Things That Aren’t Here Anymore
By Hunter Fuentes and Jon Stordahl
In 1995, PBS Los Angeles aired a three-part documentary called “Things That Aren’t Here Anymore,” hosted by Ralph Story. He had been a familiar presence on LA radio and TV for decades. Using film footage and interviews, he took a nostalgic tour of such lost treasures of local culture as the Pacific Red Cars, Marineland and the Brown Derby Restaurant. The series was so successful it spawned a sequel three years later. In that spirit, we thought we would share a few lost Laguna spots with you. We invite you to visit historiclaguna.com for additional images of the buildings in this column.
In an excellent Dec. 15, 2023 column in the Indy, Annlia Hill mentioned the Streamline Moderne gem that was Earle M. Hatheway’s Ford dealership at the northeast corner of Coast Highway and Brooks. The architect was Manfred DeAhna. He began his career working for the prestigious Pasadena firm of Myron Hunt but had settled in Laguna by the mid-1930’s. His local works include the Hobie Building, Seacliff Laguna Inn and Victor Hugo’s. Hatheway Ford was one of his most important commissions. The sweeping curves characteristic of the Moderne style gave a fluid freshness and graceful elegance to the whole structure. The semi-circular showroom featured a half dozen large plate glass windows with views of the highway and the Pacific beyond. The building was crowned with a dramatic two-story obelisk. If only the structure was still standing; it could easily have been repurposed into an amazing restaurant or retail space.
Diagonally across the street from Hatheway Ford was a dining establishment that made an architectural statement of its own. The Ship Mates Drive-In was on the southwest corner of Coast Highway and Brooks where Jack-in-the Box now stands. It was built by Smith Construction Company for W.W. White and Earl J. Jones, two experienced LA restaurateurs. Remarkably, it was constructed in just thirty days in the summer of 1940! The owners wanted a nautical-themed, casual diner and that’s exactly what they got. According to an August 2, 1940 South Coast News article, architect J. Edward Esmay designed an 1,850 square foot wood and stucco building with a generous dining room that could seat 35 guests in blue leather upholstered booths and a semi-circular counter had seating for another sixteen. The structure was enclosed by large picture windows that captured the stunning coastal view. The real eye-catcher was a 20-foot tall ship’s mast that rose from the roof, accentuating that nautical motif. The unique eccentricity of a building like this is exactly why our town long banned chain restaurants with their generic corporate architecture.
Finally, in 1950 Charles A. Haskins, President of the Bank of Laguna Beach, commissioned architect Don Williamson to design a beautiful modern facility on the corner of Forest Avenue and Second Street. The building still exists but is completely buried under a 1980’s façade and is indistinguishable from an expansive addition added at the back of the property. That’s a shame because what Don designed was pretty wonderful. Williamson was born and raised in Mexico City. His father was the director of the YMCA in the Mexican capital.
Don did not live in the United States until his college years. He graduated from USC in 1936 with a degree in architecture and by 1949 he was living in Laguna Beach. He would leave his mark on the town both professionally and culturally. He designed several homes in the city. He also designed most of the buildings on the Festival of Arts grounds including an expansion of the Irvine Bowl in 1953, the paraboloid roof covering the Festival grounds restaurant in 1957, and the Forum Theater in 1969. He directed the Pageant of the Masters from 1964-1978. For the Bank of Laguna Beach building he incorporated several unique features.
According to a South Coast News story from September 1950, he designed brick louvres to mitigate, “… glaring south and west sunlight….” He installed radiant heating in the bank floor and the walls of the mezzanine level and an air exhaust system “… to keep the air constantly fresh….” The bank also featured the first drive-in window in Orange County. One of the only remaining features of the original structure are the remnants of the old bank vault still visible in the current occupant’s retail space – “The Vault.” Hunter was given a tour of the store by one of the owners, Gila Leibovich, who showed him the heavy metal safe door. They just celebrated their twentieth anniversary last July. Guess we know where the name came from. Clever!
Every day seems to bring news of another historic structure in danger. Both the Aubrey St. Clair Bridge Hall and the Bill Blurock sanctuary building at the Neighborhood Congregational Church are in peril. Just this week we learned that the 114-year old Egan Homestead, the oldest home in South Laguna is facing demolition. Once gone they are lost forever. As G.K. Chesterton once noted, “The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.”
Hunter is a Laguna Beach resident and founder of Historic Laguna (historiclaguna.com). Jon has lived in Laguna for over 20 years. He is a retired history teacher and member of the Laguna Beach Heritage Committee. You can reach Hunter and Jon at jon@historiclaguna.com and hunter@historiclaguna.com.
