La Jolla Historical Society

We are so sorry to hear the news that La Jolla’s Red Roost and Red Rest cottages, considered The Village’s oldest structures, were seriously damaged by fire early Oct. 26. The fire department has called the cause of the blaze undetermined". Our Heath Fox went to the site to examine the damage, He said You can see all the way through to the back; the roof has collapsed, the steps in the front are burned. The damage looks, from the street, to be very severe. Speaking for the... owners, La Jolla architect Paul Benton said their intent was to preserve the property as much as possible until the cottages could be rehabilitated or restored. Benton said the owners are committed to restoring them to historical accuracy. We are all hopeful that they reconstruct Red Rest and rehabilitate Red Roost to their former glory. https://www.lajollalight.com//fire-destroys-la-jollas-hist See more

Many of you know that Ellen Browning Scripps, the journalist and philanthropist who was the founding donor of several major institutions in La Jolla, was born today, October 18, 1836. But did you also know that La Jolla Park was renamed Ellen Browning Scripps Park on this day in 1927? Situated atop a stony bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this 5.6-acre park was originally part of the purchase of 400 acres of former pueblo lands by speculator Frank Botsford in 1886. One y...ear later, Botsford and business partner George Heald surveyed and subdivided the land to create a coastal village called La Jolla Park. Inspired by the nineteenth-century City Beautiful Movement, the two men set aside a segment of land adjacent to the La Jolla Cove for use as a public park. The development of the park was, in part, guided by New York City landscape architect Samuel Parsons, who encouraged the planting of salt resistant flora, including the cypress tree groves, which have since become an integral feature of the landscape. Known alternatively as La Jolla Park and La Jolla Shoreline Park, the landscape was renamed Ellen Browning Scripps Park in 1927 in honor of the local journalist and philanthropist. See more

We're so happy to announce we are re-opening Thursday Oct 15th! Visitor occupancy will be limited to 30 at a time in Wisteria Cottage Gallery and one person at a time (or a maximum of two from the same household) in the Office & Research Center. If you missed our exhibit Tijuana 1964: The Photography of Harry Crosby, or want to see it again, it will be on display through Jan 10th. You can read more about the exhibit and other upcoming activities in this article. https://www.lajollalight.com//la-jolla-historical-society-

Another great "This month in La Jolla History" from La Jolla Light Newspaper! Board member Molly McClain provides insights into Ellen Browning Scripps, who was born 184 years ago, from her book Ellen Browning Scripps: New Money & American Philanthropy. Also, on Oct. 11, 1899: the first telephone in La Jolla was installed, in the home of Dr. Foster Post. These wonderful factoids and more for the month of October! https://www.lajollalight.com//this-month-in-la-jolla-histo

The San Diego Public Library, San Diego Writers, Ink, Write Out Loud and La Jolla Historical Society invite San Diego County authors to submit stories for the San Diego Decameron Project. The project seeks 100 stories based loosely around the theme of the current pandemic. In 2021, selected authors will have their stories posted on one of the collaborating organizations websites. The 10 most compelling stories will be read by Write Out Loud actors and presented virtually and/or in person. To learn more or to submit a story visit https://lajollahistory.org/edu/san-diego-decameron-project/

They called it Braemar, named after the remote 17th century Scottish castle and hunting retreat in the isolated lands of the Aberdeens. They were Frederick Tudor Scripps, one of the last in the line of James Mogg Scripps many children who built the great newspaper empire of the 19th century, and Sarah Emma Jessop, oldest daughter of Joseph Jessop, the foremost jewelry family in San Diego for more than a hundred years. Fred and Emma (preferred over her given first name) marrie...d in 1893 despite disproval of the Scripps family. In 1901 Fred, a frequent investor in real estate, purchased six acres of bayside land in Pacific Beach and built Braemar in 1906 as the new home for his wife and children in an area of Pacific Beach that was made up of mostly fruit orchards. Braemar, the estate, grew into a large Tudor mansion with a surround of many buildings. Notable amidst the architecture were a Music Room (also called Fun Land), a replica of the Mayflower used as a playhouse, and a 24-by-35-ft. dining area with arched beams that could seat 75 persons. In the mid 1920's the dining room, (which was moved and became the Rose Creek Cottage 1900), was added on so that Mrs. Scripps could entertain in an even grander fashion. A bridge led to a garden folly in the Chinoiserie style built out onto the bay. Frederick Sr. died in 1935. After Emma’s death in 1954, Braemar was demolished and became Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa and grounds.

Great article featuring a story by our board member Professor Molly McClain about the "new" Scripps Memorial Hospital - new that is, in 1924! The idea for the hospital came to Ellen Browning Scripps while recovering from a broken hip in a poorly equipped sanitarium in La Jolla, according to historical information. This and more La Jolla history can be found in "This Month in History": https://www.lajollalight.com//this-month-in-la-jolla-histo

Please welcome our new interns for academic year 2020-21! Calvin King and Aaron Morales are UC San Diego history majors and their internships are funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). They are working on a database project preparing the La Jolla Historical Society archive so it can be accessible on the Online Archive of California. We are so happy to have them working on this very important project! #ucsdah #ucsdhistory #sandiegomuseumcouncil #sandiegoartsandculture

RSVP to attend the Council District 1 Candidate Forum on Arts & Culture tonight Thursday, Sept 10 at 5:30pm. Council District 1 includes La Jolla, University City, Torrey Hills, Torrey Pines, Carmel Valley, Pacific Highlands Ranch & Del Mar Mesa. If you live or work in this district, learn what the candidates have to say about Arts & Culture. Your attendance demonstrates just how important Arts & Culture are to you. Join this Zoom Webinar from 5:30pm - 6:50pm and learn more ...about Will Moore and Joe LaCava. Click here to register http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp Sponsored by the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition and Arts+Culture:San Diego

As hot as this weekend is supposed to be, it was even hotter on September 26th 1963, when 111 degree temperatures (yes, 111 degrees in La Jolla!) drove members of the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club to move beach chairs into the ocean to cool off. Not a bad idea! Stay cool everyone!

It's an understatement to say back to school in 2020 is a lot different than it has been in previous years. Today we take a look back at our local schools in days gone by. So whether you attended La Jolla High, The Bishop's School, Balmer School/La Jolla Country Day or any of the La Jolla elementary schools (some of which, such at Decatur and Scripps, are no longer operating as public schools) we hope these photos bring back good memories.

Katherine Olivia (Kate) Sessions was born on Nob Hill in San Francisco November 8, 1857. She entered the University of California at Berkeley in 1877, where she studied science and graduated in 1881. Her horticultural career began after teaching briefly at San Diego High School in 1884. As owner of a flower shop and nurseries in San Diego, she became a central figure in national horticultural circles with her landscaping, plant introductions, and classes. Together with Alfred... D. Robinson she co-founded the San Diego Floral Association in 1907, the oldest garden club in Southern California. The garden club was influential in teaching San Diegans how to grow ornamental and edible plants, at a time when most San Diego landscaping consisted of dirt and sagebrush. It is in Balboa Park that the legacy of Kate Sessions is most obvious. She leased land in what was then called "City Park" in 1892 for a nursery and planted one hundred trees a year. She is called the "Mother of Balboa Park" and a bronze statue of her was erected there in 1998. Kate Sessions Elementary school in Pacific Beach bears her name, as does Kate O. Sessions Memorial Park on Mount Soledad. Kate Sessions died in San Diego March 24, 1940. To learn more about Kate Sessions, check out "The Complete Writings of Kate Sessions in California Garden New Edition" available at http://www.sdfloral.org Kate Sessions published hundreds of articles in San Diego Floral Association’s magazine and all are captured in this new book. Her enthusiasm and knowledge add depth to the incisive, readable and informative articles in this book, many of which are as useful today as when written. The book is illustrated with vintage nursery advertisements and rare historic photographs. See more