The 96-year-old cottage that I’d moved into in 2018 was a California bungalow in its most modest form. The architectural features were understated: low-pitched and single-pitched roofs, clapboard siding, French doors, a small porch and multi-paned casement windows. The open floor plan of angular shaped rooms created a sense of more space than its 700 square feet. The air conditioner was a boxed-in fan located in the ceiling that when turned on, would draw warm air from inside and blow it outside.
I’d come from a townhouse built in 1986 with over 1,400 square feet, a modern heating/cooling system, a large wrap around deck, custom cabinets, and granite counter tops. I missed its spacious size and modern luxuries, but the simple charm of my latest home captivated me. With old houses come questions: Who built it? Was it someone’s vacation home or a permanent residence? Did they work in town? How many people have lived here over the past 96 years? How many celebrations and heartaches did these walls witness? How many souls have left their mark?
I was enchanted with the notion that this little cottage is a connection to history. Its characteristics may not qualify for historic designation, but it’s a link to the past. The cottage was built when Laguna Beach became established as an artist colony because of its stunning seascapes and lush canyons, and during an era when folks sat on porches and entertained themselves by singing songs and telling stories. The cottage echoes a time when connections with nature and humanity were mainstream. The imprints of lifetimes spent here sparked my curiosity. I may never learn about the heartaches and celebrations that occurred within the cottage, but I could find out who’s lived here, and possibly who built it. I worked (still do) for a title insurance company and knew a guy who conducted title searches that go way back. I put in a request to my colleague, Chris, to search the title records as far back as possible, telling him the bungalow was built in 1922.
A couple days after talking with Chris, he emailed me a stack of old recorded deeds dated from 1914 to 1949. He also provided a copy of the recorded tract map entitled, Map of Laguna Cliffs Number 2, recorded December 1, 1911, which subdivided the neighborhood property into lots. The cottage was built on Lot 5 in Block 30 of what is now known as the “Tree Streets” neighborhood. That evening, I cozied up on the sofa and read all the old deeds, connecting the dots leading to the couple that built the cottage, and was fascinated at what I uncovered.
Stay tuned for Part II!
