other historical items.
- Watch over La Jolla's important historic buildings and places.
- Record and write down the stories of people who have lived in La Jolla for a long time.
- Host "Feasting on History," a special event held in old, beautiful homes to raise money.
- Organize the Ellen Browning Scripps Luncheon, celebrating a kind person who helped La Jolla a lot.
- Help with the La Jolla Concours d'Elegance, a famous car show that raises money.
- Lead the Secret Garden Tour, showing off amazing homes and gardens in La Jolla.
How It Started
The La Jolla Historical Society officially began in 1963. A small group of community leaders and citizens wanted to save La Jolla's rich history. But the idea actually started much earlier, in the late 1930s.
That's when Howard S.F. Randolph, a historian, came to La Jolla. He believed it was important to recognize local history, especially how La Jolla grew in the 1880s and 1890s. He worked with the Library Association of La Jolla to start a Historical Committee. Randolph collected photos and documents, which led to his important book, La Jolla: Year by Year (published in 1946).
His book made more people interested in La Jolla's history. In 1940, over a hundred citizens met to talk about how to best preserve La Jolla's past. With the community's help, Randolph's collection grew. This collection became the main part of the Society's huge archive of images and documents today.
For many years, the efforts to save La Jolla's history were connected to the Library Association. By the 1960s, people realized a separate group was needed. So, the Society was founded. In 1964, the Library Association allowed Randolph's collection to be moved to the new Historical Society. The Society officially became a non-profit on July 7, 1964.
The Society has been in many different places over the years. It started in a bank building, then moved to private homes, and later to small offices. In 1981, it finally moved to its current home: a 1909 cottage at 7846 Eads Avenue. This spot is in a historically important area of La Jolla.
Today, the Society has almost 900 members. It has grown into a big community group with many programs and exciting plans for the future.
The Society’s Historic Buildings
Wisteria Cottage (1904)
Wisteria Cottage is a very special building in La Jolla. It's known for being close to the ocean, its unique design, and its important past owners. The cottage gets its name from the wisteria vines that cover a pergola (a garden archway) at the front.
It was built in 1904 and bought by the famous Scripps family soon after. In 1909, a famous architect named Irving Gill added new parts and changed some things, including the well-known pergola.
Over its 100-plus years, Wisteria Cottage has been used for many things. It was a guest house, a temporary church, a school, and even two different bookstores! The City of San Diego officially named it Historic Site No. 166 in the 1980s.
In 2005, Wisteria Cottage became the new home of the La Jolla Historical Society. In 2008, the Revelle family gave the entire property to the Society. Money was raised to fix up the buildings. The goal was to turn them into a museum, an education center, a research spot, and a place for the community to gather. The renovations were finished in 2014, just in time for the Society's 50th Anniversary!
Now, Wisteria Cottage is a museum and a gallery for exhibits. The renovated conference room is used for meetings, workshops, and educational programs. The Office and Research Center is a great place for people to talk to the Society's experts and look at old documents.
The 1909 Cottage
In the early 1900s, La Jolla was a small beach town. It had dirt roads, horse-drawn carriages, and about a hundred simple cottages. Most cottages had one or two bedrooms and often no indoor plumbing or electricity. They usually had wood shingle exteriors and simple pine floors inside.
One such cottage was built in 1909 at 245 Prospect Street. It was a home and a rental for many years. The La Jolla Historical Society, which was in a small office at the Colonial Inn hotel, found out this cottage was going to be torn down. They decided to save it!
In 1981, the cottage was moved a few blocks away to its current spot at 7846 Eads Avenue. The Revelle Family paid for the move. The cottage is now on their property, close to Wisteria Cottage. After it was moved, plumbing and electricity were added.
For the past 25 years, the Society has used this cottage for many things. It holds archive files and offices for staff and volunteers. The four rooms still have their original historical feel, with old wood paneling and wavy window glass from a century ago.
The Carriage House
Ellen Browning Scripps owned a large piece of land along the La Jolla coast. In 1916, her property included her home, South Molton Villa, and several smaller buildings. These included a library, a guest bungalow, Wisteria Cottage, and two garages. The building the Society now calls the Carriage House was built in 1917. It was the second garage, used for her chauffeur's (driver's) car.
The Carriage House looks like many small buildings built in La Jolla in the early 1900s. It has single-wall construction with wood siding on the front. It has a high, pointed roof and large garage doors, making it easy for big carriages to enter and leave. The back of the building has small sections that might have been living quarters at some point. One window has small triangular-shaped panes, just like some found in Wisteria Cottage.
