Visit Laguna Beach Visitors Guide 2020 - 86

A LOOK BACK
HISTORY BUFFS WILL ENJOY LEARNING ABOUT LAGUNA BEACH'S RICH PAST AND
CAN EXPERIENCE FAMOUS LANDMARKS WHILE STROLLING THROUGH TOWN.
LATE 1800S

1933

Native Americans lived
in and around the area
they called "Lagonas" (for
"lake") more than 2,000
years ago. Laguna Beach
then became a popular
tourist destination in the
late 1800s.

St. Francis by the Sea
Cathedral was built at
430 Park Ave. At only
1,008 square feet, this
is one of the smallest
cathedrals in the world.

1888
The original wooden structure of Hotel
Laguna was first built;
it was reconstructed in
1930 with its current
Mission Revival style.

1903
Painter Norman St.
Clair arrived from San
Francisco and, within a
few years, Laguna Beach
had a permanent population of 300 people, half
of which were painters
who had come to town
to capture the stunning
seaside landscape.

1923
The Murphy-Smith House
(today's Historical Society)
was built at 278 Ocean
Ave. This is one of the few
remaining original houses
in the downtown area.

1926
A medieval-esque,
Norman-style tower was
built off Victoria Street
and was designed to
provide a spiral staircase
as beach access from
the cliffs above. Former
resident Harold Kendrick
once hid gold coins and
treasures within the tower
for children to find. Today,
the tower is closed, but
remains a popular landmark. (Visitors must be
cautious and are advised
to check the tide schedule, as this tower is not
accessible at high tide.)

1933
Visitors can enjoy more
than 80 pieces of public
art scattered throughout
the city. The first work in
the collection, a bronze
sculpture titled "Boy
and Dog" by artist Ruth
Peabody, was installed
across the street from
Laguna Art Museum.

2006

1935
The famous gate that
welcomes you to the city
(and reads "This Gate
Hangs Well and Hinders
None. Refresh and Rest,
Then Travel On") was built
and hangs at the corner of
Forest and Park Avenues.

1980
Internationally known marine artist Wyland moved to
Laguna Beach from Detroit.
He painted his first whaling
wall mural not more than
100 yards from the very
place he'd seen gray whales
as a child in 1970.

1999
The first Plein Air Painting
Invitational took place.

1918
Artist Edgar Payne and a
group of artists opened
one of the city's first art
galleries (which drew 2,000
visitors in its first month of
operation). It later became
the Laguna Art Museum,
one of the first art museums in the state.

1940S
Eiler Larsen became the
official greeter of the city
of Laguna Beach. Statues
memorializing him are
located both at 329 and
1200 S. Coast Hwy.

1927
Laguna Beach was incorporated on June 29.

1932
1920
The Laguna Playhouse
was established and
today is one of the oldest
continuously operating
theater companies on the
West Coast.

86

Festival of Arts began as
a way to attract travelers
who were visiting for the
summer Olympic Games
in Los Angeles. Artist and
vaudevillian Lolita Perine
added "living pictures" to
the festival, and Pageant
of the Masters was born.

DESTINATION GUIDE 2020 I VISITLAGUNABEACH.COM

The award-winning Nix
Nature Center opened
and is the Laguna Coast
Wilderness Park headquarters and entryway to
the 20,000-acre South
Coast Wilderness area.

2011
A sculpture incorporating two metal beams
salvaged from World
Trade Center debris was
installed in Heisler Park.
"Semper Memento,"
by Jorg Dubin, also
references the two other
sites inextricably linked
to the Twin Towers:
the Pentagon and the
Pennsylvania field where
Flight 93 crashed.

2015

1960S

2004

Laguna College of Art &
Design ('66), Sawdust
Art & Craft Festival and
Laguna Art-A-Fair ('67)
opened their doors.

MTV's "Laguna Beach:
The Real Orange County"
premiered. The show averaged 3.1 million viewers in
its second season.

Festival of Arts and
Pageant of the Masters
completed a new
facade and entryway
to the Festival grounds.
Constructed at a cost
of $3.5 million, it was
finished just in time for
the 83-year-old premier
art exhibit's opening in
July 2017.

2018
The Laguna Art Museum
celebrated its centennial
on the anniversary of the
founding of the Laguna
Beach Art Association.
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Visit Laguna Beach Visitors Guide 2020

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