| The Encinitas Historical Walking Tour Audio Introduction (mp3)The Encinitas downtown area is a classic California surf town, rich in local history, it is a beautiful reminder of the quiet, natural beach towns that existed prior to World War II along pacific coast highway 101 in California. This walking tour will help you to discover the beauty and culture of Encinitas, one few remaining unspoiled surf towns remaining in southern California. Total Distance: 3.85 miles |
Start Location:Swami’s Park Seacliff Roadside Park, South of K Street Encinitas, CA 92024  GPS Coordinates:Latitude: 33.034844º N Longitude: 117.292112º W |
Ending Location:H&H Service Station 1205 S. Coast Hwy 101 Encinitas, CA 92024  GPS Coordinates:Latitude: 33.036806º N Longitude: 117.292193º W |
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Swami’s Beach Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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Originally known as Noonan’s Point, for James Noonan who bought the property in 1887 for $1,000, Swami’s is now a popular surfing beach and holds the reputation for providing some of the best waves on the San Diego coastline. It is also immortalized in the famous Beach Boys song, “Surfing USA.”In 1937 a hermitage was built for Paramahansa Yogananda, followed by the construction of a Golden Lotus Temple, and finally, the Self-Realization Fellowship, which currently stands on the site adjacent to the park. As the world-class waves along the point became popular for surfing, enthusiasts began to refer to the spot as “Swami’s” and the name stuck. |
Swami’s Beach to SRF Gardens
Total distance: 1330.12 ft
Head East- Across The Park To Coast Hwy 101
Walk North To Street
Turn Left on K Street
The Gardens Are On The Left After The SRF Driveway
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The SRF Meditation Gardens GPS Coordinates: |
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The Self Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens and Hermitage is one of the most beautiful sites along the San Diego County coastline. In 1937, forty-four years after the site was purchased by Noonan, the hermitage was built for Paramahansa Yogananda, followed by the construction of a Golden Lotus Temple at the bluff’s edge. By 1942, water draining from nearby hillsides softened underlying clay. This resulted in shifting earth, which plunged the temple down the cliff. Today, cautious measures are taken to stabilize the bluff and to control water seepage. |
SRF Gardens to SRF Temple
Total Distance: 1235.2 ft
Walk Back Down K St. To 2nd St.
Turn Left And Go North On The East Side of 2nd St.
Walk About 2.5 Blocks
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SRF Temple Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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Not to be confused with Swami’s, the serene mission-style Self Realization Fellowship Temple once rested on the hill overlooking Downtown at Third and E Street. It was built there in 1916 when enrollment of school children increased beyond what the 1883 schoolhouse could hold. The building served the community in various capacities through the years. As an elementary school until 1936, then as a temporary high school until San Dieguito was finished. Next it was a recreation center, and finally, it became a school again. Moved to its present location in 1953, it was later acquired by the Self Realization Fellowship. The Fellowship modified the structure with great care and restored it to its former beauty. |
SRF Temple to Petrie House
Total Distance: 476.84 ft
Continue North on 2nd St to H St.
Cross to the West Side of 2nd St.
The Petrie House is 3 Houses down on the left.
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Petrie House GPS Coordinates: |
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The beach sand cast, concrete block, Tudor-Cotswold Revival dwelling, known as The Petrie House, was embedded with colored pebbles reading “1931 – the year it was built. The house’s design is quite unique within the context of Encinitas’ local architecture. |
Petrie House To Boat Houses
Total Distance: 858.44 ft
Continue Walking North on 2nd St.
Cross G St. Turn Left.
Cross 3rd. St Turn Right.
The Boat Houses are half way down the block, on the left side. You literally can’t miss them.
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The Boat Houses GPS Coordinates: |
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The Boat Houses were built by Miles Kellogg, are now officially being preserved by the Encinitas Preservation Foundation and Encinitas Historical Society with stewardship from DEMA. In addition, they originated from recycled lumber and supplies from the 1888 Moonlight Beach Dance Hall and Bathhouse that was dismantled in 1925. They are now the most famous and photographed houses in Encinitas.In a culture of generic mass market housing offerings, the Boat Houses stand apart as the cross between creativity and imagination needed to build a dwelling with recycled lumber and supplies. They are an cultural icon of Encinitas. Equally important, the Encinitas Boat Houses are a National treasure that exemplifies early California courtyard architecture, “green” building with recycled materials, and vernacular architecture associated with Historic U.S. Hwy 101. |
Boat Houses to One-Room School
Total Distance: 569.59 ft
Continue North On 2nd. St.,
Cross F St. & Turn Left,
Walk One Block Up The Hill,
Turn Right On The Alley,
Walk About 90 Ft. It’s On Your Right.
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Encinitas One Room Schoolhouse Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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When town founder John Pitcher deeded land at Third and E Street for a school, E.G. Hammond and his son, Ted, completed a redwood structure for the town’s children in 1883. The Encinitas one-room schoolhouse bears traces of its age through the presence of handmade square nails. It is a frontier era carpenter’s Classical Revival building of shiplap siding.Originally the school faced eastward toward downtown. Moved from the site in 1927, it was converted to a home. When threatened with demolition in 1983, the Encinitas Historical Society rallied to save it. With help of the Encinitas School District and the community, the school was returned to its approximate original location and is undergoing restoration. |
One Room Schoolhouse To Community Church
Total Distance: 737.99 ft
Continue Walking Down The Alley,
(It’s a dirt road so proceed with caution)
Turn Left on 3rd. St.
Cross E. St.,
The Church Is On The Corner.
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Community Methodist Church Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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The Community Methodist Church is now the Chapel of Spiritual Awareness. Originally the church site cost $250 and the Cozens and Hammonds graded it as a community contribution. In the middle of the Depression the townspeople decided to build a new church. It was financed through the First National Bank of Oceanside, which failed and closed its doors. But then Mr. J.W. Leslie reached deep into his pockets and produced $60 – his contribution that enabled the construction project to survive.By 1940, members had finally paid off the loan. However, within a decade the congregation outgrew the building and relocated to 170 Calle Magdalena.The original downtown site is also the location of the first church in Encinitas built by townspeople in 1887. The church was moved by wagon to San Marcos in the early 1900s and exists there today as the Grace Episcopal Church of the Valley on Rose Ranch Road./p> |
Community Methodist Church to Moonlight Beach
Total Distance: 1482.7 ft
Continue Walking North on 3rd. St.,
Until You Cross C St.,
Turn Right on C St. & Walk Down To The Beach.
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Moolight Beach Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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For a breathtaking sunset or to partake in the area’s surf and sand activities, Moonlight Beach is the place to be in Encinitas.Migratory Chinese workers on the railroad were the first inhabitants to enjoy the waters of Moonlight Beach. With the settlement of the town by permanent residents, the beach became a popular bathing, picnic, and horse and buggy racing area. By the ‘20s, it was a haven for midnight bootlegging.“Like a herd of locust, citizens descended upon the cans”. – Unidentified 1920s resident. In the dark of night, 1928, a boat slipped ashore with cans of illegal booze. Plans went awry when the truck dispatched to pick up the cargo got stuck in the sand. By morning, word of the stalled operation spread around town. As scores of residents gathered on the cliffs above the beach, the lone guard fled the scene. With his departure, townspeople helped themselves to the stranded alcohol. Today, Moonlight Beach is a popular family beach with residents and visitors alike. There is a tot lot for the little ones to explore, and public beach side fire rings that are used for bonfires and barbecues – somewhat rare and unique to the beaches of San Diego County. |
Moonlight Beach to Tom Cozen’s House
Total Distance: 1565.65 ft
Walk North On The Path Toward Showers,
Turn Right Toward The Playground,
Continue East Past the 4 Concrete Picnic Tables,
When You Reach 3rd St. Turn Right and Walk Up The (Steep) Hill,
When You Get To C St. At The Top
Turn Left and Walk 1.5 Blocks Until You Past The Fire Station On Your.
The Cozen’s House Is The Old Wooden Building To Your Left Just Before the Street Ends.
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Tom Cozen’s House Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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The Tom Cozens Home was one of the first homes in Encinitas to install an indoor bathtub. “I remember when the only bathtub we had in Encinitas was the Pacific Ocean.” – Bert Cozens, son of Tom and Annie Cozens.In 1890, pioneer E.G. Hammond helped his son-in-law and daughter, Tom and Annie Cozens, build a new home along the bluff near G Street. Ten years later, with droughts deepening, Mr. Cozens sought a way of insuring their household would always have a reliable water supply. His solution was to move the house to the bluff overlooking Cottonwood Creek, then dig a well in the canyon below. In time, he added a protective cover around it, which was the discarded metal bar enclosure of the town’s jail.With the completion of Lake Hodges Dam in 1922, running water became available to townspeople and the Cozens took full advantage by installing their indoor plumbing. |
Tom Cozen’s House To Cottonwood Creek
Total Distance: 1485.7 ft
Retrace Your Path, Until You Reach 3rd St.
Walk Down The Hill,
When You Get To The Bottom,
Turn Right and Walk Up B St. Until You Near The Top.
There Will Be A Dirt Path On Your Right Near The Top Of The Hill Before Highway 101.
Walk Down This Path To Cotton Wood Creek.
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Cottonwood Creek Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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As a primary source of water and wood fuel in Encinitas in 1881, Cottonwood Creek was the single most important factor in the California Southern Railroad choosing Encinitas as a water stop. This railroad access and the availability of water and wood from the creek in turn made possible the formal establishment of the town of Encinitas in 1883 and the first town in San Diego County between National City and Oceanside to grow up along the railroad line.Two Civil War veterans from the Midwest, Tom Rattan and John Pitcher, were the town’s founders. Rattan and surveyor D. N. Sanford laid out the streets in 1881. Every street had an alley. |
Cottonwood Creek to Coast Dispatch
Total Distance: 1120.14 ft
Retrace Your Steps To B St.
Continue Walking To Hwy 101.
Turn Right At Corner & Walk South on PCH 101 Until You Reach Filiberto’s Taco Shop,
The Coast Dispatch Is The Building Just To Your Right.
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Coast Dispatch Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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When local builder Miles Kellogg constructed the false-front Spanish style buildings in 1928, the Coast Dispatch newspaper office moved into the north-end space. As Mrs. Hicks sat working at the Linotype machine one evening, “Harmonica Bill” appeared and crawled under a counter. Soon after, Prohibition officers arrived. But when asked if she had seen Harmonica Bill, Mrs. Hicks responded, “Why, no, I really haven’t.” After the officers departed, Harmonica Bill came out of hiding. As he slipped out the door, he reached under his coat, pulled out a bottle, and handed it to Mrs. Hicks. “Much obliged for not turning me in. Here’s some liquor for you.” – Harmonica Bill, 1928. |
Coast Dispatch to Rupe Store
Total Distance: 289 ft
Continue South On 101 Until You Cross D. St.,
Walk Pass The 7-11 Parking Lot,
The Rupe Store Building Is Just After The Alley On Your Right.
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The Rupe Store Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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Now Steele Realty , when Mr. Rupe brought his family to Encinitas in 1913, he opened a small general merchandise store at the southeast corner of Second and D Streets. He provided a broad array of services including groceries, dry goods, medicine, hardware, clothing, a meat market, and a lunch counter – even a pool table. All the family pitched in to make the store a success.In the evenings Mr. Rupe dreamed about the future; a new, larger store, more stylish and completely his own. His dream came true when Miles Kellogg built him a white art deco shop in 1928. But his success was short-lived when the combination of the Depression and a new Safeway opened in the area, putting him out of business forever. |
Rupe Store to La Paloma
Total Distance: 355 ft
Turn Back Retrace Your Steps To The Corner
Cross HWY 101 Turn Left & Cross D St.
Walk Pass D St. Bar & Grill,
The La Paloma Is Right Next Door On Your Ri
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La Paloma Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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On February 11, 1928, La Paloma Theatre (471 S. Coast Hwy 101), built by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, opened with the film “The Cohen’s And Kelly’s in Paris.” The gala event was attended by Hollywood starlet and soon to be Academy Award winner Mary Pickford. It has been rumored that she rode her bicycle all the way to the theatre from Fairbanks Ranch for the event.La Paloma (The Dove) was one of the first theatres to show “Talkies.” Talking pictures premiered in 1927 with the Warner Bros. film, “The Jazz Singer,” starring Al Jolson. Making the transition from silent pictures to “talkies” didn’t happen overnight, so La Paloma was also equipped with a beautiful pipe organ, a standard piece of theatre equipment during the Silent era. Films in the early days of motion pictures were usually preceded by a vaudeville stage act, and La Paloma was no different. Over the years many performers have graced the stage of La Paloma including musical artists as diverse as Loreena McKennitt, Nickel Creek, Ralph Stanley, Jerry Garcia, Eddie Vedder, Jay Leno and Timothy Leary. Today, the La Paloma Theatre is a vibrant part of the Encinitas art scene and hosts many community and City functions throughout the year as well as daily programs such as concerts, stage productions and movies. |
La Paloma to Library
Total Distance: 1191 ft
Turn Around Walk Across D St.
Turn Left On D St. Walk Up The Hill,
About 1/2 A Block Past Vulcan The Path Will Curve Left To The Library. The Entrance Is On Your Right.
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Encinitas Public Library Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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While the library is obviously not a “historical” building as it opened April 2008, it no doubt will be. It offers a comfortable rest stop and an excellent view of the town and the Pacific Ocean. The architect is Manuel Oncina and was built at a cost of $20 million. |
Library to Derby House
Total Distance: 928 ft
Walk South Across The Parking Lot,
There Is A Walking Path To E St. On The South West Side Of The Lot,
Continue Down E St. To Vulcan,
Cross E St. Going South On Vulcan.
Walk One Block.
The Derby House Is On The Corner To Your Left. (Note: It is a bit hard to see behind all the tre
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The Derby House Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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Amos Gates Derby came from Colorado in the 1880s to work as a section foreman on the California Southern Railroad. He thought it would be a good idea to build a house for his wife and daughters near the train station, a dwelling large enough to also accommodate train passengers overnight. In 1887, builder E.G. Hammond completed a redwood structure of 5,600 square feet, known as The Derby House. It had seven or more bedrooms, a central dining room with a red brick fireplace and, descending from the upper floors, a stairway with spindled railing. |
Derby House to Dry Goods Store
Total Distance: 589 ft
Walk Back to E St.
Turn Left Cross Vulcan,
Walk Back To 101,
Turn Right,
Cross E St.
The Dry Goods Store Is On Your Right Half Way Down The Block
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The Dry Goods Company Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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Sam and Lily Cory came to Encinitas in 1924 and started a business, the Encinitas Dry Goods Company that lasted for 67 years, in one location or another… but it wasn’t easy.
Their first stone at 587 S. Coast Street was a corner location. When robbers broke in one night and took everything even the fixtures, they moved to the middle of the block. Still the burglars came, requiring an all night vigil. Finally, merchants got together and hired a night watchman and the Cory men could sleep at home once again. |
Dry Goods to Hotel
Total Distance: 172 ft
Continue Walking North On 101,
The Hotel Is On The Corner.
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The Encinitas Hotel Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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During World War II, servicemen were billeted here at the Encinitas Hotel. On either side of the entryway were ground level commercial shops and upstairs, twenty-one hotel rooms were equipped with what was considered to be all the modern conveniences – each one had a sink and running water. Today, the second floor is office space.“On opening day the booster club unfurled a banner proclaiming, ‘The town with a welcome for you.’ ” When W.B. Forbes completed his new hotel in the summer of 1925, bathing beauties in mid-thigh bathing suits and knee-high hose arrived on opening day to pose for pictures marking the event. |
Encinitas Hotel to Daly Double
Total Distance: 300 ft
Continue Walking North To The Corner of E St. & 101, Cross 101 And Walk North,
The Daly Double Is Half Way Down The Block On Your Right.
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The Daly Double Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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The Village Rendezvous was a place where you could dance every night. That was in the ‘30s when Maurice Daley owned the property and opened his Rendezvous. Originally it was a one story, brick-faced building, but he soon added an upstairs apartment with an illegal poker parlor. Down below he set up a boxing ring on the north side of the building and some nights crawled through the ropes to challenge an opponent. The next feature added was a “hideaway” with dance floor, jukebox and dining facilities.In 1942, Daley sold out and quietly left town. In 1956, the Daley family purchased the business. It is now the popular Daley Double, a neighborhood-gathering place where all are welcome at the beautiful walnut burl bar. |
Daly Double to Sidney Chaplin Building
Total Distance: 510 ft
Continue Walking South On 101 About 1.5 Blocks.
The Sidney Chaplin Building Is On Your Right Half Way Between E And F St.
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The Sidney Chaplin Building Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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The Sidney Chaplin Building is noteworthy because its owner in the ‘20s was a brother of movie star, Charlie Chaplin. Sidney owned other property as well including several lots near today’s Self Realization Fellowship and property on the hillside overlooking Downtown.Charlie Chaplin also purchased property in the Downtown area. Soon after a two-story Neoclassical home was completed on Neptune Avenue in 1925, Charlie Chaplin bought it for his mother. |
Sidney Chaplin Building to Hansen’s Surfboards
Total Distance: 2316 ft
Walk To The Corner Of F St.
Cross 101 To The East Side Of 101,
Turn To Your Right And Walk South On 101,
For 5 Blocks. Hansen’s Is On Your Left.
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Hansen’s Surfboards Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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San Diego’s oldest surf shop, started in a little shack on Kawela Bay, North Shore, Oahu, in 1961. In the spring of 1962, surfer and surfboard shaper, Don Hansen moved to Cardiff-by-the-Sea and opened the original Hansen Surfboard shop near Cardiff reef. Hansen Surfboards became one of the most recognized names in surfing, with boards sent to every corner of the globe! |
Hansen’s to H & H Service Station
Total Distance: 407 ft
Continue Walking South On 101 About Half A Block
H & H Is On Your Left
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H & H Service Station Address: GPS Coordinates: |
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Constructed in 1933, The H & H Service Station was the most unique and fanciful service station along the highway, with its hip roof and Italian-like arches. Such imaginative architecture was sure to catch the eye of a passing motorist and there were plenty of those. Travel and tourism were a major component of Downtown’s economy during the period between 1920 and 1940. Almost every intersection in town had at least one gas station.
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Congratulations! You have finished the Encinitas Historical Walking Tour.
