Hop on the Trolley Tour During Heritage Month
By Hunter Fuentes and Jon Stordahl
May is Heritage Month in Laguna. A free trolley tour of architecturally interesting buildings and homes is just one of the activities planned to mark the month-long celebration. The city’s trolleys are a unique symbol of the town and serve both a utilitarian and a recreational purpose. They facilitate the movement of people through the city commuting from parking to our beaches and restaurants as well as providing a fun way to take in the sights. The trolley is the perfect vehicle for the historic architectural tour.
This year’s tour, to be held on Saturday, May 11 will focus on the career of Aubrey St. Clair, the architect most associated with the early period of Laguna expansion. There will be two separate tours, one departing from the Water District Building at 9 a.m. and a second at 11 a.m. St. Clair’s professional career began in Pasadena. The earliest commission of his we’ve been able to trace is a beautiful English Tudor style home built in that city in 1924, so we are celebrating the centenary of his career.
The tour begins downtown. St. Clair designed the three structures that make up the civic center of our community. His Water District Building (1929) was the first civic building erected with public funds. Two years later he designed the Fire Station (1931). The final piece of this governmental grouping was the City Hall (1951), not completed until several years after the end of the Second World War. From there the tour will continue down Ocean Avenue past his two iterations of Laguna Federal Savings & Loan. The current Wells Fargo Bank Building (1961) was the second of the structures he designed for Laguna Federal. Just down the street is his earlier version, now occupied by Cabana restaurant (1945).
The tour will then head south on the highway past the Isch Building (1928), the oldest surviving of his Laguna designs, and then to the Builder’s Guild (1936) which once housed the office of Aubrey St. Clair’s architectural practice. Next up are two religious facilities with St. Clair pedigrees: the First Church of Christ, Scientist (1938), now home to the Hare Krishna community, and the parish hall of the Neighborhood Congregational Church (1950).
The second part of the tour will focus on some of his residential work. The trolley will pass homes in Lagunita, Victoria Beach, Woods Cove, El Mirador, Mystic Hills, the Tree Streets, and Crescent Bay. These homes represent a broad range of styles that capture both the diversity of his creativity and the longevity of his career.
Eighty years ago, the most popular movie in the country was “Meet Me In St. Louis” starring a young Judy Garland. A musical, the film’s message of the importance of family and a love of one’s hometown resonated with wartime audiences. One of Garland’s numbers in the movie is “The Trolley Song,” which contains the refrain, “I spent a jolly hour on the trolley.” You should too. Who knows, it might remind you of all the things you love about your hometown.
Seating is limited. There is no cost. If you would like to reserve a spot you can email Clark Collins at [email protected] or visit historiclaguna.com and sign up.
Hunter Fuentes is a Laguna Beach resident and founder of Historic Laguna (historiclaguna.com). Jon Stordahl has lived in Laguna for over 20 years. He is a retired history teacher and was recently appointed to the Laguna Beach Heritage Committee. You can reach Hunter and Jon at [email protected] and [email protected].
