Laguna Beach City Council
May 13, 2026

September 25, 2025, DRB Meeting, Item 5.9
Thomas Gibbs:

The next item we have... Okay, the next item we have is agenda item 5.9 for 31526 Valido Road. Design Review 24-0658, Coastal Development Permit 24-0657. Ex parte, please.

Jessica Gannon:

Chair, I had a site visit and spoke with Ann Christoph. Oh, and correspondence with Steve Kawaratani.

MJ Coveny:

I had a site visit and met with the neighbor, Mr. Chamberlain.

Imer Bauta:

I had a site visit and met with both neighbors to the east and spoke with Ann Christoph.

Thomas Gibbs:

Louis. Did we lose him?
Patrick Donegan:

He may have been due to the time delay or the recess.

Thomas Gibbs:

The break?
Patrick Donegan:

He may have lost track of time.

Thomas Gibbs:

All right, let me do my ex parte and then we'll wait for Louis. My ex parte was, I met with the architect, Adele Chang, and then I met with Jeff Chamberlain uphill and then the other neighbor joining him. I met with and I spoke to Ann Christoph. Louis.

Louis Weil:

I'm here.

Thomas Gibbs:

Good. Ex parte on item 5.9.

Louis Weil:

Hang on one second. I got to get to my notes. Went to the site, spoke with Ann Christoph and the neighbors that were up on Toto Loma.

Thomas Gibbs:

Attachment 8
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All righty.

Louis Weil:

Spoke with Steve Kawaratani as well.

Thomas Gibbs:

Okay, very good. Heather, you're up.

Heather Steven:

Thank you. Good evening, Chair Gibbs and DRB members. I'm Heather Steven, Senior Planner. So item

5.9, the applicant is requesting design review and a coastal development permit approval to demolish an existing single-family residence and detached garage and construct a new two-story 3,811 square foot single-family residence with elevated decks and a two-car garage, one uncovered parking space, site grading to accommodate the home's footprint and driveway and new landscaping. Next slide. Next slide.

Paola Miller:

Sorry, I'm having technical difficulties.

Heather Steven:

There you go. Thank you. I appreciate it. The 14,071 square foot project site is a residential property developed with a single-family dwelling and a detached garage which is accessed from Valido Road. The site slopes downward at the rear of the property with a small area mapped with a water course setback.

Next slide. The project was first heard on July 11th, 2024. With the applicant's consent, the design review board continued the project to September 26th, 2024 to allow the applicant to incorporate the board's design direction. Prior to the September 26th meeting, the Community Development Department received a letter stating the existing dwelling and the subject property were potentially historically significant. A copy of the letter is included as Attachment 12. On December 26th, staff requested continuance to the November 14th DRB meeting to allow for further evaluation of the property. An additional continuance was requested to December 12th and the project was tabled at that meeting. So this will be the second substantive hearing for this project. Next slide.

I'll begin my presentation with a review of the proposed project and the applicant's request. An overview of the evaluation of the potential historicity of the property will follow. A detailed discussion of the historic resource evaluations conducted is provided in the staff report beginning on page five. As stated, when the project was reviewed on July 11th, 2024, the Board provided direction for revisions to the project design. In response to the Board's comments, the following revisions, thank you. The following revisions have been made. Previous slide please. Thank you. The structure was rotated approximately 15 degrees and it's shown here, highlighted in blue. The previous proposal is shown on the site plan with a red dashed line. A third covered tandem parking space was removed from the plan.

A proposed uncovered parking space is shown outlined in a solid blue line toward the top of the site plan. Next slide.

The upper level area over the garage was pulled back and additional materials, textures and colors were added at each elevation. Next slide. Frosted privacy glass was added to bathroom number four. The proposed deck between bathroom two and three was removed. The balcony from bedroom three was removed. A five-foot frosted glass privacy panel was added at the deck on the left or south elevation.

And the proposed landscaping height and width is specified on the landscape plan. Additional revisions 243
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have been made to the landscape plan at the neighbor's request, which includes adding two redbud trees at the southwest corner of the site to be maintained at a height of 15 feet. The existing hedge will be maintained at a height of eight feet. The conditions of approval have been revised to specify these height limitations. Based on these revisions, the Board should determine whether the privacy and view equity criteria have been met with the current design. Next slide.

So this property is located on the remaining portion of an original 40 acre land grant. The land was granted to William F. Egan through the Homestead Act in 1910. The existing residence was constructed beginning in 1909 and built out in 1928. The historic consultant's assessment has stated that the period of significance is circa 1909 to 1928, which has been established, which indicates the date when the original cabin was constructed to the date when the last significant addition was added in 1928 by the Egan family. This was also the period when William Egan claimed the homestead and was actively farming the land.

A portion of the original 40 acre property was sold to the South Coast Water District in 1937 and 1944 as a water reservoir. On June 21st, 1948, track number 1243 was recorded, which subdivided the southeast portion of the original homestead lot north of West Street into 25 lots on Paseo Del Sur, Rico Road and Valido Road. The remaining developed parcels that surround the subject property were sold off at various times. The undeveloped area in the northwest part of the original homestead is now owned by the county of Orange. Next slide.

As previously stated on September 19th, the Community Development Department received a letter stating the existing dwelling on the subject property was constructed in 1910, that the house is the oldest in South Laguna and possibly the last remaining homestead house in the City of Laguna Beach.

Again, a copy of that letter of a letter from the South Laguna Civic Association from 2022 regarding the potential historic significance of the property was also provided with that letter. Next slide. To assess the historic significance of the property, several reports have been prepared to determine whether it is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and/or the California Register of Historic Resources or whether it is a historic resource under the California Environmental Quality Act. Next slide.

A resource eligible for the California Register must meet one of the criteria of significance and retain enough of its historic character or appearance or integrity to be recognizable as a historic resource and to convey the reason for its significance. Next slide. The criteria for the California Register are one, that it is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United States. Or number two, that it's associated with the lives of persons important to local California or national history. Three, it embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction or represents the work of a master or possesses high artistic values. Or four, it has yielded or has the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California or the nation. Next slide.

Historic resource assessments were prepared for the property by two qualified historic consultants.

Historic Resources Group retained by the Community Development Department and Chronicle Heritage retained by the applicant to evaluate the subject property for potential historic significance and eligibility again for the National Register or the California Register, the historic consultants reached differing determinations as to whether the property is eligible for listing.

HRG determined the property to be significant under the California criteria number one, whereas Chronicle Heritage concluded the property did not appear eligible for listing on the National or California Register. Thus, the City requested an independent professional evaluation of the historic resource assessment reports by a third qualified historic consultant. GPA Consultants conducted a thorough and objective analysis of the reports. GPA did not find sufficient evidence to support that the property meets the eligibility criteria for listing in either the California Register or the National Register. As such, the 244
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property does not meet the definition of a historic resource under CEQA, nor does it appear to qualify as a historic resource under the City of Laguna Beach's current historic preservation ordinance, which requires that properties be either formally listed, eligible for listing or voluntarily nominated by the property owner. Next slide.

Staff supports project approval noting the facts affirming the required findings can be made. However, given prior direction the Design Review Board should deliberate on privacy and view equity and historic preservation matters to determine if these have been achieved or if other project changes or conditions of approval are warranted. Further, the Board should determine whether the property meets the definition of a historic resource per CEQA. Next slide. If so, staff recommends the Board adopt a resolution 24-0658, approving Design Review 24-0658 and Coastal Development Permit 24-0657 and finding said action categorically exempt pursuant to CEQA guidelines Section 15303. This concludes staff's presentation and we are available for questions.

Thomas Gibbs:

Thank you very much. Excellent presentation. Any questions of staff? Louis? Louis Weil:

I'm good with questions.

Thomas Gibbs:

Okay. With that I open the public hearing. You have five minutes.

Adele Chang:

Good evening commissioners. [inaudible 00:11:47].

Thomas Gibbs:

We're Board members.

Adele Chang:

Okay, got it.

Thomas Gibbs:

We're Board members.

Adele Chang:

Yeah, Board members.

Thomas Gibbs:

That other group is called Commissioners.

Adele Chang:

Okay. Good evening Board members.

Thomas Gibbs:
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We don't talk about them here. Just so...

Adele Chang:

My name is Adele Chang. I'm with LCRA, the architects for the project. This is our second hearing on this project. At the last hearing, we listened hard to what the Commissioners had to say, as well as neighborhood input. And we have made changes. Heather has gone over them, but I wanted to... Next slide please... Also, quickly review them with you. We are a parcel that is surrounded on three sides by two-story homes. And our proposal is in full compliance with all the zoning ordinances, and with this submittal we have reduced the project size by 200 square feet. Next slide. Next. And the existing house is a very run-down cottage. There have been neighbors who have expressed a concern for it being a fire hazard, and those who have visited the site have seen kind of the condition that it is in. Do I get a few seconds for technical difficulties?
Thomas Gibbs:

Yeah, hold the time until the next slide comes up. You've been having [inaudible 00:13:35]. All right, it's back on. Resume.

Adele Chang:

Okay, next.

Thomas Gibbs:

Resume time.

Adele Chang:

So some of the things that were done, we have greatly reduced the second floor massing so that we preserve views from the house uphill on Toto Loma and they currently overlook our garage area the same way they look over the neighboring two-story homes. And we have also, well, we noted some ridge heights. I won't get into it. Next slide. So again, you can see what we've done, variations in height.

We have further lowered the building pad and the second floor has seen a very large reduction in square footage. Next. And we have taken off all the second floor-covered decks, thus greatly reducing the mass and the rear deck used to be 12 feet wider than it is currently proposed. Next. And side windows, any windows that had views into the downhill neighbors are now frosted glass. Next. Again. We met with the neighbors, the Chamberlains uphill from us, and the only comment they made at that time was to move the AC units to the other side. So, we have done that. Next.

And then just last week we met with the Bosniaks and another neighbor downhill from us, and we have agreed, as Heather has said, to plant two trees at the corner to be maintained at 15 feet or higher, and then to maintain the hedge that has been planted at eight feet. Next. But on the same day that I was there to meet with Board members, I learned that the neighbors uphill, the Chamberlains had an issue with privacy. I haven't heard this before and I wish they had brought it up earlier. Because the story poles have been up for a full year and they've been aware of what was proposed for a whole year because of this one-year delay. And nevertheless, I saw their concern and we had originally proposed a tree to be kind of at that upper left corner and we would like to add another tree.

When I spoke with Mr. Chamberlain, I suggested the adding of trees, and I didn't look at the landscape plan at that time, but there was already a tree there, and we would like to just add another one. And we'd be open to species that are non-deciduous and so forth as long as they meet the City's planting 246
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palette. Yes, we've had more conversation with the downhill neighbors. They've been more reaching out more and we've been available by email, phone, and so forth, and we've responded to their concerns to the point where they now support the project. And I just wish I'd known about the other concern earlier.

I have...

Thomas Gibbs:

Your time's up, so we'll come back to you. You'll have three minutes in the rebuttal.

Adele Chang:

Okay. I forgot to introduce somebody next to me, but I guess, he can be introduced later.

Thomas Gibbs:

We got a lot of people, so I can't wait to learn about him. We'll do that when we come back here.

Adele Chang:

Okay. Sorry about that.

Thomas Gibbs:

All right. I open it to the public. Please form a line or get in the seat where you can come up. State your name. First of all, how many people are going to be speaking? One, two. I'm going to give three minutes here, just because we haven't had a lot of long matters, but I'm going to stick you to it, so if you can get done early, great. But I don't want to cut you off, but I will once the red light shows. So with that, Ruben, you're up.

Ruben Flores:

Thank you. Ruben Flores, long-term resident here. We're losing our historic feeling in Laguna Beach.

Sure, the new coffee place across from Main Beach looks nice and it's crisp and it's fresh, but gone is the old wooded facade that lent the idea of a village. We look at the little shack house and people call it a dilapidated wood structure that was across from the Susi Q and something like this may go up again. So when you go to Europe, when you go to other states, other cities, it's nice to walk along the street and then all of a sudden you see something that doesn't necessarily fit in and then that historic sign is up there and it says, we saved this because we recognize that this was important to the history of our town.

Whether or not the nation says that, whether or not the state says that, we say that. I mean, just Google the guy's name and he's number one Laguna Beach and we're going to erase that because we're going to put something that belongs in Irvine there?
Not to say that isn't a beautiful piece of architecture, but does it belong there to replace what is history of Laguna Beach? I don't think so. And you are probably, or you and the other Commission are probably the last people that get to save some of these pieces. And so the burden really is on you and sleeping at night knowing that we're going to lose some of these things that are so important to our history. And we can't. I mean, we're coming up on our 100 year anniversary and we're going to be able to say, "Yeah, we had some cool places. They're not here anymore, but they were cool." So really it's important. It's important that we not let these things disappear because one by one they will be replaced and those things that they're being replaced with aren't repugnant, but they aren't the history of Laguna Beach. And the history of Laguna Beach can only be stated once. And it's stated in the 1910s or the 1950s or the 1920s. You can't rebuild that. So save it. Thank you. 247
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Jessica Gannon:

Can I ask you some questions?
Ruben Flores:

Absolutely.

Jessica Gannon:

Well, so, because I don't want to have them come back to the podium.

Thomas Gibbs:

But if we start asking questions, we're going to be here all night.

Jessica Gannon:

I'll just have...

Ruben Flores:

I didn't use by three minutes, soJessica Gannon:

Okay. So I've been on a few tours with you or with other people. It's mostly been around the village where we go around and identify unique architecture and the history. But I haven't been on all of them.

So my question to you is, has this house ever been on any of those tours? Ruben Flores:

Yes.

Jessica Gannon:

It has?
Ruben Flores:

Yeah, it has.

Jessica Gannon:

The history tour?
Ruben Flores:

Yeah.

Jessica Gannon:

Okay.

Ruben Flores:

Well, it's so unique, how could you not go visit it?
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Jessica Gannon:

Right. But has it been on one of those tours that you have? Ruben Flores:

It has been on one of my tours, absolutely.

Jessica Gannon:

Okay.

Ruben Flores:

Yeah. We start at the community garden and then we walk. Absolutely.

Jessica Gannon:

Okay.

Ruben Flores:

Thank you for asking.

Thomas Gibbs:

Next speaker, please.

Diane Leeman:

I am Diane. I am Diane Leeman at 31521 Toto Loma Lane. And up my house, I can see that whole beautiful house. I'm ready to cry because I don't want to lose the history of the city that I live in. And every morning when I wake up I say, "What a lovely home that's still there." The original garage from the farm is still there on that property. If you look up any of the pictures we have sent, it would be dreadful for you to have a new house being built on something that is so beautiful. Even the property also, I have concerns about my view. I am losing all my view from my backyard where I have lived since 1989. I am losing 75% of my view from my bedroom. And these are the two places where we spend most of our time.

I love it in the yard, because I could hear the ocean and I can see it. I'm also concerned about my privacy that I mentioned the last time that I met with you. Because I am losing my privacy too, and I am concerned about the geological things. They are going to be digging deeply into that Valido because one of our neighbors sold the egress to him. And that could impact the foundation of my house. And I would like to see studies done. Please don't get rid of a beautiful property that has so much history with a beautiful family, the Egans, and I hope that you read Lee's report that was over 200 pages. She came here personally on Monday to deliver it to each one of you. And I would like to also thank Ann Christoph and George Weiss for their support and the South Laguna Civic Association and Village Laguna. They are standing strong with us to keep the history of Laguna Beach. Thank you.

Thomas Gibbs:

Thank you very much. Next speaker, please.

Jeff Chamberlain:
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I have paperwork, [inaudible 00:24:01]?
Thomas Gibbs:

Give it to Paola and she'll distribute it.

Jeff Chamberlain:

Should I wait or should I go? Sorry?
Thomas Gibbs:

I'm sorry.

Jeff Chamberlain:

Should I wait or should I go?
Paola Miller:

As soon as I [inaudible 00:24:13].

Jeff Chamberlain:

Okay.

Thomas Gibbs:

Yeah, as soon she hits the button. Go ahead, go ahead. You're on.

Jeff Chamberlain:

Okay. My name's Jeff Chamberlain. I met some of you very recently and also last year when this is going on. Thanks for coming by our place. As Adele mentioned, I also met with her yesterday. I regret not reaching out sooner. I assumed the process was once stakes were up, you came here and talked about it. So that's my ignorance there. But we did have a nice conversation. I hope that we continue to have conversations like that going forward. As you all know, this is a second iteration. The first one, we had very little privacy concerns. The neighbors did, and so the house was rotated as a result. We understand why they asked for that, but as a result of the house being rotated and redesigned to improve our neighbor's privacy, the house now partially faces our home and several windows and a new balcony are facing our home as well.

The new balcony, which it's visible in the center of the photos that I gave you, has a direct line of sight into our daughter's bedroom and it's closer to us than the original balcony that led to the redesign. So we can also now see into the bedroom window of multiple vantage points of their house, including from our daughter's bedroom or from our living room. So while we appreciate the efforts to protect our neighbor's privacy, it has come at the expense of our own. We believe a design can be found that respects everyone's privacy and kindly requests that the plans be revisited with this in mind.

As Adele mentioned, one of the solutions we talked about yesterday was a vegetation solution. I appreciate that, we like looking at vegetation. But I would also ask that we also are considered for a structural solution similar to what our neighbors were granted last time. Again, we didn't have privacy concerns last time because the house was aligned in a way where we were really getting just one tiny 250
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window, but now we're getting quite a bit and a balcony looking into our windows. So I guess that's it. [inaudible 00:26:20].

Thomas Gibbs:

Thank you very much. Next speaker.

Ann Christoph:

Would you pass this out please? I asked for some slides as well and I'm speaking for the South Laguna Civic Association as well as myself. We have been working since 2002 on a history of South Laguna and we've produced a lot of documents and the map that I'm passing out was in your packet, but it was probably small. And so this is the printed out version of that homestead map. And the staff mentioned that GPA did not see sufficient evidence of the historical criteria. So one of the things that was mentioned is that they don't know much about the other homesteads, the context of this homestead.

And I think GPA understandably was not aware of the work that we have been doing all this time because our book hasn't been published yet. So this is a pre-publication copy of the map that we did that shows all the homesteads in South Laguna and a similar map could have been produced for all of Laguna Beach as a whole, but we took an 1885 topo map and that showed the location of structures at that time.

And on that map you'll see little red dots for different homesteads that were documented on this map.

And then we took the USGS map for the more recent homesteads and plotted all those buildings that were shown. So many of the, almost all of the homesteads had some type of structure. We don't have a way of knowing what those structures were, but there they were on that map. None of those structures exist except for the Egan structure. So if you look at number six, that's the Egan structure, this little tiny red dot that represents the house that was existing when the USGS map was created.

So this is the kind of research, there's different levels of research that are done. HRG did enough research to recommend to the city that this was a historically significant property. If you do a giant term paper on that house, there's so much more information. If you do this kind of mapping, there's more information. So if there's more information needed, let's ask for it. Let's ask GPA or HRG to read, review what GPA thinks is needed to document this, because it clearly is historic, it's important and we don't want to lose this house and its surroundings. Condition is not a criteria of evaluating historic significance.

Thomas Gibbs:

You're done. Thank you.

Ann Christoph:

Thank you.

MJ Coveny:

Can I ask Ann a question? Just because I'm learning about history.

Thomas Gibbs:

All right, let's keep them short [inaudible 00:29:52]
MJ Coveny:
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I know, but she's such a plethora of history.

Thomas Gibbs:

Go ahead.

MJ Coveny:

Of all these homesteads back in, I think it was 1980, 81, they did the survey of historical. Do you know if any of these were around then, in 1981?
Ann Christoph:

I believe that the Robert Anderson one was existing becauseMJ Coveny:

And it wasn't able to be...

Ann Christoph:

Well, at the time that tract was done, we hadn't done this research.

MJ Coveny:

Got it.

Ann Christoph:

We didn't understand the significance then.

MJ Coveny:

Okay. And then the other question I have, did you say you started in 2002 for 23 years? Ann Christoph:

Yes.

MJ Coveny:

On South... Okay, just checking because I thought that [inaudible 00:30:25] Ann Christoph:
"And isn't she done yet?"
MJ Coveny:

It's like hey Ann...

Ann Christoph:
"Why isn't that book finished?"
MJ Coveny:
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Okay.

Thomas Gibbs:

I think it's fair to say that Anne Christoph knows more about the history of Laguna than anyone else.

MJ Coveny:

Okay. Thank you. Ann Christoph
Thomas Gibbs:

Alive.

Ann Christoph:

Of South Laguna, but most likely. Okay.

Thomas Gibbs:

South Laguna.

Ann Christoph:

Okay. Jane Jans knows an awful lot about the whole city.

Thomas Gibbs:

Okay.

Ann Christoph:

Yeah, she's still around. Okay.

Thomas Gibbs:

Thanks so much.

Ann Christoph:

Thank you.

Thomas Gibbs:

Thanks so much for your input. Next speaker, please.

Cathy Jurca:

Good evening everyone. My name is Cathy Jurca. I'm a resident of South Laguna and I also serve on the Heritage Committee, but I'm not representing that body here tonight. I want to underscore the points that Ann made. This is a very significant property indeed. I also wanted to reiterate that the GPA review of the HRG report, I know these initials can be confusing, did not find that there isn't sufficient evidence, but that HRG had not marshaled sufficient evidence. What I believe the city should have done in that instance, because HRG was the City's consultant, is returned to HRG and said, we need you to beef up the report, is please produce the information that is requested because the goal here isn't to comply 253
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with CEQA, although that is something that we should aspire to do, but it's also to really figure out is this property historically significant?
I hope you had a chance to review the letter that was written by Francesca Smith. She's an architectural historian with 40 years experience. She wrote it as a volunteer because she spends a lot of time in Laguna Beach, and is very interested in and committed to preserving the history here. In that letter she did the research that GPA asked for, which was what you do for especially the National Register is you need to compare it to other like properties. I do not know why HRG didn't do that and they should have, I know why the Chronicle didn't do that, because they found it not historically significant. But as Ann mentioned, there are no other extant homestead properties, original houses in Laguna, to our knowledge, there are no extant homestead properties in Orange County and there weren't that many to begin with.

And Francesca Smith looked at properties that might be equivalent. So for example, the Modjeska House in Santiago Canyon that was bought from as a homestead property, but the original homestead was encased in the house that was built there. So that has lost any significance for its association with homesteading. Richard Egan had a homestead in San Juan Capistrano and he has a house on the national Register, but it was land that he purchased separately near the mission. That is not significant in relation to homesteading. This property is very rare and very unique and Francesca Smith found it is absolutely eligible for the National Register and the California Register. I believe it to be true as well and I hope that you will prevent its demolition and allow the applicant to come up with a proposal to rehabilitate and expand. Thank you.

Thomas Gibbs:

Thank you very much. Appreciate your input. Next speaker.

Nelda Stone:

So my name's Nelda Stone. I'm a long-term resident of our town and I'm not here as aThomas Gibbs:

Could you pull the microphone? Pull the microphone down so we can hear you.

Nelda Stone:

Oh. So should I start over?
Thomas Gibbs:

There you go. I want to hear what you have to say.

Nelda Stone:

Does my time start over? I probably... Yeah.

Thomas Gibbs:

There you go. Much better.

Nelda Stone:
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Anyway, so my name's Nelda Stone. I've lived here a long time, but I'm here as that. I'm not an architectural historian, but I managed the local history collection for our local library for a number of years until my retirement a couple of years ago. And I also was on the board of the Laguna Beach Historical Society. As you know, Laguna was a, from the downtown area through South Laguna was homesteaded, it was not part of the surrounding large land grants, but this relatively small strip of land was open for homesteaders. So this home before you tonight is the last original homestead house from that period, if it's destroyed, we will lose that last tangible piece of evidence of that important period. So I urge you to trust the facts that HRG has presented, even though they may need some augmentation there. And also the backup that Francesca Smith has written to you. Please take into account her comments as well and please do not allow this important historic structure to be demolished. Thank you very much.

Thomas Gibbs:

Thank you much. Any other speakers?
Lisa Boshnack:

Hi, my name is Lisa Boshnack. I live at 31538 West Street where the house, I guess this house is in our backyard. I just wanted to express my support for the project. We met with Adele and they worked on our privacy concerns from our master window. So from that, they were pretty easy to work with. As to the historic part, it's kind of hard because you can't see this house from the street at all. And then at least, in the time that we've lived in our house before it went for sale, this property, the gentleman who his mom owned the house next to us live there. And then when it came for sale, I mean there was no mention of any historic nature. So I struggle with, I mean obviously we'd like something behind us that's nice and improved and right now the house and its current condition is literally, I mean at least when we saw it, when Kevin lived there, you literally stepped through the floor and fell through.

And now it's just out there. It's by the canyon, it's kind of a fire danger. But I guess, it speaks to the more of the historical significance of just Laguna in general and property owners I understand if stuff is historic and people want to save it, but it was for sale and how come none of this came up when the property was able to be turned over, that wasn't reported by the person that sold it. So if someone wants to preserve it, they could have purchased it at that time before they did and stuff. So I just find it's kind of hard in wrestling with the history and stuff.

I mean, obviously Laguna looks completely different than it does now. A lot of our houses shouldn't even be there and stuff, but as it currently stands, I mean I'm not really sure how it was on a tour, but again, I haven't lived here that long so I couldn't speak to it. But there was someone living there and I can't imagine you just opened his house for people and you can't see it from the street. So it's not like some of the things you go by in the village in downtown where you can literally see it just walking as a passerby. No one can see it except all of us that surround it and stuff. So I'm just here to support the project and hope you guys feel that way as well. Thanks.

Thomas Gibbs:

Thank you very much. Any other speakers? Not seeing any, I return it to the applicant for three minutes.

Richard McDonald:
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Thank you. My name's Richard McDonald with Stoner and Carlson LLP. I'm the attorney for the property owner. And I'm here specifically tonight to address this whole question of the historic nature of it. I think there's a couple of points. I think you said I had three minutes? MJ Coveny:

Yes.

Thomas Gibbs:

Three minutes. You're on.

Richard McDonald:

Three minutes and that's a lot of testimony to rebut in three minutes, but let me just make a few simple points. The first is that on July 11th when staff came before you, they recommended a categorical exemption. Nobody behind me showed up to contest that at that time. And the matter was then continued to September.

Thomas Gibbs:

Hold on a second. Stop the time. Enough of that, I don't want to see any more facial expressions. No more nodding or you're going to have to leave. Okay. It's very distracting to Board members. Okay, back on the time.

Richard McDonald:

The matter was continued then to September and only three days before that hearing did one person submit a letter on September 19th and that person then worked with HRG, which raised for us serious credibility questions about the HRG report, which is why we asked for an independent report. In fact, if you look at your staff report on page five, it clearly states HRG worked with Ms. Christoph to obtain information regarding the history of the site. Ms. Christoph provided corrections to historic details within the report. Further, if you look at attachment nine to your report, to your staff report, HRG itself said, "Although HRG's findings were unchanged in the updated report, the research was expanded and fact-checked by local historian and landscape architect Ann Christoph." In my 40 years of practice, I've never seen a professional historic resource consultant subcontract out to the local person who's already staked out the position.

That is why we asked Chronicle to do an independent report. And Chronicle's first analysis was, wait a minute, they've limited the scope of their report to just South Laguna. South Laguna's only been part of the city since '87. We should be looking at all of Orange County and if you're talking about homestead, which goes back 50 years, we should be looking at that entire time period. And they did and it was extensively researched without input from anybody to conclude, no, this is not meeting the level of criteria that's outlined in their report. And their report has very specific standards that are required, which the third consultant, GPA looked at and what GPA concludes is that HRG doesn't even figure out how, yeah, it's old, yeah, it's there. But how is this connected to the trend under Bulletin 15, which it talks about in great detail, requiring that it is not convincingly demonstrated that it rises, the property arises to a level of distinctiveness, raritive or illustrative clarity to justify significance under the broad theme. So this mapThomas Gibbs:
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Your time's up. I think we've all read the reports and just so you know, for our consideration, we don't have to follow them. We consider them as evidence. The Board members have read the reports. So with that said, your time's up. Any questions from the Board? Turn on your button.

Imer Bauta:

I've got a question. The three reports, were they all paid for by the applicant? The first one was City paid for, the second one was a rebuttal?
Thomas Gibbs:

Heather, do you know who paid for the reports?
Heather Steven:

The city paid for the HRG reports. The applicant paid for the report by Chronicle. And I believe the City also paid for the GPA report.

MJ Coveny:

And Heather, one more question. Is it typical, I think Ann brought it up that once you see, or maybe it was Cathy, they said, why didn't you go to the next step to ask for more detail? Would that be a typical process to go back and they gave you a report, they gave you a detail? Heather Steven:

We had a first report and then again, as gentleman just stated, additional information was added after Ann had reviewed the report. Then we received the report from Chronicle, and that report we requested HRG to review that report as sort of a peer review on our behalf so that they could give us feedback on that report. So we didn't feel at that time that going back to HRG again for a fourth report would be prudent. So that's why we requested GPA to do an independent evaluation of all four documents and that's where they came to that conclusion. So we felt going back and forth would again, it has been a year since the project was before this Board, so to move it forward and to get to a decision point, we felt that that was the best way to move forward.

Thomas Gibbs:

And just so you know, I think it's clear to the Board, if we don't think we have enough information to make the determination, we could require more.

MJ Coveny:

Okay.

Thomas Gibbs:

In my comments I'm going to be commenting and analyzing all of that. Louis, go ahead.

Louis Weil:

Yeah, so on that same comment that you just made, Heather, we heard this is the second hearing, right? And at the first hearing, what was the Board's direction or I know it's in the staff report, but can you reiterate what we sent them off to go look after?
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Thomas Gibbs:

Just so it's clear, Louis, before she does the historic issue did not come up. So the directionLouis Weil:

In the first hearing?
Heather Steven:

Correct.

Thomas Gibbs:

Yeah, the direction that we gave is in the staff report and the response to it. But if you want Heather to go that, she can.

Heather Steven:

Yes, the Board's comments were related to the orientation of the building, removing some balconies, adding frosted windows. But at that time there was no information available to staff in our City records that this property was potentially historic. We did not have any information as to the year it was constructed, and it was never on the old historic inventory that we used to have that was created in the '80s, which is no longer used. So, there was again, very little information in the City files. So when it was continued from July to September, it was purely for redesign to address the privacy and the view equity concerns from the neighbors.

Louis Weil:

Okay. Thanks.

MJ Coveny:

So you pursued historical purely from public comment?
Heather Steven:

It was initiated by the letter that Ms. Christoph provided to the city on September 19th, I believe about a week before the September hearing.

Thomas Gibbs:

Remember it was pulled because of that letter.

Heather Steven:

So then yes, a continuance was requested so that we could request HRG to do their first assessment.

Thomas Gibbs:

So I have a question about this, which is Mr. Chamberlain's property, as I understand it, the real privacy issue is their daughter's bedroom, which are kind of floor to ceiling windows there and you're proposing two trees. Do you know if it's going to block, and you've got a lot of windows on that side, and I think part of the issue was raised because you accommodated the neighbors down below, you turned the 258
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building and I think Mr. Chamberlain's bedroom became much more exposed to the windows on the side and the balcony.

I want to understand if there's a landscape solution to this. And you're proposing two trees, but unfortunately maybe there wasn't communications or what have you. Have you analyzed and I wanted to go talk to him to do that, did you analyze whether... But may put it this way, would you be up for a condition that says you're going to work with staff to come up with a landscape solution to block view of the daughter's bedroom from those windows?
Adele Chang:

Yes. I started by proposing two trees, but I need to talk to the landscape. There hasn't been enough time, only found out yesterday afternoon. But I will talk to the landscape architect and figure out a dense, non-deciduous tree or two or even three to make it work.

Thomas Gibbs:

Okay. When we get to deliberations, if that comes up, from my understanding what you just said, you'd be amenable to a condition along those lines. With that said, any other questions? All right, I'm going to close the public hearing and I'm going to start. Let me kind of first point out, and it's been alluded to, number one is, the reports. I've read them all and I really appreciate reports. I also very much appreciate this from Mr. I assume Lee Hanson, I didn't read the whole thing but I read a lot of it. It didn't come in until, I mean it is a fascinating document and thank you for giving me a hard copy because I look forward to reading it.

So you've given us a lot of information and I want to point out to MJ that as I pointed out to MJ, is there enough information for us to make a determination of historic resources or not? If not, then we might ask for more. I happen to believe from reviewing all the stuff that there's more than ample information that enables us to make a historic resource determination. The second initial point I'll make is that it is the Egan house. It was built a long time ago. I learned a lot about homesteads, I had no idea. There's no question it's historic, but the question is, is it protectable? Now our jurisdiction is really twofold. One is the guidelines. Guideline six says "Historic preservation, which allows us to consider the destruction or alteration to historic resources should be avoided whenever possible." So that gives us the right to look at what are historic resources.

Secondly, CEQA under guideline Section 15064.5 makes historic resource and actually it uses the phrase, historically significant, enables us to consider that if it is, if we make a determination, then the categorical exemptions do not apply. They have to, that point has to go to an initial study. Now I see they're related, and in fact I think they're very much related. So if we find it a historical resource within, and I'll get to the standards there in a second, I think Heather did a great job in talking about some of them, but I think we need to be very clear on where I come out, and I think would be helpful for other Board members to at least understand their parameters. So that's what we're charged with. It's not us saying, God, the Egan house is a wonderful house. It's part of the history of Laguna Beach.

No doubt it is. But that's not our job. Our job is whether it's a historical resource. And on that we have guidance to the National Register of Historic Places, NRHP and to the California Register Historic Resources. And I've read those. They're very similar for purposes of determining whether we have a historic resource. That's the phrase I'm going to use both for CEQA and the guideline, the design guidelines. On that, there's basically two relevant. And all the reports are consistent with this. The HRG report, the Chronicle report, and the, I forget the name of the last one, all look at the two things. They 259
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hone in on them, and that's what I'm going to be honing in when I get to my analysis. One is whether it, and again, this goes to eligibility for those registers. If it is eligible, then I think it's a historical resource.

Criteria A under the NRHP reads, "There are associated, the properties associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad parameters of our history." Criteria one under the California Register is similar. It says, "It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad pattern of local and regional history or the culture or heritage of California." The second one, and by the way, both of these are important, is integrity. And it's called historic integrity, but it's all kind of for the same thing. Its historic integrity, it's the ability of a property to convey its significance and it's defined as, "The authenticity of a property's historic identity evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property's historic period." And I think everyone agrees it's 1909 to 1928. And I agree with that. In doing that, the National Park Service has come up with seven criteria or seven aspects, which seem to be the guiding light under both the state and the National Registry.

And those are location, design, setting, materials, workmanship feeling and association. So if you distill it to the criteria in the reports that call criteria 1A, one and A, national and California, and the integrity, it narrows the issues about what we need to look at. Now, I think it's fair to say that the experts make those determinations. We're not bound by them. And moreover, it's not rocket scientists. Those words have their ordinary meaning, they're not specialized meaning. And so I want everybody to understand that just because you're an expert doesn't mean you're right. And just because that only experts can make those decisions as to whether a location or the setting or stuff is consistent with the integrity of this property from a historical perspective for the historic property's historic period. I feel very comfortable making that determination and I'll tell you what my determination is. And I'm not going to go through each of the reports because fundamentally and I will touch on them when I give my analysis, fundamentally, they give us information.

It's like evidence at a trial. Experts give evidence at a trial all the time, but the jury has to make the findings of fact. Just because experts say something doesn't mean that the jury, in our case, the Board, must follow it. In fact, we can't because we have different views. I found all three reports as well as other information submitted, very helpful in making what is probably the toughest decision that I've made since I've been on this Board. And there's been a lot of tough decision. Because I care about this town. I think we all do. I think the applicant does. I give the benefit of the doubt to everybody that we're doing it because we care about this town. But the people have a right to develop their property. They have a right to a fair analysis and determination. So with all that said, this is where I come down.

The first point is that we're looking at the eligibility. It's not of the house standing alone in my view. The house standing alone in my view, has no historical significance. I mean, we've had historical cases with cottages, which is a broad category. I mean, this was basically construction for a working farm. And one was a small shed and then somebody said a barn. Another person said they built on in 1928. It was a homestead, right? So the house itself, in my view, doesn't have any historical significance, and in fact, none of the experts said it did standing alone. So it's not like Hotel Laguna, which in and of itself has historical significance.

So when we look at the first criteria, criteria A1, whether the property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad pattern of our history, I must say I concur with Chronicles views on that issue, that the progression of development over the course, and this is from Chronicle, I'm kind of boiling it down, but I think it's a fair statement of what they're saying and certainly what I view it as. "That the progression of development over the course of time has altered the setting and it does not holistically exclude the feeling or embody once was an active farming homestead.

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When I walk to that house, I don't get any feeling of homestead, I just don't. If the house was historic, that's a different story, but that's not what before us. It's the homestead aspect of this house that we have to look at. Whether the property is associated with events that made a significant contribution to the broad pattern of our history. And I don't think the house Is, I think the homestead is. But the homestead is gone. It's all been developed long ago with other houses. Then we go to integrity. I think again, it goes to the homestead nature of the property. The requirement is that it must retain enough of its historic character or appearance, i.e. integrity, to be recognizable as an historic resource and to convey the reason for its significance. And thus the word integrity. In other words, you look at it, it must and all the we'll get to the factors in a second. It must carry that notion of homestead.

I don't see it. Okay, let's go through some of the factors. The design or the setting. First of all, the setting. Everyone agrees including HRG, that the setting's gone. So that factor doesn't support a finding of integrity. I know that you don't have to have all the aspects, but there must be a sufficient number to convey the required integrity. And I believe one factor alone could just nail it in this case, setting because you don't see any homestead property, no farming, nothing. So the setting is not there. The feeling and association that was also found by Chronicle to be absent, and I just didn't find the argument from our HRG to be convincing.

The feeling and association. I get the feeling and association of a very old dilapidated, not well-built home. And I'll get to that when I get to workmanship. It's falling apart. The windows, they're aluminum, certainly not period piece. I think there was one window from the original period and it's totally destroyed. It's been rotted from the inside. All the siding is junk. The barn, the doors are not even on.

There's nothing that I see from that house that gives me any feeling of its original condition. I also looked in the house. It doesn't either. It doesn't have... I looked at some of the pictures that I think you provided Ann in one of the reports, it did more, but it certainly doesn't now.

Then we go to materials and workmanship. And I'm through five of the factors. I don't see anything special about materials or workmanship to carry any historic value or any relationship to a homestead.

In other words, it's nothing special historically. Again, if I saw it, maybe I wanted to see it, but I didn't.

We walked all around the property. I walked every inch of that property trying to see, okay, where's historic nature of this? And I don't see it. And then design. A beach cottage is a design, I suppose in the broadest sense of the word. But I don't even see any design to this house. I can't tell it's a barn. In fact, it looks like a beat-up building. It's about to fall down. It looked like it was a lean-to that was built.

Anyway, I don't want to dump too hard on this, it's just I didn't see... And in fact, the way it was built in pieces, maybe that's part of the historical charm, but it did not create a homestead house in my mind, it created more of a hodgepodge of building without design. So while it's hard for me, and I'll also point out one other thing on design, a National Registry Bulletin 15 is pretty important in my mind. It cautions that a quote, "Property must be more than simply associated with a historical trend. It must clearly illustrate that trend to be one of the most important properties associated with it." I just don't see that here. In other words, and I'll sum it up here, to tell this property owner that they have to start from scratch and do who knows what to a house that is of fire danger, that's dilapidated, that's rotting, that has no, from looking at it, no relation to a homestead, even though it has this important history, I think is asking too much. In other words, it doesn't come close to the bar that's necessary for us to find either the guidelines require that they just scrap this thing and come up with a new design, or that we send them through the whole CEQA process. And I'm not even sure where that will lead. I have a CEQA lawyer back in the day. And so that's an initial study and pages experts. I'm not even sure where that gets you. But I don't find a historical resource here.

As much as I appreciated all the fascinating history and I don't deny this house has history, it doesn't reach that high bar being a historical resource. The last point I'll make before I turn it over and is dealing 261
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with the view from the Chamberlains. I really appreciate what you did in accommodating all the neighbor's concerns. You really scaled this back, you accommodated, you listened to us, you followed our direction, and you came up with a product that's really good. I think the loose end is the Chamberlain. It's a downstairs bedroom, secondary bedroom. But if there's a landscaping solution, I want it done to protect the privacy of that room.

And I think it's feasible. You've said it's feasible. So I would be willing to support, to approve this project tonight with the condition that staff works with you to come up with a landscaping solution of trees that provides privacy from all the windows on that side of the house to the secondary bedroom downstairs at the Chamberlains. Was that too short?
MJ Coveny:
[inaudible 01:03:45].

Thomas Gibbs:

All right. Who wants to go? Louis, you want to go next? I hear you probably are asleep, so I'll wake you up.

Louis Weil:

Maybe let a couple of the other Board members go.

Thomas Gibbs:

Okay.

MJ Coveny:

I'll give it a go.

Imer Bauta:

I'll give it a go. Yeah. I struggle with this one. Hearing testimony from neighbors tonight, I think it allowed me to understand how much this home resonates with the community. I do believe that this home is associated with its significant events. There were some comments by Ruben pertaining to the idea of a village, and I think we do have a responsibility to the history of our town. Being that this home, if indeed what the statements that were made by the community, that this is one of the last original homestead homes, I think that it would be very important to keep that alive.

Unless they can come up with more conclusive evidence to differ from that, I think Ann, with her longstanding history in town, demonstrated clear evidence of historical significance. In addition, Francesca Smith also identified this as rare, unique, which would give additional governance to preserve in this home. I think there's a value here that from a historical standpoint, that we can't lose. A homestead is a big part of our culture as Americans and as Californians as well. The push west, right? The push to the coast was part of this movement. This is a rare and unique property and I'd like to see it preserved.

Thomas Gibbs:

MJ.

MJ Coveny:
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Okay, I'll go. Thank you for those comments. I agree with Chair Gibbs and reluctantly in the sense that I hear what you're saying, Imer, and I really respect that. But when I walk through the four points here, as Tom did so clearly, it's not significant in my opinion, this is not a significant contribution. Or on a national level, it's not significant, on a California level, it's not significant. Architecturally, it's not significant, and it's not of anything unique. It's basically something they threw together to kind of work the land. They sort of live there on and off. I Googled and ChatGPT'd every bit of the Egans and came up with lots of Egans, but not this particular family that had any real significant impact on South Laguna.

And as noted, South Laguna was not part of Laguna until much, much later. And I don't think the integrity has been maintained from a homesteading perspective or from an architectural perspective.

So I unfortunately, cannot support historical. If this was something that was in a more predominant place downtown. First of all, I think we would've addressed this much earlier. It's because it was hidden, nobody really paid attention to it. Sort of people kind of went, "Oh yeah..." I mean to get to this point is to me just an unacceptable pressure on the person who purchased this land in hopes of building a home. So I think it's incumbent upon us to be respectful to that as well. Again, if this had been something more significant, I'm kind of disappointed. That's why I was asking you Ann, about why are all these gone? How did we get here? Some of these, especially Thurston, there's a name that is significant.

I know that name. Egan didn't know. So it's like, why don't we have those? How do we get to that point? So I just don't think it's right that this is our flag in the ground here. So I can't support whatever, I can't think of what I'm supposed to not support, the historical component. Thank you. So moving on to Mr.

Chamberlain. Isn't it funny when you try to do the right thing, you get yourself in a pickle? But we really appreciate you taking our suggestions. I think the articulation of the house is much better. I think the way it looks and feels on the land is much better. I mean, you're sort of eating up the buildable aspect of that property to a good amount. I think I was kind of concerned of mass and scale, but it was so boxed, it just felt massive. So I don't know what we can come up with for the Chamberlains. I don't think it's a massive adjustment. I think the trees are a definite component that could help.

I also didn't know if this is something that could be considered, is sort of retracting the mass and scale element, but it would be adding some program to the part of the home that's closest to him that would then extend out and then the deck would be further back, and those windows along that one room would not be... They'd be slightly more obscured when you look at the point of view or the tangent line from his main living space and his daughter's bedroom out. Now that would be an added square footage. It would contribute to mass and scale, but to me it would be so minimal and it doesn't hurt his sight lines, and you don't get to anybody else's view equity issues at that part of the house, I don't think.

So if you can find a solution there and I don't know if we can make it a condition and how that condition would define,
Thomas Gibbs:

Can I ask you a question?
MJ Coveny:

Yeah, sure.

Thomas Gibbs:

If trees could block it totallyMJ Coveny:
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I didn't see how that could work, butThomas Gibbs:

That's what I'm saying. I had like to get this project approved because they've been so long delayed. And my condition is that the trees have to do that.

MJ Coveny:

Yeah.

Thomas Gibbs:

It would be a privacy hedge and we just did it at Hilledge and it worked great. It's a privacy hedge that blocks that second bedroom. It's a downstairs second bedroom? From any of those windows from seeing any of those windows.

MJ Coveny:

All rightThomas Gibbs:

Rather than send them back and have them redesign it.

MJ Coveny:

Well, I guess it's kind of up to you guys. But if you're cool with trees, I think we could get landscaping support for approval tonight. If you want to look at an opportunity to go back to the Chamberlains, add some program and landscaping, I'll leave that to you. But those are my points andThomas Gibbs:

We would need a continuance if you're going to add program.

MJ Coveny:

Yeah. But that's completely your choice.

Jessica Gannon:

I would like to follow that.

Thomas Gibbs:

Let's hear the others and then we can bring it to the applicant.

Jessica Gannon:

I concur with the Chair and Board member Coveny on this one. As far as a preservation of historical reference, when I was speaking with Ann Christoph, I was in LA traffic and I don't remember very much of the specifics of our conversation, but I do recall asking her the same question that I asked someone else from the audience, whether that this house had been included on any specific tour. She said no at the time. And then when I returned home I did the whole ChatGPT and Google and try to find where 264
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Village Laguna or other historical references were ever included this address and I could not find any. I concur withAnn Christoph:
[inaudible 01:11:40].

Jessica Gannon:
... regardless of whether it was part of a tour or not.

Thomas Gibbs:

Ann, we haven't opened the public hearing. Please, no comment. Jess.

Jessica Gannon:

I really respect your due diligence and the depth of scope that you were able to use your attorney background and mad respect for that. With that, I'm ready to approve this project with the, there's view equity, I didn't see any view equity issues with the first program, which was in greater scale. So view equity in my mind has been achieved, especially with the reduction in size. Privacy, the only privacy concern with the project was with the Chamberlains. And if landscaping can be added, that would be my suggestion for a condition of approval. And then, yeah, so the house, the garage, wood rot is all around the house, the garage is piecemeal. There's woods if you want to call it wood, there's wood slats piecing together. It didn't look like any farmhouse that I've ever seen and I grew up on a farm. With that, I can concur with all of the Chair's comments and Board member Coveny's and I can approve this project with conditions of approval.

Thomas Gibbs:

Louis, you're up.

Louis Weil:

Well, appreciate the commentary from all the fellow Board members and the public and the evidence provided in the staff report and the applicants’ presentation as well. So I think there's been a lot of great reports and information provided for this hearing to make an adequate findings and deliberation across the board. I do lean towards the Chair and the Vice-Chair and Board member Coveny's deliberation and concur with what they said. I think as you evaluate, there's two different components we've got to talk about as Board members. One is the question of the historical, which has been the big part of the dialogue and I think Chair Gibbs really outlined that wholeheartedly well. And I'll touch on my points on that. And the second one is the design review components that would apply. From the historical questions, really the evaluation, we had reports that said not historic and one that said potentially.

I concur with the two that said it's not significant and I do so with two main reasons. One, the structure as outlined by Chair Gibbs does not meet the criteria for local, national, or state in the elements that the prior ownership that prior sold it in 2022 held the property for more than 50 plus years, might've been the original owners, I don't know. But I looked at the sales records, and at any point they could have voluntarily assigned this to some sort of historical component making it eligible locally and components of that for the state and national. And that was never done and nor is that being sought with the application here. So the voluntary nature I think throws out a few of the components. Nor do I see an 265
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architectural integrity with the current shape, nor did the reports find that. And the reports note the property fails to retain the design or some sort of historical significance in the structure as well.

Hold on, I'm getting lost in a couple of my notes. Nor do I find that the materials were very original in the structure. As pointed out by Board member Gibbs, the windows have all been changed. I think even in some of the reports there was additions and repairs and maintenance that had shifted over time. And as I walked the site, there's no real significance of what would make a historical property. I think Board member Gibbs outlined it really well that the homestead really was about the farming practices and the elements that they acquired the property through planting the trees and meeting those criteria, that doesn't exist in this neighborhood anymore.

The full development that surrounds this makes the property really not visible at all to the characteristics of the community. With the flag lot driveway, this original homestead was maximized for development throughout the decades, and that is the characteristic of the area now, single family houses that abut the open space, which is a very common characteristic throughout Laguna Beach. I mean, in general, I'm supportive of the new construction occurring.

If the applicant in the course of demolition wish to donate any of the elements, I think that would be solely on them. But I wouldn't want to make that a criteria. I do think that there are elements of the historical reports that have been brought to light in the recent areas that should be provided to a local historical just for the information because that wasn't provided. I kind of find it somewhat fascinating, but I don't find it significant into the location or the current topography in areas. Okay. So that covers the historical thing from my viewpoint and my findings. But from the house and the DRB aspects I am concerned for the privacy component of the uphill neighbor of the Chamberlains as articulated by the other Board members.

Planting of a further tree could solve that problem. I think when I was looking at the drawings and the plans, I think there could be some more articulation with the actual design that could get the midpoint of the design to flag open, so the more uphill portion of that bedroom and bathroom would square off towards the rear property line, which would limit that uphill exposure to the Chamberlains’ in its entirety. But I'm open to the landscaping solution as well. So that's me.

Thomas Gibbs:

Louis, thank you for your comments. Let me address two things for some limited more... And let me maybe talk to Ann and the other people of the historic interest and the applicant, if you guys could listen to me for a second about the historic. Adele, first of all, the document that was given to me should definitely go to the Laguna Beach Historical Society and the work you're doing Ann on South Laguna and all that. We don't want to lose that. The pictures are fabulous. And then the maps of the homesteads, that's really important stuff. The second thing, if there is anything of historical significance on that property that can be saved, not for use in your project, but saved for modernity and working maybe with Ann and really looked there. I mean you talked about that other house, the uncle's house, I forget his name, Stearman or Sternman or something. His house was moved and saved by moving it somewhere, I think I read it.

Louis Weil:

It was Shrewsbury.

Thomas Gibbs:
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Yeah. That was actually moved and I thought, well maybe I don't know how you move this house, it's in such bad shape, but this kind of follows what Mr. Weil's comments. If there is some cooperation that there's something in there we're saving, I think that would behoove everyone including our community to do that. Now with respect to the privacy issue, I think it could be solved by landscape. I think you can, but I'm open to, I think MJ, you and Louis kind of feel maybe there's some more articulation that can be done. So I think our alternative is to agree, approve it tonight with the condition I talked about. Or put it over for a third hearing to work on a landscape plan and maybe some articulation. I would be in favor of the former, but to get the votes, I could go to the latter.

MJ Coveny:

Chair, is thatJessica Gannon:

I'm okay with the landscape plan, needs to be fixed with a landscape.

MJ Coveny:

Chair, is that something we wouldThomas Gibbs:

Yeah, I know. But we would need to get either MJ or Louis to go alongMJ Coveny:

Can I just say, is that something we would put forward to Adele? Because it's really, if they know they're going to get approval tonight with what they have and adding the trees, then they might say okay, as opposed to getting more program.

Thomas Gibbs:

So you would go along with the tree solution if that was fine? Adele Chang:

Yeah.

Thomas Gibbs:

Okay. Do you guys want to go ahead continuously work on... Go ahead Louis. Before I turn it to the applicant.

Louis Weil:

You can ask the question, but I do have one other comment that I forgot to mention from my notes.

Thomas Gibbs:

Why don't you do that, because I think the question to the applicant is going to be the last question. Go ahead.

Louis Weil:
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Okay. My one point that I forgot to mention was that in terms of the area being recognized for the Egan family and other the Shrewsburys and stuff, there are names of streets that already exist in South Laguna that kind of honor that district or that area that have already been done through the City. The Egan Street is just right up around the corner from this property. So there are some elements where that's been already identified in the course of all the development that's occurred.

Thomas Gibbs:

Okay. All right. So to you folks, the question is do you want a continuance where potentially you get more program and do a redesign on that side of the house to reduce the privacy impact or go along with the landscape solution?
Adele Chang:

Because of the lengthy delay, I think the owner would prefer to find the landscape solution instead of redesigning and coming back. I mean, that process is another two, three months. So that would be his preference.

Richard McDonald:

We also, Adele and I have worked together for years. Our kids went to school. We've done lots of projects in other cities with privacy screens. So when you use those words, we know what you're talking about.

Thomas Gibbs:

All right, I'm going to make a motion. Let's see if we have a second and a vote. The motion is that the Board adopt resolution 24-0658 approving Design Review 24-0658 and Coastal Development Permit 24- 0657 for property located at 31526 Valido Road. And finding said action categorically exempt pursuant to CEQA guidelines Section 15303 with the condition.

Patrick Donegan:

I believe I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. I believe I have some language, but I will defer to you.

Thomas Gibbs:

Yeah, I was going to turn over to you, Patrick, I have a question for you but let me get the motion out and see whether it needs to be amended. I think you and I are thinking the same thing. With the condition that prior to a permit, there'll be an approved landscaping plan that includes a landscaping solution to the privacy concern of the lower second bedroom of the Chamberlains, such that you cannot see any of the windows on the side of the house, the applicant's house facing that bedroom or from which that bedroom can be seen with landscaping. And we leave it to staff and applicant to come up with landscaping plans that meets that requirement. And are you going to say, do we need any language about the historical resource was my question?
Patrick Donegan:

No, Mr. Chair, we do not.

Thomas Gibbs:

Because I figured the categorical exemption should probably apply. So what was your comment? 268
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Patrick Donegan:

Oh no, that's fine. That language we can put in there. I drafted some language that I thought effectuated the will of the board, but yours suffices as well.

Thomas Gibbs:

Yeah, let me go with my language, because I think I wanted to make it very clear so that Mr.

Chamberlain could rest comfortably that his child's room is not going to be subject to those windows.

Patrick Donegan:

One thing that I would just add to that is a qualifier that in the event a solution cannot be made, the issue shall be referred back to the Design Review Board.

MJ Coveny:

Yes.

Thomas Gibbs:

Okay. I amend the condition to include that language. With that said, do I have a second? MJ Coveny:

Second.

Louis Weil:

I'll second it.

Thomas Gibbs:

Okay, good. Call the roll please, Paola. You're too late, Louis.

Jessica Gannon:

Ms Coveny seconded it.

Paola Miller:

Board member Bauta?
Imer Bauta:

No.

Paola Miller:

Board member. Coveny?
MJ Coveny:

Yes.

Paola Miller:
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Board member Weil?
Louis Weil:

Yes.

Paola Miller:

Chair Pro-Tem Gannon?
Jessica Gannon:

Yes.

Paola Miller:

Chair Gibbs?
Thomas Gibbs:

Yes.

Paola Miller:

Motion has passed four to one.

Thomas Gibbs:

All right, thank you very much.

Adele Chang:

Thank you.

Richard McDonald:

Thank you.

Thomas Gibbs:

And thank you all the interested. This was a tough decision for us. You may not agree with it, but I want you to know that input was all helpful. All right, I think we're done. When were you adjourning? What's the next meeting? I always look to Bill because I am terrible on dates. 270
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HISTORIC RESOURCES ASSESSMENT
31526 VALIDO ROAD, LAGUNA BEACH
NOVEMBER 22, 2024
Attachment 9
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PREPARED FOR
City of Laguna Beach
Community Development Department
Heather Steven, Senior Planner
505 Forest Avenue
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 2

2.0 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................ 3 HISTORICAL RESOURCES UNDER CEQA ......................................................................................................... 3 HISTORIC DESIGNATIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 3 HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE AND INTEGRITY ..................................................................................................... 6

3.0 HISTORIC RESOURCES ASSESSMENT ................................................................................. 9 PREVIOUS SURVEYS AND EVALUATIONS....................................................................................................... 9 HISTORIC CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................................ 10 OWNERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT HISTORY ............................................................................................. 24 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................................... 27

4.0 EVALUATION OF ELIGIBILITY ............................................................................................. 29 EVALUATION OF HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE ................................................................................................ 29 EVALUATION OF INTEGRITY .............................................................................................................................. 31 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................................................. 32

4.0 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 34 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 Appendix A: Building Permit History ..................................................................................................................... 36 Appendix B: Maps and Historic Aerials ................................................................................................................. 37 Appendix C: Assessor Records ................................................................................................................................. 45 Appendix D: Historic Images .................................................................................................................................... 50 Appendix E: Existing Conditions Photographs ................................................................................................... 56 273
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 2

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
31526 Valido Road is a single-family residential property constructed beginning ca. 1909 and built out in 1928. It is located on the property where pioneer resident Willam F. Egan established a homestead in 1910. The property is now located near the intersection of West Sreet and Valido Road in the residential neighborhood of South Laguna in the City of Laguna Beach. The subject property is being evaluated for potential historic significance and eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources. A review of existing documentation on the development of the property, including historic newspaper accounts, census and city directory records, historic aerials, Orange County Archives, and the property’s permit history as provided by the city were completed. A site visit was conducted on October 24, 2024.

The property was not identified during the 1980-81 Laguna Beach Historic Resources Survey and is not listed in the Historic Resources Inventory. It is not currently listed in the Laguna Beach Historic Register. A formal historic assessment is required to determine the historic significance and integrity of the residence. This assessment will evaluate the property to determine if it is considered a historic resource as set forth in the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. For CEQA purposes in Laguna Beach, a historic resource is defined as a property that meets California Register of Historical Resources criteria.

This report was prepared by Laura Janssen, Senior Architectural Historian, and Mariana Ruiz, Architectural Historian, with support from Robby Aranguren, GIS/Technical Specialist, all of whom meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards in Architectural History, Historic Preservation, History and/or Historic Preservation Planning.
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2.0 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
Historical Resources Under CEQA
The California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) is the principal statute governing environmental review of projects occurring in the state and is codified in Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 21000 et seq. CEQA requires lead agencies to determine if a proposed project would have a significant effect on the environment, including significant effects on historical or unique archaeological resources. Under CEQA Section 21084.1, a project that may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource is a project that may have a significant effect on the environment.

CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5 recognizes that historical resources include: (1) resources listed in, or determined to be eligible by the State Historical Resources Commission, for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources; (2) resources included in a local register of historical resources, as defined in PRC Section 5020.1(k) or identified as significant in a historical resource survey meeting the requirements of PRC Section 5024.1(g); and (3) any objects, buildings, structures, sites, areas, places, records, or manuscripts which a lead agency determines to be historically significant or significant in the architectural, engineering, scientific, economic, agricultural, educational, social, political, military, or cultural annals of California by the lead agency, provided the lead agency’s determination is supported by substantial evidence in light of the whole record.

Historic Designations
A property may be designated as historic by national, state, and local authorities. Current designations available in Laguna Beach include the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Resources, and the Laguna Beach Historic Register.

While some programs place emphasis on architectural character, all use basic criteria relating to a property’s place in important events or patterns of development, association with important personages, and architectural significance. This assessment is limited to determining eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources.

The City of Laguna Beach recently amended their Historic Preservation Program, and the City Council adopted a new ordinance on April 26, 2022, which updated Chapter

25.45 of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code. It was certified by the California Coastal Commission on July 13, 2022. The revised Historic Preservation Ordinance includes four key elements: (1) a definition of the term “Historic Resource” was added; (2) “owner consent” was added to the criteria for eligibility; (3) references to the outdated 1981 Historic Resources Inventory were eliminated; and (4) expanded historic preservation 275
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 4 incentives were added.1
Section 25.45.004 of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code defines a historic resource according to the following: “Historic resource” means a property or structure that (1) is listed in the City’s historic register, (2) is listed in the California Register of Historical Resources, (3) has been officially determined to be eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources by the State Historical Resource Commission, (4) is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, (5) has been officially determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service, or (6) the City is mandated by law to treat as a historic resource based on substantial evidence in light of the whole record. Generally, a resource shall be considered to be “historically significant” if the resource meets the criteria for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources.2
This assessment will evaluate the property to determine if it is considered a historic resource as set forth in the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. For CEQA purposes in Laguna Beach, a historic resource is defined as a property that meets California Register of Historical Resources criteria.

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
The National Register of Historic Places (National Register) is an authoritative guide to be used by Federal, State, and local governments, private groups, and citizens to identify the Nation’s cultural resources and to indicate what properties should be considered for protection from destruction or impairment.3 The National Park Service administers the National Register program. Listing in the National Register assists in preservation of historic properties in several ways including: recognition that a property is of significance to the nation, the state, or the community; consideration in the planning for federal or federally assisted projects; eligibility for federal tax benefits; and qualification for Federal assistance for historic preservation, when funds are available.

To be eligible for listing and/or listed in the National Register, a resource must possess significance in American history and culture, architecture, or archaeology. Listing in the National Register is primarily honorary and does not in and of itself provide protection of a historic resource. The primary effect of listing in the National Register on private owners of historic buildings is the availability of financial and tax incentives. In addition, for projects that receive Federal funding, a clearance process must be completed in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Furthermore, 1 https://www.lagunabeachcity.net/government/
departments/community-development/planningzoning/historic-preservation 2 City of Laguna Beach Historic Preservation
Ordinance. Laguna Beach Municipal Code Chapter

25.45 Historic Preservation.
3 Code of Federal Regulations Title 36/Chapter 1/Part
60 (36CFR60), Section 60.2.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 5 state and local regulations may apply to properties listed in the National Register.

The criteria for listing in the National Register follow established guidelines for determining the significance of properties. The quality of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects:

A. That are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or
B. That are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or C. That embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or
D. That have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.4
In addition to meeting any or all of the criteria listed above, properties nominated must also possess sufficient historic integrity.

CALIFORNIA REGISTER OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES
The California Register of Historical Resources (California Register) is “an authoritative listing and guide to be used by State and local agencies, private groups, and citizens in identifying the existing historical resources of the State and to indicate which resources deserve to be protected, to the extent prudent and feasible, from substantial adverse change.”5 The California Register was enacted in 1992, and its regulations became official on January 1, 1998. The California Register is administered by the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP). The criteria for eligibility for the California Register are based upon National Register criteria.6 Certain resources are determined to be automatically included in the California Register, including California properties formally determined eligible for, or listed in, the National Register. To be eligible for the California Register, a prehistoric or historic-period property must be significant at the local, state, and/or federal level under one or more of the following four criteria:
4 Code of Federal Regulations Title 36/Chapter 1/Part
60 (36CFR60), Section 60.3.
5 California Public Resources Code, Section 5024.1[a].
6 California Public Resources Code, Section 5024.1[b].
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1. It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United States; or

2. It is associated with the lives of persons important to local, California or national history; or

3. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region or method of construction or represents the work of a master or possesses high artistic values; or

4. It has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California or the nation.7 A resource eligible for the California Register must meet one of the criteria of significance described above and retain enough of its historic character or appearance (integrity) to be recognizable as a historical resource and to convey the reason for its significance.

Historic Significance and Integrity

SIGNIFICANCE
The definition of historic significance used by the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) in its administration of the California Register is based upon the definition used by the National Park Service for the National Register.

Historic significance is defined as the importance of a property to the history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture of a community, state, or the nation.8 It is achieved in several ways:
 Association with important events, activities or patterns  Association with important persons
 Distinctive physical characteristics of design, construction, or form  Potential to yield important information
A property may be significant individually or as part of a grouping of properties.

In addition to the above criteria, significance is defined by the area of history in which the property made important contributions and by the period of time when these contributions were made.9 The National Park Service defines this period of time as the period of significance.
7 Criterion 4 addresses potential archaeological
resources, which is outside the scope of this
assessment.
8 National Register Bulletin 16A. How to Complete the
National Register Registration Form (Washington
D.C.: National Park Service, United States
Department of the Interior 1997),
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/uploa
d/NRB16A-Complete.pdf (accessed August 2024).
9 National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete the
National Register Nomination Form.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 7 The period of significance is the length of time when a property was associated with important events, activities or persons, or attained the characteristics which qualify it for listing. The period of significance usually begins with the date when significant activities or events began giving the property its historic significance; this is often a date of construction.10
The period of significance usually begins with the date when significant activities or events began, giving the property its historic significance; this is often a date of construction. The period of significance can be as brief as a single year; many, however, span many years and consist of beginning and closing dates. Identification and definition of the period is based on “specific events directly related to the significance of the property,” for example, the date of construction, years of ownership, or length of operation as a particular entity.

INTEGRITY
Historic integrity is the ability of a property to convey its significance and is defined as the “authenticity of a property’s historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property’s historic period.”11 The National Park Service defines seven aspects of integrity: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. These qualities are defined as follows:
 Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event took place.
 Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property.
 Setting is the physical environment of a historic property.  Materials are the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property.
 Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory.  Feeling is a property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time.
 Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property.
10 National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete
the National Register Nomination Form.
11 National Register Bulletin 16A. How to Complete the
National Register Registration Form.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 8 To retain historic integrity a property will always possess several, and usually most, of the aspects. It is not necessary for a property to retain all its historic physical features or characteristics. However, the property must retain the essential physical features that enable it to convey its historic identity.

CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES
Every historic building is unique, with its own identity and its own distinctive character.

Character-defining features are those visual aspects and physical features or elements, constructed during the property’s period of significance, which give the building its historic character and contribute to the integrity of the property. Character-defining features should be considered in the planning and design of a project to preserve them to the maximum extent possible. Character-defining features can identify the building as an example of a specific building type, usually related to the building’s function; they can exemplify the use of specific materials or methods of construction or embody a historical period or architectural style; and they can convey the sense of time and place in buildings associated with significant events or people. 280
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3.0 HISTORIC RESOURCES ASSESSMENT
Previous Surveys and Evaluations
1980-1981 LAGUNA BEACH HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY
The Laguna Beach Historic Resources Survey (1980-1981) was a city-wide block-byblock study to note the location of pre-1940 buildings and to determine which had historic significance. The Historic Survey was made possible by a matching grant from the County of Orange and the State Office of Historic Preservation. The grant was given to the Environmental Coalition of Orange County, Inc. with the approval of the Laguna Beach City Council. The Survey Coordinator was Kathy Les. A portion of the work was subcontracted to the Laguna Beach Historical Society.12 In April 2022, the City Council approved a revised Historic Preservation Program, which was certified by the California Coastal Commission in July 2022. The new ordinance no longer assigns a rating of “E,” “K,” or “C” to historical resources and all references to the Historic Resources Inventory have been eliminated.13 Properties previously considered eligible for the Laguna Beach Historic Register because they were listed in the Inventory are no longer automatically eligible. Properties must be reassessed according to the revised historic preservation ordinance.

The subject property at 31526 Valido Road was not identified during the survey because the residence was not easily accessible from the public right-of-way and was not listed in the Laguna Beach Historic Resources Inventory, adopted in December 1982.14

BUILT ENVIRONMENT RESOURCES DIRECTORY (BERD)
The California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) maintains the Built Environment Resources Directory (BERD), a database of previously evaluated resources throughout the state. The BERD contains information only for cultural resources that have been processed through OHP. This includes resources reviewed for eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places and the California Historical Landmarks programs through federal and state environmental compliance laws, and resources nominated under federal and state registration programs.15
Because the property was not identified during the Laguna Beach Historic Resources 12 Laguna Beach Historic Survey Board Records. MSR98. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt2h4nb12j/
13 Laguna Beach Municipal Code, Chapter 25.45
Historic Preservation, 25.45.004 General Provisions.
https://qcode.us/codes/lagunabeach/?view=desktop&
topic=25-25_45-25_45_004
14 “City of Laguna Beach Historic Resources
Inventory” (Resolution No. 82.111), adopted
December 21, 1982.
15 “Built Environment Resource Directory, Los
Angeles County,” California Office of Historic
Preservation, 2022.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 10 Survey it was not listed in the BERD.

Historic Context
To qualify for historic designation, a property must be significant; that is, it must represent a significant part of the history, architecture, archeology, engineering, or culture of an area, and it must have the characteristics that make it a good representative of properties associated with that aspect of the past. The significance of a historic property can be judged and explained only when it is evaluated within its historic context. A historic context consists of those patterns or trends in history by which a specific occurrence, property, or site is understood and its meaning – and ultimately its significance – within history is made clear.16 The subject property will be evaluated for potential historic significance under the following contexts, themes, and sub-themes based on National Register and California Register criteria.

The subject property has the potential to be significant for its association with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United States; is associated with the lives of persons important to local, California or national history; or for having distinctive physical characteristics of a particular architectural style or property type, or represents the work of a master architect or possesses high artistic values.

The property at 31526 Valido Road is located in a residential neighborhood in South Laguna. The property was originally government land and was claimed as a 40-acre homestead in 1910 by William F. Egan, a farmer from Spadra (now Pomona), California.

Egan farmed the land with his uncle James M. Shrewsbury who claimed an adjoining 160-acre homestead. The earliest homestead in South Laguna was claimed in 1871. But there were still a few plots available when Egan and Shrewsbury started making trips to South Laguna to camp in the early 1900s. Egan built a one-room cabin on the land ca. 1909, which was expanded into a two bedroom cottage by 1928. William Egan died in 1930, and portions of the homestead were slowly sold off by his wife Bertie Egan, who lived full time in the cottage until her death in 1949. The two Egan daughters retained the cottage until the mid-1950s. The cottage has survived two additional owners with some minor alterations but still retains its essential form and massing from 1928. 16 United States Department of the Interior, National
Park Service, National Register Bulletin 15: How to
Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation
(Washington, DC: 1990; revised for Internet 1995), 7,
NRB-15_web508.pdf (nps.gov) (accessed August
2024).
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 11 Location map for 31526 Valido Road. Source: Google Earth, 2024.

Boundary of 1910 Egan Homestead and location of the Egan Residence (31526 Valido Road). Source: Google Earth, 2024.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 12

SOUTH LAGUNA
South Laguna, originally a small, unincorporated beach community in Orange County, was annexed by the City of Laguna Beach in 1987.17 Homes in South Laguna are set into the hillside or perched on a cliff overlooking the beach. Few houses are situated on level lots, and the overwhelming majority of South Laguna homes are cottages and bungalows, hastily built as beach homes that have been continuously remodeled.

The first subdivision in South Laguna was Coast Royal. Leon W. Goff sold his 153-acre homestead claim of coastal land to partners Blanche L. Dolph and Priestly Hall for $700 in 1903.18 In 1906, Priestly Hall deeded the 153 acres of coastal property to Horace J.

Pullen for $100,000 in promissory notes, to be developed as a townsite for a millionaire’s summer resort.19 Blanche Dolph, as co-owner, was unaware of the deal and filed a suit in Superior Court for a half-interest in the land.20 The suit ultimately killed the development and South Laguna remained relatively undeveloped through the 1910s. By 1920, the population of Laguna Beach and South Laguna was 363 persons, not including the Aliso-Capistrano area.21 South Laguna was still underdeveloped, and the only buildings between the Thurston Ranch in Aliso Canyon and San Juan Capistrano were two homes built by William F. Egan, the Robert Anderson home, several shacks in Skunk Hallow, and the Buchheim home at Salt Creek – a total of about eight dwellings.22 In 1924, the Skidmore Brothers of Laguna Beach received the subdivision for Coast Royal and took steps to develop the property. The subdivision formally opened on September 7, 1924, with the Henry P. Barbour Company as the selling agent.23 Advertisements in the Los Angeles newspapers announced the sale of large home sites which ranged from $1,000 to $35,000 with easy terms and featured water utilities and paved roads following the contours of the hillside. Of special interest was the completion of an eighty-foot wide roadway under construction as part of the Coast Highway, from Santa Barbara through Laguna Beach, spanning the length of Coast Royal, to San Juan Capistrano where it would rejoin the coastal road to San Diego.24 This highway would bring Laguna Beach and South Laguna much closer to Los Angeles than the present route through Santa Ana. By mid-1926, the Skidmore Brothers advertised 17 Because South Laguna was an unincorporated part
of Orange County for most of its history, it was not
covered by Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, nor was it
comprehensively covered in South Orange County
directories. Three neighborhoods made up Three
Arches (now South Laguna): Coast Royal, South
Laguna, and Three Arches Bay. There appears to be
some overlap in the boundaries for these
neighborhoods.
18 “Soars Does Land On Beach,” The Los Angeles
Times, August 8, 1906; J.S. Thurston, “Laguna Beach:

Early Days,” (The History Press: Charleston), 1947.
19 “Revives Old Litigation,” The Los Angeles Times,
February 29, 1908.
20 “Soars Does Land On Beach,” The Los Angeles
Times, August 8, 1906.
21 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

43. 22 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

42. Henry Buchheim was a farmer and part of a
pioneering family who contributed to the agricultural
development of Orange County. He was based in
Santa Ana but had farmland in San Juan Capistrano
and Ventura.
23 “Opening!,” The Los Angeles Times, September 7,
1924.
24 “Opening!,” The Los Angeles Times, September 7,
1924; “Subdivisions and Subdividers,” The Los Angeles
Times, September 7, 1924.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 13 Coast Royal as an “exclusive Pasadena colony” which was already home to twenty-eight Pasadena families, and offering private excursions with transportation and lunches to prospective buyers in the west San Gabriel Valley.25
The completion of the Coast Highway in the fall of 1926 further opened South Laguna to additional development. In 1927, promoters Lewis H. Lasley and Walter Bonynge subdivided the standard 120’ x 40’ lots in central South Laguna into smaller lots of 30’ x 40’.26 These smaller lots fetched a more affordable price, with signs reading “Lots from $200.”27 These small lots characterize the older South Laguna residential neighborhoods.

Water was brought from Laguna Beach by gravity, and it was collected in a 500-gallon tank on the property of Elmer Crawford on Catalina Street.28 After resigning from Security First National Bank in Santa Ana, Crawford relocated to South Laguana in 1928, and in 1932, the South Coast Water District was formed with Crawford as president.29 By 1928, the first commercial building was constructed in South Laguna, a six-room hotel. It was later converted into office space in 1935.30 Other commercial buildings constructed in the late 1920s included a small store on the corner of Third Street and Coast Highway, which was run by the Linkie family.31 A gas station was adjacent to the store, which was first run by Harlan Cox and then Ely Wilson.32 The southernmost area of South Laguna, Three Arch Bay, was initially developed by Lasley and Bonynge in 1926. Lasley called the area “The Palisades” and the dirt road that would become La Senda Drive was originally called Bonynge Road.33 In August 1926, Lasley advertised the pre-opening of Three Arch Palisades Tract with the sale of fifty lots, 40’ x 200’ and priced at $2,000, with financing terms.34 To provide water, Lasley developed a 90-foot well on North La Senada Drive, and erected a pumphouse.35 The poor quality of the water; however, led to the development of a second well on South La Senda Drive.36 The Automobile Club of Southern California published a review of Three Arch Bay in the summer 1927, highlighting the coast road to South Laguna.37 The article described Three Arch Bay as “scenic coves…with clean, sandy shore, and colorful cliffs appeal[ing] to artists and recreational seeker[s].”38 In 1929, Lasley advertised 100 home sites with restricted beach access in Three Arch Bay.39 25 “A Special Invitation,” The Pasadena Post, August
27, 1926.
26 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

43. 27 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

43. 28 Glenn and Connie Wells, “Looking Back on South
Laguna,” South Coast News, August 4, 1961.
29 Wells, “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
30 “Wells, Looking Back on South Laguana.”
31 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

43. 32 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,” 43; Wells, “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
33 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

38. 34 “Ocean Front Lots,” The Pasadena Post, August 16, 1926.
35 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

38. 36 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

39. 37 “Three Arches of Laguna Coast Charming,” The
Whittier News, July 16, 1927.
38 “Three Arches of Laguna Coast Charming.”
39 “100 Choice Lots Listed For Sale,” The Pasadena
Post, June 28, 1929.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 14 Although efforts for development were set in place by Lasley and Bonynge, Three Arch Bay was still rural and underdeveloped by the late 1920s. In 1930, the Hallam Cooley Development Corp. purchased the Three Arch Bay property from Lasley and Bonynge and began selling lots in August 1930.40 The tract was described as “the most beautiful location on Laguna Coast. No hillside property. Every lot ocean front and ocean views [sic].”41 Lots were advertised at a price of $900, including “gas, water, electricity, curbs and paved streets.”42 The Hallam Cooley Development Corp. consisted of Hal Cooley, Dick Rowlands, and Dan O’Flaherty.43 They ran excursions for prospective buyers in the new tract, putting up tents along Bay Drive, and served lunch.44 Among the first houses built on the tract was a two-story dwelling for Hollywood movie producer, Edward Griffith and his wife, America, in 1929 by Casey (W.S.) Adamson.45 In July 1934, petitions for water mains in Three Arch Bay were signed by community leaders, including Ida Adams Grant, Elizabeth Cooley, Edward Griffith, Elmer Neher, and Clarence Dunbar.46 By 1936, there were twenty-five houses in Three Arch Bay.47 By 1940, the population of Laguna Beach reached 4,460 persons, a reported 125% increase in ten years by the Anaheim Bulletin.
48 In order to support the growing
community and secure water utilities, in 1941 the Laguna Beach Water District and the South Coast Water District joined the Newport Beach Irrigation District and the Newport Heights Irrigation District, to create a new territorial unit called the Coastal Municipal Water District.49 The newly consolidated district annexed to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in 1942 to obtain water from the Colorado River.50 New infrastructure to carry water from the Laguna Beach north city limits to the South Laguna reservoirs, an approximate six-mile stretch, included a 16-inch transmission line and a new 500,000-gallon capacity reservoir on the east end of West Street, which was on the William F. Egan homestead.51 In 1944, Egan’s wife Bertie was sued in Superior Court by the South Coast Water District for condemnation of land to build the new reservoir tank.52 The property included a 230’ x 394’ parcel and road easements near West Street and Egan Road.53 The suit was successful, and by 1947, the new reservoir was built. Additional infrastructure improvements were made in 1947, including two reservoirs, a pumping 40 “Announcing the Opening of Three Arch Bay,” The
Progress Bulletin, August 13, 1930; “Looking Back on
South Laguana.”
41 “Announcing the Opening of Three Arch Bay.”
42 “Announcing the Opening of Three Arch Bay.”
43 “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
44 “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
45 “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
46 “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
47 “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
48 1960 US Census, Number of Inhabitants in
California Report, Table 8. Population of all
incorporated places and of unincorporated places of
1,000 or more: 1940-1960, 6-29. The unincorporated
town of South Laguna reported less than 0.1 percent
(or less than 100 people) in 1940; “Met District Offers Terms,” Anaheim Bulletin, August 20, 1940.
49 “South Laguna Water District Studies MWD
Annexation Plan,” The Santa Ana Register, March 25,
1942.
50 “South Laguna Water District Studies MWD
Annexation Plan,” The Santa Ana Register, March 25,
1942.
51 “South Laguna Water District Studies MWD
Annexation Plan.”
52 “Water District Files Suit to Obtain Property,” The
Santa Ana Register, April 8, 1944.
53 “Water District Files Suit to Obtain Property.”
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 15 station, additional distribution lines, hydrants, and house services.54 South Laguna underwent a second wave of development during the postwar period. In 1947, a new subdivision, called Unit No. 1 of the Aliso-Laguna Estates, was approved by the Orange County Planning Commission to develop sixty acres with 208 lots, approximately 900-feet inland from the Coast Highway on both sides of the Aliso Creek, by owner and developer Billy Bonds.55 The Commission approved the subdivision with several conditions, including a right-of-way for future access to Aliso Road from the east; construction of a road connecting to the subdivision with the Coast Highway at least 60-feet wide and improved to County standards; and a 36-foot standard width on all streets and bridges.56 In 1949, the commission also approved two additional developments at the northern limits of South Laguna near Treasure Island beach; one, a 350-lot tract from 377 acres on the east side of Coast Highway, owned by Dr. Paul H.

Esslinger, previously the Dolph property, and a second, a smaller 35-acre subdivision opposite the Esslinger tract, on the west side of Coast Highway, to replace the Treasure Island trailer park by owner Jacob U. Kuhns Jr.57 The Esslinger tract would include eighty lots for commercial use and the remainder for single and multi-family dwellings; it was later modified to minimize the tract into 261 lots.58 The Kuhns tract was originally designed as a private, planned community with seventy-four oceanfront lots restricted to architectural design guidelines, not for individual sale, but rather for lease.59 The community would include a clubhouse, and the tennis facilities would be made available to the residents of the community.60 A small area adjoining the Coast Highway would be retained as a business district to service the surrounding community.61 THE HOMESTEAD ACT OF 1862 AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEST62 South Laguna was originally government land that was opened for homesteading in the early 1870s. The Homestead Act was enacted in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln as a means to demonopolize public land holdings and open the western states for development. In its early years of independence, the United States acquired by cessions a public domain in the West covering many millions of acres. This was vastly increased by the purchase of Louisiana, the acquisition of Florida, and the migration of Americans westward to the Pacific. These great open spaces, inhabited by a few hundred thousand Native Americans at the time, constituted a national treasure which was pledged for the 54 “Water Facilities Contract is Let,” The Santa Ana
Register, November 08, 1947.
55 “County Planners Give Approval To New
Subdivision in South Laguna,” The Santa Ana
Register, March 8, 1947.
56 “County Planners Give Approval To New
Subdivision in South Laguna.”
57 “Subdivision to Replace Trailer Park In Laguna
Beach,” The Santa Ana Register, February 22, 1949.
58 “Esslinger Sub-Division Approved by County
Planning Board,” Coastline Dispatch, March 25, 1949;
“Supervisors O.K. Tract,” Anaheim Bulletin,
September 3, 1952.
59 “Subdivision to Replace Trailer Park In Laguna
Beach.”
60 “Subdivision to Replace Trailer Park In Laguna
Beach.”
61 “Subdivision to Replace Trailer Park In Laguna
Beach.”
62 Information on the Homestead Act was largely
adapted from Paul W. Gates, Free Homesteads for All
Americans: The Homestead Act of 1862 (Civil War
Centennial Commission, 1962).
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 16 payment of the public debt, and was therefore to be used as a source of revenue for the government. To obtain income, surveys of the more eastern portion were undertaken, and the land was offered to buyers at $2 an acre. Wild land that was uncleared, unfenced, and lacking in accommodations was barely worth such a price, and sales were few even when credit was extended. Ultimately, the high minimum price of land delayed sales and the development of the West, making it difficult for pioneers to clear and establish farmland.63
Liberal land reformers introduced and supported free homesteading legislation into the House of Representatives. The House passed homestead bills in 1852, 1854, and 1859 and twice in 1860, while the Senate, dominated by the South, resisted. Finally in 1862, President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law, provided that any person, as the head of a family or at least 21 years of age, whether a citizen or an intended citizen, could claim 160 acres of the public domain for farming. Settlers were required to reside on the land and improved it for a period of five years to receive a land title upon the payment of small fees.64
Homesteading officially began on January 1, 1863, and in the first six months 8,223 original entries for an average of 126 acres were filed in forty-two offices scattered from Ohio to the Washington Territory. After the Civil War, homesteading claims largely increased and expanded into other western territories including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Michigan, and by 1870, Kansas, Arkansas, and Nebraska ranked highest in homesteading claims.65 By 1883 the number of new filings had reached 56,565. The West was growing with amazing speed, fed by thousands of families from the East Coast, the Midwest, and Europe. However, the land boom and the westward thrust of settlers produced a bitter conflict between the homesteaders and cattlemen. Night raiding and murder were prevalent, and the struggle brought about the end of the range-cattle industry. It also increased tension between Native American and white settlers that flamed into plains warfare, leading to the removal of Native American tribes from the better portions of their reservations, and opened their tracts to settlers.66 In conjunction with the Homestead Act to leverage western migration and promote an economic stimulus, the U.S. Government passed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. Passed three months after the signing of the Homestead Act, this became the first national act promoting the growth of railroads. It called for the building of a transcontinental railroad that connected the Central Pacific Railroad from California to the Union Pacific Railroad in Nebraska.67 The Pacific Railway Act exemplifies a provision to the Homestead Act as 63 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 3.
64 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 6.
65 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 7.
66 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 8.
67 Christopher Bates, “Pacific Railway Act.”
Encyclopedia of American History: Civil War and
Reconstruction, 1856 to 1869. Ed. Gary B. Nash and
John Waugh. Revised ed. Vol. V. New York: Facts on
File, 2010. American History Online. Web. Dec. 13,
2012. As cited in Jacob Freund, “The Homestead Act
of 1862: The First Entitlement Program,” Journal of
the West 52, no. 6 (2013): 18.
288
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 17 it too granted public lands, but these specifically to the railroads. It allowed railroads to claim land in alternating 200-foot and 10-mile sections along the rail lines under construction. Under this act, a portion of land that was set aside by the Homestead Act was given to railroad companies so they could expand and grow. In total, the government gave railroad companies about 130 million acres of land, with the states adding another 50 million acres of land grants.68
Though the 160-acre homestead unit was well designed for farming in the regions east of the Missouri River, and for some distance into Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota, it proved inadequate for farming as the frontier receded farther west. However, homesteaders could acquire a preemption claim of 160 acres for an additional $200; and after 1873, under the Timber Culture Act, they could gain a third quarter section by planting trees on 40 acres. The system, made more flexible by these provisions, thus adapted to the Great Plains. Misuse of these acts, however, led to their repeal in 1891. Yet settlers could legitimately add to their holdings by purchases from the huge land grants made to railroads or states, and by consolidating homesteads when it appeared that the 160-acre farms were too small for efficient operation.69 In California, large caravans of settlers arrived after the Gold Rush of 1848. Enticed by the preemptive land laws of 1841, which allowed any male citizen a claim to 160 acres of unappropriated public land and gave individual families more than sufficient land on which to maintain a home in California’s fertile valleys. This law, contained as one of its main provisions, a clause to the effect that Native American rights to the land must be terminated. It also eliminated lands known to be mineral rich. The preemptor paid the government the minimum price set on such land which was generally $1.25 per acre or less. The Homestead Act, freely giving 160 acres of land to each settler, followed essentially the provisions of the Preemption Act, requiring residence and good faith on the part of the settler in the development of the land as a permanent home.70 Unfortunately, the commutation clause of the Homestead Act was responsible for the mismanagement of public lands. Many thousands of homesteads that were formally patented were ultimately transferred to cattle ranchers, lumber companies, or capitalists who had hired agents to make the entries, and who had bribed Federal land officials. The clause permitted homesteaders at the conclusion of six months residence on the land, to commute their entry to a preemption claim. This would confer a title and enable them to sell it to others. Homesteaders using this road to ownership were hired by wealthy businessmen to make their entries, commute them, and transfer the 68 Benson, Sonia G., Jennifer York Stock, and Carol
Brennan, eds. “Railroads: The First Big Business.”
Development of the Industrial U.S. Reference Library.

Vol. 1. Detroit: UXL, 2006. 68–83. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Web. Dec. 15, 2012. As cited in
Freund, “The Homestead Act of 1862: The First
Entitlement Program,” 19.
69 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 9.
70 William S. Brown and S.B. Show, California Rural
Land Use and Management (United States
Department of Agriculture, 1944), 97-98.
289
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 18 ownership.71 After 1880, commutation and the sale of relinquishments became increasingly common. In the rush to locate tracts, homesteaders frequently made selections that soon proved ill adapted to farming and subsequently had to be abandoned. Relinquishments, abandonments, and commutations prevented slightly more than half of all the original homestead filings from reaching patent as free land, though some of the homesteaders gained title through commutation.72 Ultimately, the Homestead Act provided a unique opportunity to develop farms or ranches suitable for agriculture, as well as much that was not, throughout the western frontier. Although nearly half of those who tried to create farms on the vast western domain failed, the other half succeeded and made the United States the greatest surplus food producing nation in the world. The rush of homesteaders (and of miners who also were attracted to the West by the Government’s liberal policy toward mineral lands) had populated unclaimed public land in established states and created thirteen new states. Most important of all, however, was the fact that the Homestead Act and its successors had permitted nearly 1,500,000 families to acquire the dignity of independence in farm ownership.73

HOMESTEADERS IN SOUTH LAGUNA
Most of Laguna Beach was not part of the of the Spanish (1784), and later Mexican (1824), land grant system that created the Ranchos in California. These large parcels of land in what would become Los Angeles, then Orange County, were used primarily for raising cattle. To establish boundaries, surveys were done on horseback and sometimes there was land between the Ranchos that was not claimed. California became a state in 1848, and land not claimed reverted to the government. These “no grant” public lands were surveyed beginning in 1855, and in 1875 one surveyor noted the triangle of land that would become Laguna Beach had very little value because of its rocky terrain and salty springs.

Through the Homestead Act of 1862 and later the Timber-Culture Act of 1871, individuals and families seeking opportunities began to arrive at Laguna Beach and stake out their 160-acre claims of farmland or plant the required 40 acres of trees under the Timber-Culture Act. In Laguna Beach, the Australian eucalyptus was prominently planted and overgrown in the 1880s, which helped form the character of Laguna and added much-needed shade; however, their use as lumber was impractical. The groves grew so prodigiously that in the 1910s, eucalyptus trees had to be cut down by the dozens to carve out space for the growing community.74
71 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 9.
72 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 10.
73 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 12.
74 Karen Turnbull, “A Short History of Laguna Beach”,
https://www.lightheaded.com/asite/laguna/laguna_history/laguna_beac h_history.php, accessed November 2024.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 19 In 1871, Eugene Salter was the first American settler of South Laguna. He claimed 152 acres of Aliso Canyon, but shortly thereafter he moved away, and his land with a oneroom shack was claimed by George Thurston, Sr. and his wife and Sarah in 1879.75 The Thurstons farmed the land, growing vegetables and melons to sell in Los Angeles, which was then a five-day trip by wagon. Other early homesteaders in South Laguna include Leon W. Goff Sr. in 1884, Lafayette Thurston and George Thurston, Jr. in 1891, and William F. Egan and James M. Shrewsbury in 1910 and 1911, respectively.76 These homesteaders claimed land parcels from Aliso Canyon south to Three Arch Bay. In central South Laguna, Leon W. Goff sold his 153-acre claim of coastal land to partners Blanche L. Dolph and Priestly Hall for $700 in 1903, before returning to Missouri.77 Just north of the Dolph property, William F. Egan and his uncle, James M. Shrewsbury, took up a claim on 200 acres of land extending from approximately what is now West Street to 10th Avenue in 1910 and 1911.78 Egan’s forty square acres bounded Blanche Dolph’s property to the south, Thurston’s claim in Aliso Canyon to the west, and Shrewsbury’s claim to the north and east.79 Together, Egan and Shrewsbury farmed the land and grew melons, string beans, lima beans, and squash to sell at markets in Los Angeles and San Francisco.80
Egan built two of the first three homes in South Laguna; the Egan house (31526 Valido Road) ca. 1909, and the Shrewsbury house (not extant) near what is now Providence Mission Hospital.81 Between these two homes was a temporary shack of a Mexican farm laborer who worked for the Egans.82 The third home in South Laguna and the nearest dwelling to Three Arch Bay at the turn of the century, belonged to Robert Anderson, which stood alone at the top of 9th Avenue (not extant) on land Egan had sold to him.83 During the teen years, the area was still undeveloped, dotted with grazing cattle from the nearby Moulton ranch, and farmland belonging to the Egan and Shrewsbury family.84 The Egan homestead transitioned from rural land when the Egan family slowly began selling portions of the property. By 1950, residential development was more profitable than farming and two subdivisions were planned north of West Street, Tract No. 1243 75 Turnbull, “A Short History of Laguna Beach.”
76 Beryl Wilson Viebeck, Homestead Map Overlays
Modern Streets, Laguna Beach Historical Society.
77 “Soars Does Land On Beach,” The Los Angeles
Times, August 8, 1906; J.S. Thurston, “Laguna Beach:

Early Days,” (The History Press: Charleston), 1947.
78 US Department Bureau of Land Management,
Patent #027766 for 40 acres granted to William F.

Egan, Issue Date 1/17/1910; US Department Bureau
of Land Management, Patent #170682 for 160 acres
granted to James M. Shrewsbury, Issue Date
1/16/1911.
79 1913 Laguna Road Distract Map, OC Archives.
80 “50 Cents Pound Received For Early Beans,” The
Santa Ana Register, April 10, 1920.
81 Karen Wilson Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An
Illustrated History,” (Friss-Pioneer Press: Santa Ana), 1977, 35. James Shrewsbury was living with his
mother Nancy Shrewsbury (Egan’s grandmother) at
the time.
82 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

35. 83 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

35. Glenn and Connie Wells, “Looking Back on South
Laguna,” South Coast News, August 4, 1961.
84 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

36. 291
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 20 and Tract No. 702/713.85 Based on historic aerial photographs from 1960, residential development in central South Laguna, east and west of the Coast Highway, was well established. The two tracts on the Egan homestead, however, were not fully developed until the mid-1970s, although much of the hillside acreage north of the homestead was permanently left undeveloped as County owned land.86
WILLIAM F. EGAN (1862-1930)
William Fredrick Egan was born in 1862 in California to John Robert Egan, a blacksmith, and Jane Ann Egan (nee. Shrewsbury).87 John Egan was born in Kentucky and relocated to California in 1852. By 1870 the family was living in the San Jose township of Los Angeles County. The family relocated to Spadra, California (Pomona Valley) in 1876 where John Egan became the town blacksmith.88 Jane Ann (Shrewsbury) Egan died in 1874, and John Egan passed away in 1903.89
In 1880, William Egan was living with his grandmother, Nancy A. Shrewsbury, in Spadra and with his uncle James F. Shrewsbury and aunt Mary Shrewsbury Beach. He worked as a farm laborer on the Shrewsbury’s apiary farm.90 In the early 1900s, Egan and his uncle would take camping trips to Laguna Beach, and they first laid claim in 1902 to undeveloped land in South Laguna near Aliso Canyon.91 Camping in Laguna was an escape from the high summer heat of the inland communities and many early residents found that homesteading could provide additional income from the land they claimed.

The Homestead Act was designed to allow individuals to settle on and farm land. In Laguna farming was difficult because of the steep slopes, hills and canyons and profitable farming was rare. Most homesteads were converted into subdivisions and buildable lots. Shrewsbury and Egan decided on the former.

In 1909, William Egan married Alberta (Bertie) E. McCoy in Spadra.92 The couple honeymooned on Egan’s claim in South Laguna in a small one-room cabin Egan had constructed located between Salt Creek and Aliso Creek.93 In 1910, Egan made an official homestead claim to 40 acres of land just east of Aliso Canyon, and in 1911, Shrewsbury laid claim to 160 acres to the northeast of Egan’s land.94 Together, they 85 Orange County Assessor Map, Tract no. 1243, book
56, page 07; Orange County Assessor Map
no.702/713, book 56, page 06, March 1950.
86 1968 and 1976 Aerial photographs; Orange County
Assessor Records.
87 1870 US Census for William F. Egan, Ancestry.com,
accessed October 2024.
88 1870 US Census for William F. Egan, Ancestry.com,
accessed October 2024.
89 “John Robert Egan,” Pomona Daily Progress,
January 7, 1903.
90 1880 US Census for James Shrewsbury,
Ancestry.com, accessed November 2024.
91 Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-
Acre Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30,
1948.
92 California Birth, Marriage, and Death Records,
1849-1980, for Bertie E. McCoy, accessed November
2024.
93 Bernice Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here
on 200-Acre Homestead,” South Coast News,
September 30, 1948; “Found Missing Animal,”
Progress-Bulletin (Pomona, CA), August 28, 1915.
94 US Department Bureau of Land Management,
Patent #027766 for 40 acres granted to William F.

Egan, Issue Date 1/17/1910; US Department Bureau
of Land Management, Patent #170682 for 160 acres
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 21 acquired 200 acres spanning roughly from Aliso Canyon south to Honeycomb Canyon near current Fifth Avenue for $1.68 per acre.95
William and Bertie had two daughters, Frances M. Egan (1910-1996) and Esther W.

Egan (1912-2001).96 Between 1910 and 1914, the Egans predominantly resided in Spadra, where William was working as an apiarist and farmer.97 By 1915, the family divided their time between Spadra and South Laguna, where Egan and Shrewsbury farmed their land, growing string beans, melons, squash, and lima beans.98 Their farmland extended south of the Egan homestead to the Pacific Ocean, unto Blanche Dolph’s land.99 During the harvest season, they hired Mexican laborers who camped with their families under the cypress trees that used to line the wagon road that is now Coast Highway.100 Egan and Shrewsbury would harvest crops to ship to the Los Angeles and San Francisco markets, obtaining 50 cents per a pound for string beans in 1920.101 Picking beans, William F. Egan and James M. Shrewsbury in South Laguna, ca. 1915. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.
granted to James M. Shrewsbury, Issue Date
1/16/1911.
95 Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-
Acre Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30,
1948.
96 California Birth Index for Frances M. Egan and
Esther W. Egan, Ancestry.com, accessed October
2024.
97 1910 US Census for William F. Egan, Ancestry.com,
accessed October 2024; 1910-1912 Orange County
Voter Registration for William F. Egan, Ancestry.com,
accessed October 2024.
98 1914-1916 Orange County Voter Registration for
William F. Egan, Ancestry.com, accessed October
2024;
Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-
Acre Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30,
1948.
99 Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-
Acre Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30,
1948.
100 Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-
Acre Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30,
1948.
101 “50 Cents Pound Received for Early Beans,” The
Santa Ana Register, April 10, 1920.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 22 In July 1920, the Egans built a new home in Spadra. They split their time between their two homes until they made South Laguna their primary residence in 1928.102 Over the years the Egans expanded their South Laguna one-room cabin. About 1910, when their first daughter was born, they added a living room and bedroom, and in 1928, they added a dining room and guest room (to accommodate Egan’s aunt Mary Beach), finalizing the current L-shape plan of the house.103 William continued to farm the land until falling ill in October 1930.104 He died on December 27, 1930, and was interred in the family plot at the Spadra Cemetery.105
Frances and Esther Egan standing at the rear of the Egan house, ca. 1915. View looking towards the southeast.

Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.

Bertie Egan retained ownership of the property and began selling off portions of the homestead beginning in 1934 including portions to the South Coast Water District in 1937 and 1944, to build a water reservoir to the northeast of the property.106 Bertie Egan died on January 16, 1949, following several months of illness, and the Egan family home 102 “Enjoys Outing At Beaches,” Progress-Bulletin
(Pomona, CA), July 31, 1920; “Mrs. Bertie Egan,
Pioneer Resident, Expires Sunday,” South Coast
News, January 18, 1949.
103 Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-
Acre Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30,
1948.
104 1930 US Census for William F. Egan,
Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024; “Coast Royal,”
South Coast News, October 21, 1930.
105 “Coast Pioneer Passes Saturday”, South Coast
News, January 2, 1931.
106 Chain of Title for 31526 Valido Road, Orange
County Archives; “Real Estate Transfer,” The Santa
Ana Register, May 19, 1937; “Water District Files Suit
To Obtain Property,” The Santa Ana Register, Apr 8,
1944.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 23 was split between her daughters Frances and Esther Egan.107 The Egan family retained ownership of family home until it was sold in 1956.108
BEACH COTTAGE ARCHITECTURE (1910-1940)109
The Beach Cottage is one of the most predominant types of architecture found in Laguna Beach. As defined in the City’s Historic Resources Element, the Beach Cottage (1910-1940) is a type of vernacular architecture that developed as a result of the building boom in the 1920s.110 It is not a nationally recognized style of architecture but rather a property type that flourished in local beach communities. The construction of small vacation homes proliferated throughout Southern California beach communities with increasing personal wealth, the completion and expansion of the Pacific Electric Railway along the coast, and ownership of personal automobiles. Beach cottages were often constructed on a budget, as reflected in their informal design and use of materials, such as wood-frame construction with minimal architectural ornamentation. Generally, the type did not develop beyond the coastal communities and is a particularly characteristic property type in Laguna Beach and is the most prevalent architectural style in South Laguna.

The Beach Cottage is a simple structure generally one-story in height, rectangular in plan with wood siding including board-and-batten, clapboard or shingles, front or side porch, and a low-pitched gable roof. In Laguna Beach, because of its varied terrain, the beach cottage is found on level ground, in the hills, or cliffside.

Character defining features include:
 Rectangular plan
 Asymmetrical massing
 One-story in height
 Board-and-batten, shingle, or lap siding
 Simply framed square windows
 Low pitched gable roof
 Extended eaves with exposed rafters
 Porch or patio
107 “Mrs. Bertie Egan, Pioneer Resident, Expires
Sunday,” South Coast News, January 18, 1949; Chain
of Title for 31526 Valido Road, Orange County
Archives.
108 Chain of Title for 31526 Valido Road, Orange
County Archives.
109 Information on beach cottage architecture is
adapted from the Environmental Coalition of Orange
County, “Laguna Beach Historic Resources
Inventory,” April 1981
110 “City of Laguna Beach Historic Resources
Element,” adopted July 1981, amendment adopted by
City Council January 10, 2006, 19.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 24 Ownership and Development History111
The property at 31526 Valido Road is currently located in Tract No. 702/713 (Por.

SW1/4, NW1/4, Sec. 5, T8S, R8W) north of West Street and west of Valido Road in South Laguna. The tract is one of two tracts developed ca. 1950 on the homestead legally claimed by William F. Egan in 1910.112 A small one-room cabin was built by William Egan ca. 1909 as a stipulation of the Homestead Act for laying claim to the land.

The building was expanded over the years into a residence to accommodate the needs of the Egan homestead and family.

As an unincorporated beach community until 1987, South Laguna did not retain a complete archive of building permits and original building permits for the residence do not exist and Orange County assessor records are inconclusive. Newspaper accounts of the period; however, note the original construction date as approximately 1909.113 It was reported that William and Bertie Egan honeymooned in a one-room cabin at the site after they were married in 1909. The small one-room cabin measured approximately 10’ x 16’ and ultimately became the kitchen of the residence when it was expanded ca. 1910 when their first daughter was born. A living room and bedroom were added at that time.

The residence was enlarged again in 1928 with the addition of a dining room and a guest bedroom. 114 Between 1914 and 1928, the Egans divided their time between South Laguna and Spadra, living several years at a stretch in either place. In 1928, they moved to South Laguna to live full time and settled into a life of hosting family and friends in their newly remodeled home.115 Egan’s aunt, Mary Beach, also moved in with them at this time.

Historic family photographs depict the evolution of the house. The original single-room cabin (ca. 1909) had a shed roof and staggered shake siding, and the first addition (ca. 1910) had a gable roof, roughly spaced board-and-batten siding, a brick chimney, and an elevated foundation.
111 Chain of Title for 237 Canyon Acres Drive, Laguna
Beach. Orange County Archives.
112 US Department Bureau of Land Management,
Patent #027766 for 40 acres granted to William F.

Egan, Issue Date 1/17/1910.
113 This report established the build date as ca. 1909
because it is known there was a building on the
property the year the Egan’s were married. However,
the date could be a few years earlier but there is no
documentation to support that claim.
114 Bernice Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon here
on 200-Acre Homestead,” South Coast News,
September 30, 1948.
115 Mrs. Bertie Egan, Pioneer Resident Expires
Sunday,” South Coast News, January 18, 1949.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 25 Egan homestead with original one-room cabin at the far left with shed roof, and the addition with brick chimney and gable roof to the right, ca. 1910. View looking towards the east. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.

By 1928, photographs depict the second addition on the north side of the house filling the void between the existing structures and creating the L-shaped plan. The cottage was unified in design with updated windows, new board-and-batten siding, and a new roof structure with exposed rafter tails.

Egan homestead with addition and unified design, ca. 1928. View looking towards the northeast. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 26 Construction chronology for 31526 Valido Road. Google Earth, 2024.

William Egan died in December 1930, and Bertie retained ownership of the 40-acre homestead. In 1934, Bertie deeded a portion of the property to her daughter Esther Egan as a wedding gift. Esther married Howard R. Hind in 1935, and they built a home nearby in Coast Royal. Bertie sold a portion of the property to the South Coast Water District in 1937, and more was taken by eminent domain in 1944 to build a water reservoir.116 It appears a small addition used for laundry and storage was built onto the northeast facade ca. 1945.117 Bertie Egan died in January 1949, and her estate passed to her two daughters, Frances Egan Chatham and Esther Egan Hind. By 1950, they had sold a majority the homestead to developer Billy Bonds for two subdivisions north of West Street which would become Tract No. 1243 and No. 702/713.

The Egan house was sold in 1956 to Nelson and Edna L. Holmwood, husband and wife as joint tenants. They did not own the property for very long. Curtis D. and Elizabeth A.

Neiswender acquired the property in 1959.

The first documented work on the property was performed in 1958. Mr. and Mrs.

Neiswender contracted with Morgan Paving Co. to grade and pave the driveway from 116 “Real Estate Transfers,” The Santa Ana Register,
May 19, 1937; “Real Estate Transfers,” The Santa Ana
Register, January 17, 1937; “Water District Diles Suit
to Obtain Property,” The Santa Ana Register, April 8,
1944.
117 Reference aerial photographs from 1947, 1960,
1968, and 1976.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 27 Valido Road and the parking area to the east of the cottage. Additional grading was done in 1961.118 In 1962, the County conducted street improvements to pave curbs and driveway approaches for private residences.119 About 1970, a small addition with a shed roof, aluminum windows, and a raised deck was added on the south facade.120 It appears the south wing had some alterations at this time including several wood windows were replaced with aluminum windows on the east and west facades of the south wing, and the board-and-batten siding was replaced with horizontal wood clapboard siding.

In 1996, a city inspection reported the illegal conversion of a carport into a garage.121 There is no permit for the carport or the garage, but a 1960 aerial photograph shows a detached structure to the southeast. The first building permit on record was issued in 2005 for reroofing the house and the detached garage with fiberglass shingles.122 In 2005, the property was transferred to the Trust of James W. O’Mara and Elizabeth A.

Neiswender, with James and Elizabeth as trustees. In 2021, the property was transferred to the Elizabeth A. Neiswender Separate Property Trust after the death of her husband James O’Mara. After the death of Elizabeth A. Neiswender in 2022, her successor trustees sold the property to Hongbin Peng, trustee of the P & C Family Trust.

A complete list of building permits for 31526 Valido Road is included in Appendix A, and detailed ownership information is included in Appendix C.

Architectural Description
The single-family one-story residence and detached garage at 31526 Valido Road in South Laguna is located on a polygonal lot which slopes down to the west and is bound by single-family residences to the east, south, and partially to the west. The north and northwest side of the parcel fronts the hillside, unobstructed by residential development. Valido Road is a narrow, curvilinear, residential street sloping west to the intersection of West Street and Catalina Avenue. Coast Highway is located approximately 900 feet from the intersection of Valido Road and West Street. The residence is deeply setback down a paved driveway from Valido Road and is not visible from the street.

The oldest portion of the residential cottage was initially constructed ca. 1909 with additions ca. 1910 and remodeled in 1928. The house has an L-shaped plan with a cross gabled roof, open eaves, and a partially elevated foundation. The exterior walls of the residence are clad with a combination of wood board-and-batten siding and wood 118 Morgan Paving Co. Invoice 963, October 14, 1958
and Invoice 1832, August 9, 1961.
119 County of Orange Highway Department, permit
no. 4793, December 26, 1962.
120 Reference aerial photographs from 1947, 1960,
1968, and 1976.
121 City of Laguna Beach Department of Community
Planning Complaint form, No. 96-006, January 8,
1996.
122 City of Laguna Beach Building Permit No. B05-
2491 and 2492, issued December 14, 2005.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 28 clapboard siding. It appears the board-and-batten is original from the 1928 construction, while the horizontal siding is a later replacement. Fenestration consists primarily of wood sash and replacement aluminum sliding windows framed with simple flat wood surrounds. Some of the older wood windows have wood framed screens. An enclosed brick chimney is located near the cross gable in the roof where the ca. 1910 and 1928 additions meet.

The east (primary) facade is asymmetrical in composition, showing the intersection of the L-shaped plan. The entrance to the residence is located on the northeast extension of the L through a narrow enclosed porch with a wood framed screen door and wood sash windows. The entry features a non-original paneled door. This volume has wood board-and-batten and clapboard siding and is likely the original ca. 1909 portion of the house, although it has been significantly altered. According to an early photograph, the volume had shingle siding and a shed roof. The 1928 addition to the west appears to retain its original wood, board-and-batten siding and wood sash windows on the north and west facades. The ca. 1910 wing to the south has been substantially altered. It originally had narrow board-and-batten siding but was remodeled in 1928 with wider spaced battens and the original windows were replaced. It now has horizontal clapboard siding, and the 1928 windows have been replaced with large aluminum sliding windows.

The aluminum windows and clapboard siding appear to have been added ca. 1970 at the same time as the small addition on the south wing because the construction and appearance is all similar.

The detached two-car garage with a side gable roof is clad with wood board-and-batten siding. It replaced an unpermitted carport that was built ca. 1960. Mature trees and wild bushes and shrubs are overgrown throughout the property, and there is a simple concrete walkway along the north side of the parcel. There are remnants of low stone walls in the rear yard.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 29

4.0 EVALUATION OF ELIGIBILITY
The subject property at 31526 Valido Road will be evaluated against relevant contexts and themes and according to established criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources. A period of significance of ca. 1909-1928 has been established which indicates the date when the original cabin was constructed to the date when the last significant addition was added in 1928 by the Egan family. This was also the period when William F. Egan claimed the homestead and was actively farming the land.

Evaluation of Historic Significance
CRITERION A/1
To be considered for listing under Criterion A/1, a property must be associated with one or more events, important in the defined historic context. Criterion A/1 recognizes properties associated with single events, such as the founding of a town, or with a pattern of events, repeated activities, or historic trends. The event or trends, however, must clearly be important within the associated context. The property must have an important association with the event or historic trends, and it must retain historic integrity.

The single-family residence that would become 31526 Valido Road was originally constructed ca. 1909 on unclaimed government land in South Laguna. William F. Egan, a farmer from Spadra (Pomona), California, would officially claim the land the following year in 1910 as a homestead. The Homestead Act of 1862 gave ownership to 160 acres of land provided the applicant filed the necessary paperwork, improved the land with a structure 12’ x 14’, grew crops, and lived on the land for a minimum of five years.

William Egan claimed 40-acres of land and his uncle James M. Shrewsbury claimed an adjoining 160-acres of land in 1911. Together, they acquired 200 acres spanning roughly from Aliso Canyon south to Honeycomb Canyon near current Fifth Avenue for $1.68 per acre. Between them, they had enough land to establish a profitable farming concern and proceeded to grow melons, string beans, lima beans, and squash to sell at markets in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Egan also built a one-room cabin on the land to satisfy the claim. That cabin would grow into a two-bedroom cottage by 1928. Initially, Egan and his wife Bertie split their time between Spadra and South Laguna. They expanded the cabin ca. 1910 when their first daughter Frances was born by adding a living room and bedroom. In 1928, they added a dining room and guest room, finalizing the current Lshaped plan of the house, and they made South Laguna their primary residence. William Egan passed away in 1930 and Bertie died in 1949. The Egan daughters sold the last of the homestead in 1956. The house has had two additional owners and has had some alterations, but it retains its original form and massing from 1928 and conveys its association with the Eagn homestead in South Laguna.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 30 The Homestead Act drew many to settle in Laguna Beach. Farming was difficult because of the steep slopes, hills and canyons and profitable farming was rare. Most homesteads were converted into subdivisions and buildable lots. Eugene Salter, the first homesteader in South Laguna (1871) left after only a few years. He sold his land and cabin to George Thurston, Sr. in 1879. The Thurston family made a success farming the land and built a home in Aliso Canyon, but that house no longer exists. Leon W. Goff who claimed a homestead in 1884 eventually sold his claim to developers Blanche L.

Dolph and Priestly Hall in 1903.

William Egan built two of the first three homes in South Laguna; the Egan cabin ca. 1909, and the Shrewsbury house (not extant) near what is now Providence Mission Hospital. The third home in South Laguna belonged to Robert Anderson, which stood alone at the top of 9th Avenue (not extant) on land Egan had sold to him. It appears the Egan residence at 31526 Valido Road may be the last intact residence associated with homesteading in South Laguna still in existence on its original site.

The residential property at 31526 Valido Road was built by William F. Egan, an early homesteader in South Laguna who made a success of farming on the land he claimed in an area notoriously difficult to farm because of its hilly terrain. The residence is the last vestige of the pioneer spirit that brought homesteaders to the region in search of opportunity and a mild climate. The homesteads of South Laguna have all been subdivided and developed into rows and pockets of single-family homes, and while the Egan residence fits neatly into its found neighborhood, it is still an intact representation of the early homesteads in South Laguna and is significant under National Register Criterion A at the local level of significance and California Register Criterion 1.

CRITERION B/2
According to National Park Service guidance, properties may be significant for an association with the lives of persons significant in our past. Persons “significant in our past” refers to individuals whose activities are demonstrably important within a local, state, or national historic context. A property is not eligible if its only justification for significance is that it was owned or used by a person who was a member of an identifiable profession, class, or social or ethnic group. In addition, the property must be associated with a person’s productive life, reflecting the time period when he or she achieved significance. Properties that pre- or post-date an individual’s significant accomplishments are typically not eligible. Also, Criterion B/2 is generally restricted to properties that illustrate a person’s important achievements.

Homesteader and farmer William F. Egan claimed land in South Laguna in 1910. He built a cottage and developed a profitable farm, and his actions embody the original objective of the Homestead Act. While he is known as an early homesteader, he is not the first homesteader nor the most important homesteader in South Laguna. He kept a fairly low profile and was not involved in local, state or national affairs, and there is no 302
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 31 documentation to suggest he made a significant impact on local, state or national history.

Therefore, the Egan residence on Valido Road is not significant for its association with William F. Egan under National Register Criterion B or California Register Criterion 2.

CRITERION C/3
According to National Park Service guidance, Criterion C/3 applies to properties significant for their physical design or construction. To be eligible under Criterion C/3, a property must have distinctive characteristics of a particular type or architectural style, represent the work of a master, or possess high artistic value. The one-story single family residence at 31526 Valido Road was originally constructed ca. 1909 as a homestead cabin and it was enlarged in ca. 1910 and remodeled in 1928. It was self-built by William F. Egan and has the appearance of a hillside cottage; a modest home constructed with at-hand materials, simple wood frame construction and few decorative elements.

The residence is a typical example of a hillside cottage property type. It retains some original features, including wood board-and-batten siding, wood sash windows, onestory height, and L-shaped plan with cross gabled roof. Major alterations outside the period of significance include the replacement of board-and-batten siding with horizontal wood clapboard siding, and the alteration and replacement of several windows with aluminum sliding windows. The cottage is not unique in design or construction and does not possess the distinctive characteristics of a particular architectural style.

As a result, it is not an excellent or rare example of an architectural style or property type; it does not exhibit high quality of design or craftsmanship; it is not an important example of the work of a notable builder, designer, or architect; therefore, 31526 Valido Road is not significant under National Register Criterion C or California Register Criterion 3.

Evaluation of Integrity
Historical resources eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources must meet one or more of the criteria of significance as described above and retain enough of their historic character or appearance (integrity) to be recognizable as historical resources and to convey the reasons for their significance. If a resource has been found that it does not meet one or more of the criteria of significance, it is not necessary to evaluate integrity. Eligibility is contingent on having significance and integrity. As noted above in the evaluation of significance, it was found the property meets criterion A/1; therefore, it will be evaluated for integrity.

As previously noted, the National Park Service defines seven aspects of integrity for 303
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 32 historical resources. These are location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. To retain historic integrity a property will always possess several, and usually most of the aspects. It is not necessary for a property to retain all its historic physical features or characteristics. However, the property must retain the essential physical features that enable it to convey its historic identity. The integrity of 31526 Valido Road is evaluated below based on these seven aspects.

The single-family residence at 31526 Valdo Road remains on its original site and therefore retains integrity of location. The setting has changed significantly since the residence was constructed and up through its period of significance (ca. 1909-1928).

Initially it was surrounded by farmland and even into the late 1930s there were few neighboring residences, whereas it is now surrounded by other single-family residences; therefore, the property does not retain integrity of setting. The cottage has had several alterations since its period of significance including the addition of a small utility room at the northeast corner of the cottage in the 1940s and the addition of a small addition with raised porch at the south wing in the 1970s. Several windows have been replaced and some of the wood board-and-batten siding has been replaced with wood clapboard siding. However, the property retains integrity of design, materials, workmanship and feeling because none of the alterations have diminished its ability to convey its significance. The residence retains its one-story form and massing and L=shaped plan from its period of significance and still has the appearance of the 1928 cottage associated with the Egan homestead and retains integrity of association.

Conclusion
This report has evaluated the single-family residence at 31526 Valido Road in South Laguna in the City of Laguna Beach for eligibility for designation as a historical resource.

The property was evaluated against the established eligibility criteria and integrity thresholds for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources.

The property at 31526 Valido Road is significant under Criterion A/1 for its association with the Homestead Act of 1862. William F. Egan, a farmer from the inland community of Spadra, came to South Laguna in the early 1900s and discovered the opportunity to acquire land for the cost of building a small cabin and some sweat equity. He claimed 40 acres of land for himself in 1910, and his uncle James M. Shrewsbury claimed 160-acres of land in 1911. Together they established a successful farm where they grew string beans, melons, squash, and lima beans that would be shipped to markets in Los Angeles and San Francisco. With the success of his claim Egan was able to expand his one-room cabin (ca. 1909) into a two-bedroom cottage (1928) where he lived with his wife Bertie until his untimely death in 1930. Bertie Egan continued to live in the cottage until her death in 1949. The homestead was eventually sold off to developers and claimed by the South Coast Water District to build water reservoirs for South Laguna. The remainder 304
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 33 became undeveloped county land. The Egan residence appears to be the last intact residence associated with homesteading in South Laguna still in existence on its original site.

Based on the findings of this assessment, the single-family residence at 31526 Valido Road, is significant under National Register Criterion A at the local level of significance and California Register Criterion 1. However, for the purposes of CEQA, the threshold is eligibility for listing in the California Register. The City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance defines a historic resource as one that has been found eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources. It was found the property is significant under California Register Criterion 1 and is eligible for listing in the California Register. Therefore, the property is a historic resource for the purposes of CEQA. 305
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 34

4.0 REFERENCES

BIBLIOGRAPHY
“100 Choice Lots Listed for Sale,” The Pasadena Post, June 28, 1929.
“50 Cents Pound Received for Early Beans,” The Santa
Ana Register, April 10, 1920.
1870 US Census for William F. Egan, Ancestry.com,
accessed October 2024.
1880 US Census for James Shrewsbury, Ancestry.com,
accessed November 2024.
1910 US Census for William F. Egan, Ancestry.com,
accessed October 2024.
1910-1912 Orange County Voter Registration for William
F. Egan, Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024.
1913 Laguna Road Distract Map. Orange County Archives.
1914-1916 Orange County Voter Registration for William
F. Egan, Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024.
1930 US Census for William F. Egan, Ancestry.com,
accessed October 2024.
1960 US Census, “Number of Inhabitants in California
Report, Table 8.” Population of all incorporated places and of unincorporated places of 1,000 or more: 1940-
1960.
“Announcing the Opening of Three Arch Bay,” The
Progress Bulletin, August 13, 1930.

Brown, William S. and S.B. Show, California Rural Land
Use and Management. United States Department of
Agriculture, 1944.
“Built Environment Resource Directory, Orange County.”
California Office of Historic Preservation, 2022.

California Birth Index for Frances M. Egan and Esther W.

Egan, Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024.

California Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980, for Bertie E. McCoy, accessed November 2024.
“California Historical Resource Status Codes,” California Office of Historic Preservation, 2022.

Chain of Title for 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach. Legal Description: Portion of the SW ¼ of the NW ¼ of S5
T8S, R8W, S B B & M. Orange County Archives.

City of Laguna Beach building and planning records for
31526 Valido Road,
https://www.lagunabeachcity.net/government/departm
ents/community-development/planningzoning/historic-preservation. Accessed October 2024.

City of Laguna Beach Historic Preservation Ordinance.

Laguna Beach Municipal Code Chapter 25.45 Historic
Preservation.
“City of Laguna Beach Historic Resources Element.”
(Resolution No. 06.006) Adopted July 1981.

Amendment adopted by Laguna Beach City Council,
January 10, 2006.
“City of Laguna Beach Historic Resources Inventory.”
(Resolution 82.111) Adopted by the Laguna Beach City
Council, December 21, 1982.
“Coast Pioneer Passes Saturday”, South Coast News,
January 2, 1931.
“Coast Royal,” South Coast News, October 21, 1930.

County of Orange, Historical Aerial Imagery, OC Archives. http://www.ocgis.com/ocpw/historicalimagery/index.html. “County Planners Give Approval to New Subdivision in
South Laguna,” The Santa Ana Register, March 8, 1947.
“Enjoys Outing at Beaches,” Progress-Bulletin (Pomona,
CA), July 31, 1920.
“Esslinger Sub-Division Approved by County Planning
Board,” Coastline Dispatch, March 25, 1949.
“Found Missing Animal,” Progress-Bulletin (Pomona, CA), August 28, 1915.

Freund, Jacob. “The Homestead Act of 1862: The First
Entitlement Program,” Journal of the West 52, No. 6
(2013).

Gates, Paul W. Free Homesteads for All Americans: The
Homestead Act of 1862. Civil War Centennial
Commission, 1962.
“Historic American Landscapes Survey of Laguna Beach,”
HALS CA-123. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of
the Interior, National Park Service, 2016.

Janz, Jane. Naming Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach, CA:

Pacific-Noir Press, 2018.
“John Robert Egan,” Pomona Daily Progress, January 7,
1903.

Laguna Beach Historic Survey Board Records. MS-R98.

Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine
Libraries, Irvine, California,
https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt2h4nb12j/.
“Met District Offers Terms,” Anaheim Bulletin, August 20, 1940.
“Mrs. Bertie Egan, Pioneer Resident, Expires Sunday,”
South Coast News, January 18, 1949.
306
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 35 “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-Acre
Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30, 1948.
“National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation.” Washington, D.C.: U.S.

Department of the Interior, National Park Service,
revised for internet 2002.
“National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete the
National Register Registration Form.” Washington D.C.:

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1997.
“Ocean Front Lots,” The Pasadena Post, August 16, 1926. “Opening!,” The Los Angeles Times, September 7, 1924.
“Real Estate Transfer,” The Santa Ana Register, May 19, 1937.
“Real Estate Transfers,” The Santa Ana Register, January 17, 1937.
“Revives Old Litigation,” The Los Angeles Times, February 29, 1908.
“Soars Does Land on Beach,” The Los Angeles Times,
August 8, 1906.
“South Laguna Water District Studies MWD Annexation
Plan,” The Santa Ana Register, March 25, 1942.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:20,000. Flight
AXK-1938. Frame 58-42. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1938.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:7,200. Flight C11730. Frame 4-81. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1947.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:14,000. Flight
PAI-105V-2. Frame 45. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1959.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:6,000. Flight
PAI-133V-1. Frame 24. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1960.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:28,800. Flight
TG-2400. Frame 4-69. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1968.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:10,000. Flight
WAS-G14. Frame 101. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1976.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:24,000. Flight
AMI-OC-81A. Frame 10968. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1981.

State of California Department of Parks and Recreation. “Coast Royal.” Historic Resources Inventory form.

Prepared by Environmental Coalition, April 1981.

State of California Department of Parks and Recreation. “South Laguna.” Historic Resources Inventory form.

Prepared by Environmental Coalition, April 1981.
“A Special Invitation,” The Pasadena Post, August 27,
1926.
“Subdivisions and Subdividers,” The Los Angeles Times,
September 7, 1924.
“Subdivision to Replace Trailer Park in Laguna Beach,” The Santa Ana Register, February 22, 1949.
“Supervisors O.K. Tract,” Anaheim Bulletin, September 3, 1952.
“Three Arches of Laguna Coast Charming,” The Whittier
News, July 16, 1927.

Thurston, J.S. Laguna Beach: Early Days. (Charleston, SC:

The History Press, 1947.

Turnbull, Karen. “A Short History of Laguna Beach”,
https://www.lightheaded.com/asite/laguna/laguna_history/laguna_beach _history.php, accessed November 2024.

Turnbull, Karen Wilson. Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated
History. Santa Ana, CA: Friss-Pioneer Press, 1977.

U.S. Department Bureau of Land Management, Patent
#170682 for 160 acres granted to James M.

Shrewsbury, Issue Date 1/16/1911.

U.S. Department Bureau of Land Management, Patent
#027766 for 40 acres granted to William F. Egan, Issue
Date 1/17/1910.

Viebeck, Beryl Wilson. “Homestead Map Overlays Modern
Streets,” Laguna Beach Historical Society.
“Water District Files Suit to Obtain Property,” The Santa Ana Register, April 8, 1944.
“Water Facilities Contract is Let,” The Santa Ana Register, November 08, 1947.

Wells, Glenn and Connie. “Looking Back on South
Laguna,” South Coast News, August 4, 1961.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 36 APPENDIX A: BUILDING PERMIT HISTORY

DATE PERMIT
NO. OWNER ARCHITECT/ CONTRACTOR DESCRIPTION
1958-
10-14
Mr. & Mrs.

Curtis
Neiswender
Morgan Paving Co.
(contractor)
Pave drive-parking area
1961-
08-09
Mr. & Mrs.

Curtis
Neiswender
Morgan Paving Co.
(contractor)
Grade out & pave additional parking
1962-
12-26
Curtis D.

Miswender
[sic]
County of Orange: To break curb and
install concrete driveway approach for
private residence
1996-
01-08
Elizabeth A
Neiswender
City Inspection Finding(s): Carport has
been converted into a garage without
permits.

Remedial Action Taken: No access to
garage to verify electrical work. Send
letter to owner requesting permit for
carport conversion and access into
carport/garage.
2005-
12-14
B05-
2491
Hobson Roofing Co.
(contractor)
On detached garage, remove existing
roofing; install sheathing, install 2 layers
30# felt, install Class “A” 30 yr.
fiberglass shingles. Pitch 3 ½: 12; Color:

Birchwood *No white roofs allowed.
2005-
12-14
B05-
2492
Hobson Roofing Co.
(contractor)
On house, remove existing roofing;
install sheathing, install 1 layer 30# felt,
install Class “A” 30 yr. fiberglass
shingles. Pitch 4: 12; Color: Birchwood
*No white roofs allowed.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 37 APPENDIX B: MAPS AND HISTORIC AERIALS
Beryl Wilson Viebeck’s Homestead Map Overlays Modern Streets, 1996. (Laguna Beach Historical Society) 309
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 38 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1938. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 310
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 39 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1947. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 311
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 40 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1959. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 312
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 41 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1960. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 313
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 42 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1968. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 314
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 43 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1976. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 315
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 44 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1981. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 316
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 45 APPENDIX C: ASSESSOR RECORDS
Chain of Title for 31526 Valido Road, page 1 of 2. The County records are incomplete and there is no documentation of ownership prior to 1919, although the Egan Homestead was established in 1910. (Orange County Archives)
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 46 Chain of Title for 31526 Valido Road, page 2 of 2. (Orange County Archives) 318
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 47 1913 Orange County Plat map showing 40-acre Egan Homestead. (Orange County Archives) 319
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 48 The property assessment book for 1911 indicates J.S. Thurston as owner of the property and indicates the land value at $115 with no improvements. (Orange County Archives) 320
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 49 The property assessment book for 1912 indicates William F. Egan as owner of a portion of the property and indicates the land value at $155 with no improvements. (Orange County Archives) The property assessment book for 1916 indicates James M. Shrewsbury as owner of the property and indicates the land value at $500 and improvements valued at $200. (Orange County Archives) 321
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 50 APPENDIX D: HISTORIC IMAGES
31526 Valido Road, ca. 1910. Egan homestead with original cabin (ca. 1909) on the left and addition (ca. 1910) on the right. View looking east. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 51 31526 Valido Road, ca. 1915. Frances and Esther Egan at the rear of the Egan homestead with agricultural fields in the background. View looking toward the south. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association. 323
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 52 31526 Valido Road, ca. 1928. Egan homestead about the time it was remodeled. View looking towards the east. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 53 31526 Valido Road, ca. 1930. Frances Egan standing at the rear of the Egan homestead. View looking towards the east.

Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 54 31526 Valido Road, ca. 1932. Front of the Egan homestead in early 1930s. (The decorative border indicates the photo was taken at the time of the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.) View looking west. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association. 326
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 55 31526 Valido Road, no date. View looking west. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association. 327
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 56 APPENDIX E: EXISTING CONDITIONS PHOTOGRAPHS
Photographs taken by Historic Resources Group on October 24, 2024, unless otherwise noted.

View of 31526 Valido Road driveway from street; view facing northwest. (California Regional Multiple Listing Service)
View of detached garage from driveway; view facing northwest. 328
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 57 View of east (primary) facade; view facing west. (California Regional Multiple Listing Service) View of main entrance on east (primary) facade; view facing northwest. 329
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 58 Detail of main entrance on east (primary) facade; view facing northwest.

East (primary) façade; view facing west. (California Regional Multiple Listing Service) 330
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 59 Detail of windows on east (primary) facade; view facing west.

Small addition (ca. 1945) on east end of north facade; view facing southeast. 331
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 60 North façade with concrete walkway; view facing northeast.

Detail of north facade; view facing northeast.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 61 North end of west facade; view facing northeast. (California Regional Multiple Listing Service) Detail of north end of west facade; view facing northeast. 333
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 62 West façade; view facing northeast.

Detail of replacement window on west facade; view facing northeast. 334
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 63 Addition with raised deck (ca. 1970) on south end of west facade; view facing northeast.

View detached garage from rear yard; view facing northeast. 335
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 64 View detached garage from front yard; view facing southeast.

Detail of replacement windows on east facade; view facing west. 336
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HISTORIC RESOURCES ASSESSMENT
31526 VALIDO ROAD, LAGUNA BEACH
FEBRUARY 12, 2025
Attachment 10
337
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PREPARED FOR
City of Laguna Beach
Community Development Department
Heather Steven, Senior Planner
505 Forest Avenue
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
338
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 2

2.0 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................ 3 HISTORICAL RESOURCES UNDER CEQA ......................................................................................................... 3 HISTORIC DESIGNATIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 3 HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE AND INTEGRITY ..................................................................................................... 6

3.0 HISTORIC RESOURCES ASSESSMENT ................................................................................. 9 PREVIOUS SURVEYS AND EVALUATIONS....................................................................................................... 9 HISTORIC CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................................ 10 OWNERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT HISTORY ............................................................................................. 25 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................................... 28

4.0 EVALUATION OF ELIGIBILITY ............................................................................................. 30 EVALUATION OF HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE ................................................................................................ 30 EVALUATION OF INTEGRITY .............................................................................................................................. 32 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................................................. 33

4.0 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 35 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 Appendix A: Building Permit History ..................................................................................................................... 37 Appendix B: Maps and Historic Aerials ................................................................................................................. 38 Appendix C: Assessor Records ................................................................................................................................. 46 Appendix D: Historic Images .................................................................................................................................... 51 Appendix E: Existing Conditions Photographs ................................................................................................... 57 339
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 2

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
31526 Valido Road is a single-family residential property constructed beginning ca. 1909 and built out in 1928. It is located on the property where pioneer resident Willam F. Egan established a homestead in 1910. The property is now located near the intersection of West Sreet and Valido Road in the residential neighborhood of South Laguna in the City of Laguna Beach. The subject property is being evaluated for potential historic significance and eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources. A review of existing documentation on the development of the property, including historic newspaper accounts, census and city directory records, historic aerials, Orange County Archives, and the property’s permit history as provided by the city were completed. A site visit was conducted on October 24, 2024.

The property was not identified during the 1980-81 Laguna Beach Historic Resources Survey and is not listed in the Historic Resources Inventory. It is not currently listed in the Laguna Beach Historic Register. A formal historic assessment is required to determine the historic significance and integrity of the residence. This assessment will evaluate the property to determine if it is considered a historic resource as set forth in the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. For CEQA purposes in Laguna Beach, a historic resource is defined as a property that meets California Register of Historical Resources criteria.

This report was prepared by Laura Janssen, Senior Architectural Historian, and Mariana Ruiz, Architectural Historian, with support from Robby Aranguren, GIS/Technical Specialist, all of whom meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards in Architectural History, Historic Preservation, History and/or Historic Preservation Planning.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 3

2.0 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
Historical Resources Under CEQA
The California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) is the principal statute governing environmental review of projects occurring in the state and is codified in Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 21000 et seq. CEQA requires lead agencies to determine if a proposed project would have a significant effect on the environment, including significant effects on historical or unique archaeological resources. Under CEQA Section 21084.1, a project that may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource is a project that may have a significant effect on the environment.

CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5 recognizes that historical resources include: (1) resources listed in, or determined to be eligible by the State Historical Resources Commission, for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources; (2) resources included in a local register of historical resources, as defined in PRC Section 5020.1(k) or identified as significant in a historical resource survey meeting the requirements of PRC Section 5024.1(g); and (3) any objects, buildings, structures, sites, areas, places, records, or manuscripts which a lead agency determines to be historically significant or significant in the architectural, engineering, scientific, economic, agricultural, educational, social, political, military, or cultural annals of California by the lead agency, provided the lead agency’s determination is supported by substantial evidence in light of the whole record.

Historic Designations
A property may be designated as historic by national, state, and local authorities. Current designations available in Laguna Beach include the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Resources, and the Laguna Beach Historic Register.

While some programs place emphasis on architectural character, all use basic criteria relating to a property’s place in important events or patterns of development, association with important personages, and architectural significance. This assessment is limited to determining eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources.

The City of Laguna Beach recently amended their Historic Preservation Program, and the City Council adopted a new ordinance on April 26, 2022, which updated Chapter

25.45 of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code. It was certified by the California Coastal Commission on July 13, 2022. The revised Historic Preservation Ordinance includes four key elements: (1) a definition of the term “Historic Resource” was added; (2) “owner consent” was added to the criteria for eligibility; (3) references to the outdated 1981 Historic Resources Inventory were eliminated; and (4) expanded historic preservation 341
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 4 incentives were added.1
Section 25.45.004 of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code defines a historic resource according to the following: “Historic resource” means a property or structure that (1) is listed in the City’s historic register, (2) is listed in the California Register of Historical Resources, (3) has been officially determined to be eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources by the State Historical Resource Commission, (4) is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, (5) has been officially determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service, or (6) the City is mandated by law to treat as a historic resource based on substantial evidence in light of the whole record. Generally, a resource shall be considered to be “historically significant” if the resource meets the criteria for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources.2
This assessment will evaluate the property to determine if it is considered a historic resource as set forth in the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. For CEQA purposes in Laguna Beach, a historic resource is defined as a property that meets California Register of Historical Resources criteria.

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
The National Register of Historic Places (National Register) is an authoritative guide to be used by Federal, State, and local governments, private groups, and citizens to identify the Nation’s cultural resources and to indicate what properties should be considered for protection from destruction or impairment.3 The National Park Service administers the National Register program. Listing in the National Register assists in preservation of historic properties in several ways including: recognition that a property is of significance to the nation, the state, or the community; consideration in the planning for federal or federally assisted projects; eligibility for federal tax benefits; and qualification for Federal assistance for historic preservation, when funds are available.

To be eligible for listing and/or listed in the National Register, a resource must possess significance in American history and culture, architecture, or archaeology. Listing in the National Register is primarily honorary and does not in and of itself provide protection of a historic resource. The primary effect of listing in the National Register on private owners of historic buildings is the availability of financial and tax incentives. In addition, for projects that receive Federal funding, a clearance process must be completed in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Furthermore, 1 https://www.lagunabeachcity.net/government/
departments/community-development/planningzoning/historic-preservation 2 City of Laguna Beach Historic Preservation
Ordinance. Laguna Beach Municipal Code Chapter

25.45 Historic Preservation.
3 Code of Federal Regulations Title 36/Chapter 1/Part
60 (36CFR60), Section 60.2.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 5 state and local regulations may apply to properties listed in the National Register.

The criteria for listing in the National Register follow established guidelines for determining the significance of properties. The quality of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects:

A. That are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or
B. That are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or C. That embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or
D. That have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.4
In addition to meeting any or all of the criteria listed above, properties nominated must also possess sufficient historic integrity.

CALIFORNIA REGISTER OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES
The California Register of Historical Resources (California Register) is “an authoritative listing and guide to be used by State and local agencies, private groups, and citizens in identifying the existing historical resources of the State and to indicate which resources deserve to be protected, to the extent prudent and feasible, from substantial adverse change.”5 The California Register was enacted in 1992, and its regulations became official on January 1, 1998. The California Register is administered by the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP). The criteria for eligibility for the California Register are based upon National Register criteria.6 Certain resources are determined to be automatically included in the California Register, including California properties formally determined eligible for, or listed in, the National Register. To be eligible for the California Register, a prehistoric or historic-period property must be significant at the local, state, and/or federal level under one or more of the following four criteria:
4 Code of Federal Regulations Title 36/Chapter 1/Part
60 (36CFR60), Section 60.3.
5 California Public Resources Code, Section 5024.1[a].
6 California Public Resources Code, Section 5024.1[b].
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 6

1. It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United States; or

2. It is associated with the lives of persons important to local, California or national history; or

3. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region or method of construction or represents the work of a master or possesses high artistic values; or

4. It has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California or the nation.7 A resource eligible for the California Register must meet one of the criteria of significance described above and retain enough of its historic character or appearance (integrity) to be recognizable as a historical resource and to convey the reason for its significance.

Historic Significance and Integrity

SIGNIFICANCE
The definition of historic significance used by the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) in its administration of the California Register is based upon the definition used by the National Park Service for the National Register.

Historic significance is defined as the importance of a property to the history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture of a community, state, or the nation.8 It is achieved in several ways:
 Association with important events, activities or patterns  Association with important persons
 Distinctive physical characteristics of design, construction, or form  Potential to yield important information
A property may be significant individually or as part of a grouping of properties.

In addition to the above criteria, significance is defined by the area of history in which the property made important contributions and by the period of time when these contributions were made.9 The National Park Service defines this period of time as the period of significance.
7 Criterion 4 addresses potential archaeological
resources, which is outside the scope of this
assessment.
8 National Register Bulletin 16A. How to Complete the
National Register Registration Form (Washington
D.C.: National Park Service, United States
Department of the Interior 1997),
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/uploa
d/NRB16A-Complete.pdf (accessed August 2024).
9 National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete the
National Register Nomination Form.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 7 The period of significance is the length of time when a property was associated with important events, activities or persons, or attained the characteristics which qualify it for listing. The period of significance usually begins with the date when significant activities or events began giving the property its historic significance; this is often a date of construction.10
The period of significance usually begins with the date when significant activities or events began, giving the property its historic significance; this is often a date of construction. The period of significance can be as brief as a single year; many, however, span many years and consist of beginning and closing dates. Identification and definition of the period is based on “specific events directly related to the significance of the property,” for example, the date of construction, years of ownership, or length of operation as a particular entity.

INTEGRITY
Historic integrity is the ability of a property to convey its significance and is defined as the “authenticity of a property’s historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property’s historic period.”11 The National Park Service defines seven aspects of integrity: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. These qualities are defined as follows:
 Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event took place.
 Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property.
 Setting is the physical environment of a historic property.  Materials are the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property.
 Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory.  Feeling is a property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time.
 Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property.
10 National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete
the National Register Nomination Form.
11 National Register Bulletin 16A. How to Complete the
National Register Registration Form.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 8 To retain historic integrity a property will always possess several, and usually most, of the aspects. It is not necessary for a property to retain all its historic physical features or characteristics. However, the property must retain the essential physical features that enable it to convey its historic identity.

CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES
Every historic building is unique, with its own identity and its own distinctive character.

Character-defining features are those visual aspects and physical features or elements, constructed during the property’s period of significance, which give the building its historic character and contribute to the integrity of the property. Character-defining features should be considered in the planning and design of a project to preserve them to the maximum extent possible. Character-defining features can identify the building as an example of a specific building type, usually related to the building’s function; they can exemplify the use of specific materials or methods of construction or embody a historical period or architectural style; and they can convey the sense of time and place in buildings associated with significant events or people. 346
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 9

3.0 HISTORIC RESOURCES ASSESSMENT
Previous Surveys and Evaluations
1980-1981 LAGUNA BEACH HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY
The Laguna Beach Historic Resources Survey (1980-1981) was a city-wide block-byblock study to note the location of pre-1940 buildings and to determine which had historic significance. The Historic Survey was made possible by a matching grant from the County of Orange and the State Office of Historic Preservation. The grant was given to the Environmental Coalition of Orange County, Inc. with the approval of the Laguna Beach City Council. The Survey Coordinator was Kathy Les. A portion of the work was subcontracted to the Laguna Beach Historical Society.12 In April 2022, the City Council approved a revised Historic Preservation Program, which was certified by the California Coastal Commission in July 2022. The new ordinance no longer assigns a rating of “E,” “K,” or “C” to historical resources and all references to the Historic Resources Inventory have been eliminated.13 Properties previously considered eligible for the Laguna Beach Historic Register because they were listed in the Inventory are no longer automatically eligible. Properties must be reassessed according to the revised historic preservation ordinance.

The subject property at 31526 Valido Road was not identified during the survey because the residence was not easily accessible from the public right-of-way and was not listed in the Laguna Beach Historic Resources Inventory, adopted in December 1982.14

BUILT ENVIRONMENT RESOURCES DIRECTORY (BERD)
The California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) maintains the Built Environment Resources Directory (BERD), a database of previously evaluated resources throughout the state. The BERD contains information only for cultural resources that have been processed through OHP. This includes resources reviewed for eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places and the California Historical Landmarks programs through federal and state environmental compliance laws, and resources nominated under federal and state registration programs.15
12 Laguna Beach Historic Survey Board Records. MSR98. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt2h4nb12j/
13 Laguna Beach Municipal Code, Chapter 25.45
Historic Preservation, 25.45.004 General Provisions.
https://qcode.us/codes/lagunabeach/?view=desktop&
topic=25-25_45-25_45_004
14 “City of Laguna Beach Historic Resources
Inventory” (Resolution No. 82.111), adopted
December 21, 1982. Note: At the time of the
December 1982 adoption of the Historic Resources
Inventory, South Laguna was a unincorporated town
in Orange County. The South Laguna resource
inventory was adopted by the city in 1991 under
Resolution No. 91.16, after the 1987 annexation of
South Laguna.
15 “Built Environment Resource Directory, Los
Angeles County,” California Office of Historic
Preservation, 2022.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 10 Because the property was not identified during the Laguna Beach Historic Resources Survey it was not listed in the BERD.

Historic Context
To qualify for historic designation, a property must be significant; that is, it must represent a significant part of the history, architecture, archeology, engineering, or culture of an area, and it must have the characteristics that make it a good representative of properties associated with that aspect of the past. The significance of a historic property can be judged and explained only when it is evaluated within its historic context. A historic context consists of those patterns or trends in history by which a specific occurrence, property, or site is understood and its meaning – and ultimately its significance – within history is made clear.16 The subject property will be evaluated for potential historic significance under the following contexts, themes, and sub-themes based on National Register and California Register criteria.

The subject property has the potential to be significant for its association with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United States; is associated with the lives of persons important to local, California or national history; or for having distinctive physical characteristics of a particular architectural style or property type, or represents the work of a master architect or possesses high artistic values.

The property at 31526 Valido Road is located in a residential neighborhood in South Laguna. The property was originally government land and was claimed as a 40-acre homestead in 1910 by William F. Egan, a farmer from Spadra (now Pomona), California.

Egan farmed the land with his uncle James M. Shrewsbury who claimed an adjoining 160-acre homestead. The earliest homestead in South Laguna was claimed in 1871. But there were still a few plots available when Egan and Shrewsbury started making trips to South Laguna to camp in the early 1900s. Egan built a one-room cabin on the land ca. 1909, which was expanded into a two-bedroom cottage by 1928. William Egan died in 1930, and portions of the homestead were slowly sold off by his wife Bertie Egan, who lived full time in the cottage until her death in 1949. The two Egan daughters retained the cottage until the mid-1950s. The cottage has survived two additional owners with some minor alterations but still retains its essential form and massing from 1928. 16 United States Department of the Interior, National
Park Service, National Register Bulletin 15: How to
Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation
(Washington, DC: 1990; revised for Internet 1995), 7,
NRB-15_web508.pdf (nps.gov) (accessed August
2024).
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 11 Location map for 31526 Valido Road. Source: Google Earth, 2024.

Boundary of 1910 Egan Homestead and location of the Egan Residence (31526 Valido Road). Source: Google Earth, 2024.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 12

SOUTH LAGUNA
South Laguna, originally a small, unincorporated beach community in Orange County, was annexed by the City of Laguna Beach in 1987.17 South Laguna Village, originally called “Three Arches” for the three geological arch formations at the end of South Laguna, was renamed in 1934 when the town voted to rename the post office “South Laguna.”18 Homes in South Laguna are set into the hillside or perched on a cliff overlooking the beach. Few houses are situated on level lots, and the overwhelming majority of South Laguna homes are cottages and bungalows, hastily built as beach homes that have been continuously remodeled.

The first subdivision in Three Arches was Coast Royal. Leon W. Goff sold his 153-acre homestead claim of coastal land to Geroge and Sara Wood prior to his death in 1888.19 In 1902, the Woods deeded the land to W.S. and Minnie Taylor; and shortly after, the Taylors deeded the land to Priestly Hall in 1903.20 Hall’s business partner, Blanche L.

Dolph provided the funds to purchase the land for $700.21 In 1906, Priestly Hall deeded the 153 acres of coastal property to Horace J. Pullen for $100,000 in promissory notes, to be developed as a townsite for a millionaire’s summer resort.22 Blanche Dolph, as coowner, was unaware of the deal and filed a suit in Superior Court for a half-interest in the land.23 The suit ultimately killed the development and returned the land to Dolph, leaving Three Arches relatively undeveloped through the 1910s.24 By 1920, the population of Laguna Beach and Three Arches was 363 persons, not including the AlisoCapistrano area.25 South Laguna was still underdeveloped, and the only buildings between the Thurston Ranch in Aliso Canyon and San Juan Capistrano were two homes built by William F. Egan, the Robert Anderson home, several shacks in Skunk Hallow, and the Buchheim home at Salt Creek – a total of about eight dwellings.26 In 1924, the Skidmore Brothers of Laguna Beach filed a plat map for Tract 702 and 713 in Coast Royal and took steps to develop the land.27 The subdivision formally opened on 17 Because South Laguna was an unincorporated part
of Orange County for most of its history, it was not
covered by Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, nor was it
comprehensively covered in South Orange County
directories. Three neighborhoods made up Three
Arches (now South Laguna): Coast Royal, South
Laguna, and Three Arches Bay. There appears to be
some overlap in the boundaries for these
neighborhoods.
18 City of Laguna Beach, “Laguna Beach Historic
Resource Element,” (Community Development
Department: 1981), 9.
19 Email Correspondence with Ann Christoph,
December 11, 2024; Deed 83/42, George and Sara
Wood to W.S. Taylor, December 27, 1902, Orange
County Archives.
20 Deed 83/42, George and Sara Wood to W.S. Taylor,
December 27, 1902; Deed 88/71, W.S. and Minnie
Taylor to Priestley Hall, March 12, 1903, Orange
County Archives.
21 “Soars Does Land On Beach,” The Los Angeles
Times, August 8, 1906.
22 “Revives Old Litigation,” The Los Angeles Times,
February 29, 1908.
23 “Soars Does Land On Beach,” The Los Angeles
Times, August 8, 1906.
24 Deed 131/170, Priestley Hall to Blanche L. Dolph,
May 1, 1906, Orange County Archives.
25 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

43. 26 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

42. Henry Buchheim was a farmer and part of a
pioneering family who contributed to the agricultural
development of Orange County. He was based in
Santa Ana but had farmland in San Juan Capistrano
and Ventura.
27 Plat Map for Tract 702, approved July 19, 1924; Plat Map for Tract 713, approved October 14, 1924,
Orange County Clerk.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 13 September 7, 1924, with the Henry P. Barbour Company as the selling agent.28 Advertisements in the Los Angeles newspapers announced the sale of large home sites which ranged from $1,000 to $35,000 with easy terms and featured water utilities and paved roads following the contours of the hillside. Of special interest was the completion of an eighty-foot wide roadway under construction as part of the Coast Highway, from Santa Barbara through Laguna Beach, spanning the length of Coast Royal, to San Juan Capistrano where it would rejoin the coastal road to San Diego.29 This highway would bring Laguna Beach and Three Arches much closer to Los Angeles than the present route through Santa Ana. By mid-1926, the Skidmore Brothers advertised Coast Royal as an “exclusive Pasadena colony” which was already home to twenty-eight Pasadena families, and offering private excursions with transportation and lunches to prospective buyers in the western San Gabriel Valley.30 The completion of the Coast Highway in the fall of 1926 further opened Three Arches to additional development. In 1927, promoters Lewis H. Lasley and Walter Bonynge subdivided the standard 125’ x 35’ lots in Tract 849 in Three Arches into smaller lots of 35’ x 45’.31 These smaller lots fetched a more affordable price, with signs reading “Lots from $200.”32 These small lots characterize the older residential neighborhoods in Three Arches. Water was brought from Laguna Beach by gravity, and it was collected in a 500- gallon tank on the property of Elmer Crawford on Catalina Street.33 After resigning from Security First National Bank in Santa Ana, Crawford relocated to Three Arches in 1928, and in 1932, the South Coast Water District was formed with Crawford as president.34 By 1928, the first commercial building was constructed in Three Arches, a six-room hotel. It was later converted into office space in 1935.35 Other commercial buildings constructed in the late 1920s included a small store on the corner of Third Street and Coast Highway, which was run by the Linkie family.36 A gas station was adjacent to the store, which was first run by Harland Cox and then Ely Wilson.37 Tree Arches was renamed “South Laguna” in 1934, following the town’s decision to rename the post office.38
The southernmost area of South Laguna, Three Arch Bay, was initially developed by Lasley and Bonynge in 1926. Lasley called the area “The Palisades” and the dirt road that would become La Senda Drive was originally called Bonynge Road.39 In August 28 “Opening!,” The Los Angeles Times, September 7,
1924.
29 “Opening!,” The Los Angeles Times, September 7,
1924; “Subdivisions and Subdividers,” The Los Angeles
Times, September 7, 1924.
30 “A Special Invitation,” The Pasadena Post, August
27, 1926.
31 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”
43; email correspondence with Ann Christoph,
December 11, 2024.
32 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

43. 33 Glenn and Connie Wells, “Looking Back on South
Laguna,” South Coast News, August 4, 1961.
34 Wells, “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
35 “Wells, Looking Back on South Laguana.”
36 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

43. 37 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,” 43; Wells, “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
38 “Laguna Beach Historic Resource Element,” 9.
39 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

38. 351
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 14 1926, Lasley advertised the pre-opening of Three Arch Palisades Tract with the sale of fifty lots, 40’ x 200’ and priced at $2,000, with financing terms.40 To provide water, Lasley developed a 90-foot well on North La Senada Drive, and erected a pumphouse.41 The poor quality of the water; however, led to the development of a second well on South La Senda Drive.42 The Automobile Club of Southern California published a review of Three Arch Bay in the summer 1927, highlighting the coast road to South Laguna.43 The article described Three Arch Bay as “scenic coves…with clean, sandy shore, and colorful cliffs appeal[ing] to artists and recreational seeker[s].”44 In 1929, Lasley advertised 100 home sites with restricted beach access in Three Arch Bay.45 Although efforts for development were set in place by Lasley and Bonynge, Three Arch Bay was still rural and underdeveloped by the late 1920s. In 1930, the Hallam Cooley Development Corp. purchased the Three Arch Bay property from Lasley and Bonynge and began selling lots in August 1930.46 The tract was described as “the most beautiful location on Laguna Coast. No hillside property. Every lot ocean front and ocean views [sic].”47 Lots were advertised at a price of $900, including “gas, water, electricity, curbs and paved streets.”48 The Hallam Cooley Development Corp. consisted of Hal Cooley, Dick Rowlands, and Dan O’Flaherty.49 They ran excursions for prospective buyers in the new tract, putting up tents along Bay Drive, and served lunch.50 Among the first houses built on the tract was a two-story dwelling for Hollywood movie producer, Edward Griffith and his wife, America, in 1929 by Casey (W.S.) Adamson.51 In July 1934, petitions for water mains in Three Arch Bay were signed by community leaders, including Ida Adams Grant, Elizabeth Cooley, Edward Griffith, Elmer Neher, and Clarence Dunbar.52 By 1936, there were twenty-five houses in Three Arch Bay.53 By 1940, the population of Laguna Beach reached 4,460 persons, a reported 125% increase in ten years by the Anaheim Bulletin.
54 In order to support the growing
community and secure water utilities, in 1941 the Laguna Beach Water District and the South Coast Water District joined the Newport Beach Irrigation District and the Newport Heights Irrigation District, to create a new territorial unit called the Coastal Municipal Water District.55 The newly consolidated district annexed to the Metropolitan 40 “Ocean Front Lots,” The Pasadena Post, August 16,
1926.
41 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

38. 42 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

39. 43 “Three Arches of Laguna Coast Charming,” The
Whittier News, July 16, 1927.
44 “Three Arches of Laguna Coast Charming.”
45 “100 Choice Lots Listed For Sale,” The Pasadena
Post, June 28, 1929.
46 “Announcing the Opening of Three Arch Bay,” The
Progress Bulletin, August 13, 1930; “Looking Back on
South Laguana.”
47 “Announcing the Opening of Three Arch Bay.”
48 “Announcing the Opening of Three Arch Bay.”
49 “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
50 “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
51 “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
52 “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
53 “Looking Back on South Laguana.”
54 1960 US Census, Number of Inhabitants in
California Report, Table 8. Population of all
incorporated places and of unincorporated places of
1,000 or more: 1940-1960, 6-29. The unincorporated
town of South Laguna reported less than 0.1 percent
(or less than 100 people) in 1940; “Met District Offers Terms,” Anaheim Bulletin, August 20, 1940.
55 “South Laguna Water District Studies MWD
Annexation Plan,” The Santa Ana Register, March 25,
1942.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 15 Water District of Southern California in 1942 to obtain water from the Colorado River.56 New infrastructure to carry water from the Laguna Beach north city limits to the South Laguna reservoirs, an approximate six-mile stretch, included a 16-inch transmission line and a new 500,000-gallon capacity reservoir on the east end of West Street, which was on the William F. Egan homestead.57 In 1944, Egan’s wife Bertie was sued in Superior Court by the South Coast Water District for condemnation of land to build the new reservoir tank.58 The property included a 230’ x 394’ parcel and road easements near West Street and Egan Road.59 The suit was successful, and by 1947, the new reservoir was built. Additional infrastructure improvements were made in 1947, including two reservoirs, a pumping station, additional distribution lines, hydrants, and house services.60 South Laguna underwent a second wave of development during the postwar period. In 1947, a new subdivision, called Unit No. 1 of the Aliso-Laguna Estates, was approved by the Orange County Planning Commission to develop sixty acres with 208 lots, approximately 900-feet inland from the Coast Highway on both sides of the Aliso Creek, by owner and developer Billy Bonds.61 The Commission approved the subdivision with several conditions, including a right-of-way for future access to Aliso Road from the east; construction of a road connecting to the subdivision with the Coast Highway at least 60-feet wide and improved to County standards; and a 36-foot standard width on all streets and bridges.62
In the late 1950s and 1960s, additional developments took place at the northern limits of South Laguna, near Treasure Island Beach, on land owned by Dr. Paul H. Esslinger and Jacob U. Kuhns, Jr. On the west side of Pacific Coast Highway, the Laguna Beach and Tennis Club was partially built in 1949 for an estimated $89,998.63 The club, modeled after the Palm Springs Tennis Club and administered by the same property manager, Lee C. Berger, included tennis courts, swimming pools, indoor amenities, restaurant and bar, and living cottage residences.64 Unfortunately, due to financial struggles, the club was closed down and the land was resurveyed by Blue Lagoon Join Venture, based out of Costa Mesa, in 1963 as Tract No. 5263.65 The Blue Lagoon Villas opened in 1965, featuring a luxurious, private beach home community with two-and-three-bedroom homes, starting at $29,000; amenities include private beaches, groundskeeping, swimming pools, cabanas, and other amenities.66 Directly southeast of Blue Lagoon 56 “South Laguna Water District Studies MWD
Annexation Plan,” The Santa Ana Register, March 25,
1942.
57 “South Laguna Water District Studies MWD
Annexation Plan.”
58 “Water District Files Suit to Obtain Property,” The
Santa Ana Register, April 8, 1944.
59 “Water District Files Suit to Obtain Property.”
60 “Water Facilities Contract is Let,” The Santa Ana
Register, November 08, 1947.
61 “County Planners Give Approval To New
Subdivision in South Laguna,” The Santa Ana
Register, March 8, 1947.
62 “County Planners Give Approval To New
Subdivision in South Laguna.”
63 “Permits totaling $89,998 Issued For Work On
Laguna Tennis Club,” The Santa Ana Register, July 14,
1948.
64 “Permits totaling $89,998 Issued For Work On
Laguna Tennis Club,” The Santa Ana Register, July 14,
1948.
65 Plat Map for Tract No. 5263, approved January 28,
1964, Orange County Clerk.
66 “Ocean Front Homes,” The Sun Post News, August
28, 1964.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 16 Villas, the 27-acre Treasure Island Trailer Park was established in the late 1930s, as both a vacation and permanent residential neighborhood.67 It came under pressure of redevelopment in 1976 when it was purchased by the Hopkins Brothers68; it was finally closed down in 1997 for the development of the Montage Laguna Beach Resort. On the east side of Coast Highway, Ray A. Myers and R. Rees Myers developed residential Tract No. 1616 and No. 2067 in 1952 and 1955, respectively69; the Laguna Terrace Mobile Home Park was opened ca. 1960;70 and the Alpha Beta Shopping Center was opened ca. 1955, offering local commercial amenities like groceries, dry-cleaning, laundry, and a pharmacy.71
THE HOMESTEAD ACT OF 1862 AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEST72 South Laguna was originally government land that was opened for homesteading in the early 1870s. The Homestead Act was enacted in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln as a means to demonopolize public land holdings and open the western states for development. In its early years of independence, the United States acquired by cessions a public domain in the West covering many millions of acres. This was vastly increased by the purchase of Louisiana, the acquisition of Florida, and the migration of Americans westward to the Pacific. These great open spaces, inhabited by a few hundred thousand Native Americans at the time, constituted a national treasure which was pledged for the payment of the public debt, and was therefore to be used as a source of revenue for the government. To obtain income, surveys of the more eastern portion were undertaken, and the land was offered to buyers at $2 an acre. Wild land that was uncleared, unfenced, and lacking in accommodations was barely worth such a price, and sales were few even when credit was extended. Ultimately, the high minimum price of land delayed sales and the development of the West, making it difficult for pioneers to clear and establish farmland.73
Liberal land reformers introduced and supported free homesteading legislation into the House of Representatives. The House passed homestead bills in 1852, 1854, and 1859 and twice in 1860, while the Senate, dominated by the South, resisted. Finally in 1862, President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law, provided that any person, as the head of a family or at least 21 years of age, whether a citizen or an intended citizen, could claim 160 acres of the public domain for farming. Settlers were required to reside on the land and improved it for a period of five years to receive a land title upon the 67 “Uncertain Future at Treasure Island Tenants of
Beachfront Mobile-Home Park Fear Ouster Despite
Offer of Lease,” The Los Angeles Times, October 2,
1989.
68 “Residents of Treasure Island Mobile Home Park
Aren't Giving Up Their Fight,” The Los Angeles Times,
December 2, 1990.
69 Plat Map for Tract No. 1616, approved December 2,
1952, Orange County Clerk; Plat map for Tract No.
2067, approved February 15, 1955, Orange County
Clerk.
70 “House Trailers 1960,” Sun Post News, November
11, 1959.
71 “Now Open For Business,” The Coastline Dispatch,
December 12, 1957; “Aloha Drugs Open In South
Laguna,” The Coastline Dispatch, July 15, 1964.
72 Information on the Homestead Act was largely
adapted from Paul W. Gates, Free Homesteads for All
Americans: The Homestead Act of 1862 (Civil War
Centennial Commission, 1962).
73 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 3.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 17 payment of small fees.74
Homesteading officially began on January 1, 1863, and in the first six months 8,223 original entries for an average of 126 acres were filed in forty-two offices scattered from Ohio to the Washington Territory. After the Civil War, homesteading claims largely increased and expanded into other western territories including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Michigan, and by 1870, Kansas, Arkansas, and Nebraska ranked highest in homesteading claims.75 By 1883 the number of new filings had reached 56,565. The West was growing with amazing speed, fed by thousands of families from the East Coast, the Midwest, and Europe. However, the land boom and the westward thrust of settlers produced a bitter conflict between the homesteaders and cattlemen. Night raiding and murder were prevalent, and the struggle brought about the end of the range-cattle industry. It also increased tension between Native American and white settlers that flamed into plains warfare, leading to the removal of Native American tribes from the better portions of their reservations, and opened their tracts to settlers.76 In conjunction with the Homestead Act to leverage western migration and promote an economic stimulus, the U.S. Government passed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. Passed three months after the signing of the Homestead Act, this became the first national act promoting the growth of railroads. It called for the building of a transcontinental railroad that connected the Central Pacific Railroad from California to the Union Pacific Railroad in Nebraska.77 The Pacific Railway Act exemplifies a provision to the Homestead Act as it too granted public lands, but these specifically to the railroads. It allowed railroads to claim land in alternating 200-foot and 10-mile sections along the rail lines under construction. Under this act, a portion of land that was set aside by the Homestead Act was given to railroad companies so they could expand and grow. In total, the government gave railroad companies about 130 million acres of land, with the states adding another 50 million acres of land grants.78
Though the 160-acre homestead unit was well designed for farming in the regions east of the Missouri River, and for some distance into Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota, it proved inadequate for farming as the frontier receded farther west. However, homesteaders could acquire a preemption claim of 160 acres for an additional $200; and after 1873, under the Timber Culture Act, they could gain a third quarter section by planting trees on 40 acres. The system, made more flexible by these 74 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 6.
75 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 7.
76 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 8.
77 Christopher Bates, “Pacific Railway Act.”
Encyclopedia of American History: Civil War and
Reconstruction, 1856 to 1869. Ed. Gary B. Nash and
John Waugh. Revised ed. Vol. V. New York: Facts on
File, 2010. American History Online. Web. Dec. 13,
2012. As cited in Jacob Freund, “The Homestead Act
of 1862: The First Entitlement Program,” Journal of
the West 52, no. 6 (2013): 18.
78 Benson, Sonia G., Jennifer York Stock, and Carol
Brennan, eds. “Railroads: The First Big Business.”
Development of the Industrial U.S. Reference Library.

Vol. 1. Detroit: UXL, 2006. 68–83. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Web. Dec. 15, 2012. As cited in
Freund, “The Homestead Act of 1862: The First
Entitlement Program,” 19.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 18 provisions, thus adapted to the Great Plains. Misuse of these acts, however, led to their repeal in 1891. Yet settlers could legitimately add to their holdings by purchases from the huge land grants made to railroads or states, and by consolidating homesteads when it appeared that the 160-acre farms were too small for efficient operation.79 In California, large caravans of settlers arrived after the Gold Rush of 1848. Enticed by the preemptive land laws of 1841, which allowed any male citizen a claim to 160 acres of unappropriated public land and gave individual families more than sufficient land on which to maintain a home in California’s fertile valleys. This law, contained as one of its main provisions, a clause to the effect that Native American rights to the land must be terminated. It also eliminated lands known to be mineral rich. The preemptor paid the government the minimum price set on such land which was generally $1.25 per acre or less. The Homestead Act, freely giving 160 acres of land to each settler, followed essentially the provisions of the Preemption Act, requiring residence and good faith on the part of the settler in the development of the land as a permanent home.80 Unfortunately, the commutation clause of the Homestead Act was responsible for the mismanagement of public lands. Many thousands of homesteads that were formally patented were ultimately transferred to cattle ranchers, lumber companies, or capitalists who had hired agents to make the entries, and who had bribed Federal land officials. The clause permitted homesteaders at the conclusion of six months residence on the land, to commute their entry to a preemption claim. This would confer a title and enable them to sell it to others. Homesteaders using this road to ownership were hired by wealthy businessmen to make their entries, commute them, and transfer the ownership.81 After 1880, commutation and the sale of relinquishments became increasingly common. In the rush to locate tracts, homesteaders frequently made selections that soon proved ill adapted to farming and subsequently had to be abandoned. Relinquishments, abandonments, and commutations prevented slightly more than half of all the original homestead filings from reaching patent as free land, though some of the homesteaders gained title through commutation.82 Ultimately, the Homestead Act provided a unique opportunity to develop farms or ranches suitable for agriculture, as well as much that was not, throughout the western frontier. Although nearly half of those who tried to create farms on the vast western domain failed, the other half succeeded and made the United States the greatest surplus food producing nation in the world. The rush of homesteaders (and of miners who also were attracted to the West by the Government’s liberal policy toward mineral lands) had populated unclaimed public land in established states and created thirteen new states. Most important of all, however, was the fact that the Homestead Act and its 79 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 9.
80 William S. Brown and S.B. Show, California Rural
Land Use and Management (United States
Department of Agriculture, 1944), 97-98.
81 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 9.
82 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 10.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 19 successors had permitted nearly 1,500,000 families to acquire the dignity of independence in farm ownership.83

HOMESTEADERS IN SOUTH LAGUNA
Most of Laguna Beach was not part of the of the Spanish (1784), and later Mexican (1824), land grant system that created the Ranchos in California. These large parcels of land in what would become Los Angeles, then Orange County, were used primarily for raising cattle. To establish boundaries, surveys were done on horseback and sometimes there was land between the Ranchos that was not claimed. California became a state in 1850, and land not claimed reverted to the government. These “no grant” public lands were surveyed beginning in 1855, and in 1875 one surveyor noted the triangle of land that would become Laguna Beach had very little value because of its rocky terrain and salty springs.

Through the Homestead Act of 1862 and later the Timber-Culture Act of 1871, individuals and families seeking opportunities began to arrive at Laguna Beach and stake out their 160-acre claims of farmland or plant the required 40 acres of trees under the Timber-Culture Act. In South Laguna Beach, the Australian eucalyptus cladocalyx (sugar gum) was planted by Egan and Shrewsbury, unlike the typical eucalyptus globulus planted by most homesteaders in Laguna Beach in the 1880s.84 The eucalyptus cladocalyx is more drought tolerant and has a delicate branching structure that helped form the scenic character of South Laguna and provided much needed shade.85 In 1871, Eugene Salter was the first American settler of South Laguna. He claimed 152 acres of Aliso Canyon, but shortly thereafter he moved away, and his land with a one-room shack was claimed by George Thurston, Sr. and his wife and Sarah in 1879.86 The Thurstons farmed the land, growing vegetables and melons to sell in Los Angeles, which was then a five-day trip by wagon. Other early homesteaders in South Laguna include Geroge Thurston Sr. in 1879, Franklin M. Goff in 1883, Leon W. Goff Sr. in 1884, Napoleon Wilson in 1889, Leon A. Goff 1896, Lafayette Thurston and George W.

Thurston, Jr. in 1891, Louis F. Moulton in 1902, and William F. Egan and James M.

Shrewsbury in 1910 and 1911, respectively, among other homesteaders of smaller properties.87 These homesteaders claimed land parcels from Aliso Canyon south to Three Arch Bay. In central South Laguna, Leon W. Goff sold his 153-acre claim of coastal land to George A. and Sara Wood prior to his death in 1888.88 In 1902, the Woods deeded the land to W.S. and Minni Taylor, until 1903, when Blanche L. Dolph and 83 Gates, Free Homesteads for All Americans, 12.
84 Email correspondence with Ann Christoph,
December 11, 2024.
85 Email correspondence with Ann Christoph,
December 11, 2024.
86 Turnbull, “A Short History of Laguna Beach.”
87 Beryl Wilson Viebeck, “Homestead Map Overlays
Modern Streets,” Laguna Beach Historical Society;
Email correspondence with Ann Christoph, December
11, 2024.
88 Email correspondence with Ann Christoph,
December 11, 2024; Deed 83/42, George and Sara
Wood to W.S. Taylor, December 27, 1902, Orange
County Archives.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 20 Priestly Hall acquired the acreage for $700.89 Just north of the Dolph property, William F.

Egan and his uncle, James M. Shrewsbury, took up a claim on 200 acres of land extending from approximately what is now West Street to 10th Avenue in 1910 and 1911.90 Egan’s forty square acres bounded Blanche Dolph’s property to the south, Thurston’s claim in Aliso Canyon to the west, and Shrewsbury’s claim to the south and east.91 Together, Egan and Shrewsbury farmed the land and grew melons, string beans, lima beans, and squash to sell at markets in Los Angeles and San Francisco.92 Egan built two of the first three homes in South Laguna; the Egan house (31526 Valido Road) ca. 1909, and the Shrewsbury house (not extant) north of Providence Mission Hospital, roughly at the top of Third Ave.93 Between these two homes was a temporary shack of a Mexican farm laborer who worked for the Egans.94 The third home in South Laguna and the nearest dwelling to Three Arch Bay at the turn of the century, belonged to Robert Anderson, which stood alone at the top of 9th Avenue (not extant) on land Egan had sold to him.95 During the teen years, the area was still undeveloped, dotted with grazing cattle from the nearby Moulton ranch, and farmland belonging to the Egan and Shrewsbury family.96
The Egan homestead transitioned from rural land when the Egan family slowly began selling portions of the property. By 1945, residential development was more profitable than farming and two subdivisions were planned north of West Street, Tract No. 1243, called Aliso-Laguna Terrados in 1948, and a portion of SW1/4, NW1/4, Sec. 5, T8S, R8W, formally unnamed, in 1950 .97 As mentioned previously, the 500,000-gallon capacity reservoir on the east end of West Street was built on the Egan Homestead in 1947; while a smaller reservoir above Ceanothus Drive was built ca. 1950, along the western boundary of the Egan Homestead. 98 Based on historic aerial photographs from 1960, residential development in central South Laguna, east and west of the Coast Highway, was well established. The two tracts on the Egan homestead, however, were not fully developed until the mid-1970s, although much of the hillside acreage north of the homestead was permanently left undeveloped.99 The hillside acreage was acquired by 89 “Soars Does Land On Beach,” The Los Angeles
Times, August 8, 1906; Deed 83/42, George and Sara
Wood to W.S. Taylor, December 27, 1902; Deed
88/71, W.S. and Minnie Taylor to Priestley Hall,
March 12, 1903, Orange County Archives.
90 US Department Bureau of Land Management,
Patent #027766 for 40 acres granted to William F.

Egan, Issue Date 1/17/1910; US Department Bureau
of Land Management, Patent #170682 for 160 acres
granted to James M. Shrewsbury, Issue Date
1/16/1911.
91 1913 Laguna Road Distract Map, OC Archives.
92 “50 Cents Pound Received For Early Beans,” The
Santa Ana Register, April 10, 1920.
93 Karen Wilson Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An
Illustrated History,” (Friss-Pioneer Press: Santa Ana), 1977, 35. James Shrewsbury was living with his
mother Nancy Shrewsbury (Egan’s grandmother) at
the time.
94 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

35. 95 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

35. Glenn and Connie Wells, “Looking Back on South
Laguna,” South Coast News, August 4, 1961.
96 Turnbull, “Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History,”

36. 97 Orange County Assessor Map, Tract No. 1243,
book 56, page 07; Orange County Assessor Map Por.

SW1/4, NW1/4, Sec. 5, T8S, R8W, , book 56, page 06,
March 1950.
98 “South Laguna Water District Studies MWD
Annexation Plan;” 1947 and 1959 aerial photographs.
99 1968 and 1976 Aerial photographs; Orange County
Assessor Records.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 21 Hermes Financial Corporation and surveyed as part of Tract No. 8551, Laguna Sur, in 1984, and dedicated to Orange County as part of the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park.100 The Valido Trail entrance to the summit of Aliso Peak located off Valido Road and Toto Loma Lane, is also located within the Egan Homestead.101 WILLIAM F. EGAN (1862-1930)
William Fredrick Egan was born in 1862 in California to John Robert Egan, a blacksmith, and Jane Ann Egan (nee. Shrewsbury).102 John Egan was born in Kentucky and relocated to California in 1852. By 1870 the family was living in the San Jose township of Los Angeles County. The family relocated to Spadra, California (Pomona Valley) in 1876 where John Egan became the town blacksmith.103 Jane Ann (Shrewsbury) Egan died in 1874, and John Egan passed away in 1903.104
In 1880, William Egan was living with his grandmother, Nancy A. Shrewsbury, in Spadra and with his uncle James F. Shrewsbury and aunt Mary Shrewsbury Beach. He worked as a farm laborer on the Shrewsbury’s apiary farm.105 In the early 1900s, Egan and his uncle would take camping trips to Laguna Beach, and they first laid claim in 1902 to undeveloped land in South Laguna near Aliso Canyon.106 Camping in Laguna was an escape from the high summer heat of the inland communities and many early residents found that homesteading could provide additional income from the land they claimed.

The Homestead Act was designed to allow individuals to settle on and farm land. In Laguna farming was difficult because of the steep slopes, hills and canyons and profitable farming was rare. Most homesteads were converted into subdivisions and buildable lots. Shrewsbury and Egan decided on the former.

In 1909, William Egan married Alberta (Bertie) E. McCoy in Spadra.107 The couple honeymooned on Egan’s claim in South Laguna in a small one-room cabin Egan had constructed located between Salt Creek and Aliso Creek.108 In 1910, Egan made an official homestead claim to 40 acres of land just east of Aliso Canyon, and in 1911, Shrewsbury laid claim to 160 acres to the northeast of Egan’s land.109 Together, they acquired 200 acres spanning roughly from Aliso Canyon south to Honeycomb Canyon 100 Plat Map for Tract No.8551, approved February 22,
1984, Orange County Clerk.
101 Email correspondence with Ann Christoph,
December 11, 2024.
102 1870 US Census for William F. Egan,
Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024.
103 1870 US Census for William F. Egan,
Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024.
104 “John Robert Egan,” Pomona Daily Progress,
January 7, 1903.
105 1880 US Census for James Shrewsbury,
Ancestry.com, accessed November 2024.
106 Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-
Acre Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30,
1948.
107 California Birth, Marriage, and Death Records,
1849-1980, for Bertie E. McCoy, accessed November
2024.
108 Bernice Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here
on 200-Acre Homestead,” South Coast News,
September 30, 1948; “Found Missing Animal,”
Progress-Bulletin (Pomona, CA), August 28, 1915.
109 US Department Bureau of Land Management,
Patent #027766 for 40 acres granted to William F.

Egan, Issue Date 1/17/1910; US Department Bureau
of Land Management, Patent #170682 for 160 acres
granted to James M. Shrewsbury, Issue Date
1/16/1911.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 22 near current Fifth Avenue for $1.68 per acre.110
William and Bertie had two daughters, Frances M. Egan (1910-1996) and Esther W.

Egan (1912-2001).111 Between 1910 and 1914, the Egans predominantly resided in Spadra, where William was working as an apiarist and farmer.112 By 1915, the family divided their time between Spadra and South Laguna, where Egan and Shrewsbury farmed their land, growing string beans, melons, squash, and lima beans.113 Their farmland extended south of the Egan homestead to the Pacific Ocean, unto Blanche Dolph’s land.114 During the harvest season, they hired Mexican laborers who camped with their families under the cypress trees that used to line the wagon road that is now Coast Highway.115 Egan and Shrewsbury would harvest crops to ship to the Los Angeles and San Francisco markets, obtaining 50 cents per a pound for string beans in 1920.116 Picking beans, William F. Egan and James M. Shrewsbury in South Laguna, ca. 1915. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.
110 Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-
Acre Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30,
1948.
111 California Birth Index for Frances M. Egan and
Esther W. Egan, Ancestry.com, accessed October
2024.
112 1910 US Census for William F. Egan,
Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024; 1910-1912
Orange County Voter Registration for William F.

Egan, Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024.
113 1914-1916 Orange County Voter Registration for
William F. Egan, Ancestry.com, accessed October
2024;
Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-
Acre Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30,
1948.
114 Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-
Acre Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30,
1948.
115 Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-
Acre Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30,
1948.
116 “50 Cents Pound Received for Early Beans,” The
Santa Ana Register, April 10, 1920.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 23 In July 1920, the Egans built a new home in Spadra. They split their time between their two homes until they made South Laguna their primary residence in 1928.117 Over the years the Egans expanded their South Laguna one-room cabin. About 1910, when their first daughter was born, they added a living room and bedroom, and in 1928, they added a dining room and guest room (to accommodate Egan’s aunt Mary Beach), finalizing the current L-shape plan of the house.118 William continued to farm the land until falling ill in October 1930.119 He died on December 27, 1930, and was interred in the family plot at the Spadra Cemetery.120
Frances and Esther Egan standing at the rear of the Egan house, ca. 1915. View looking towards the southeast.

Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.

Bertie Egan retained ownership of the property and began selling off portions of the homestead beginning in 1934 including portions to the South Coast Water District in 1937 and 1944, to build a water reservoir to the northeast of the property.121 Bertie Egan died on January 16, 1949, following several months of illness, and the Egan family home 117 “Enjoys Outing At Beaches,” Progress-Bulletin
(Pomona, CA), July 31, 1920; “Mrs. Bertie Egan,
Pioneer Resident, Expires Sunday,” South Coast
News, January 18, 1949.
118 Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-
Acre Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30,
1948.
119 1930 US Census for William F. Egan,
Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024; “Coast Royal,”
South Coast News, October 21, 1930.
120 “Coast Pioneer Passes Saturday”, South Coast
News, January 2, 1931.
121 Chain of Title for 31526 Valido Road, Orange
County Archives; “Real Estate Transfer,” The Santa
Ana Register, May 19, 1937; “Water District Files Suit
To Obtain Property,” The Santa Ana Register, Apr 8,
1944.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 24 was split between her daughters Frances and Esther Egan.122 The Egan family retained ownership of family home until it was sold in 1956.123
BEACH COTTAGE ARCHITECTURE (1910-1940)124
The Beach Cottage is one of the most predominant types of architecture found in Laguna Beach. As defined in the City’s Historic Resources Element, the Beach Cottage (1910-1940) is a type of vernacular architecture that developed as a result of the building boom in the 1920s.125 It is not a nationally recognized style of architecture but rather a property type that flourished in local beach communities. The construction of small vacation homes proliferated throughout Southern California beach communities with increasing personal wealth, the completion and expansion of the Pacific Electric Railway along the coast, and ownership of personal automobiles. Beach cottages were often constructed on a budget, as reflected in their informal design and use of materials, such as wood-frame construction with minimal architectural ornamentation. Generally, the type did not develop beyond the coastal communities and is a particularly characteristic property type in Laguna Beach and is the most prevalent architectural style in South Laguna.

The Beach Cottage is a simple structure generally one-story in height, rectangular in plan with wood siding including board-and-batten, clapboard or shingles, front or side porch, and a low-pitched gable roof. In Laguna Beach, because of its varied terrain, the beach cottage is found on level ground, in the hills, or cliffside.

Character defining features include:
 Rectangular plan
 Asymmetrical massing
 One-story in height
 Board-and-batten, shingle, or lap siding
 Simply framed square windows
 Low pitched gable roof
 Extended eaves with exposed rafters
 Porch or patio
122 “Mrs. Bertie Egan, Pioneer Resident, Expires
Sunday,” South Coast News, January 18, 1949; Chain
of Title for 31526 Valido Road, Orange County
Archives.
123 Chain of Title for 31526 Valido Road, Orange
County Archives.
124 Information on beach cottage architecture is
adapted from the Environmental Coalition of Orange
County, “Laguna Beach Historic Resources
Inventory,” April 1981
125 “City of Laguna Beach Historic Resources
Element,” adopted July 1981, amendment adopted by
City Council January 10, 2006, 19.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 25 Ownership and Development History126
The property at 31526 Valido Road is currently located on a portion of parcel SW1/4, NW1/4, Sec. 5, T8S, R8W north of West Street and west of Valido Road in South Laguna. The tract is one of two tracts developed ca. 1950 on the homestead legally claimed by William F. Egan in 1910.127 A small one-room cabin was built by William Egan ca. 1909 as a stipulation of the Homestead Act for laying claim to the land. The building was expanded over the years into a residence to accommodate the needs of the Egan homestead and family.

South Laguna was an unincorporated beach community until 1987, Orange County did not retain a complete archive of building permits and original building permits for the residence do not exist, and the Orange County assessor records are inconclusive.

Newspaper accounts of the period; however, note the original construction date as approximately 1909.128 It was reported that William and Bertie Egan honeymooned in a one-room cabin at the site after they were married in 1909. The small one-room cabin measured approximately 10’ x 16’ and ultimately became the kitchen of the residence when it was expanded ca. 1910 when their first daughter was born. A living room and bedroom were added at that time. The residence was enlarged again in 1928 with the addition of a dining room and a guest bedroom.129 Between 1914 and 1928, the Egans divided their time between South Laguna and Spadra, living several years at a stretch in either place. In 1928, they moved to South Laguna to live full-time and settled into a life of hosting family and friends in their newly remodeled home.130 Egan’s aunt, Mary Beach, also moved in with them at this time.

Historic family photographs depict the evolution of the house. The original single-room cabin (ca. 1909) had a shed roof and staggered shake siding, and the first addition (ca. 1910) had a gable roof, roughly spaced board-and-batten siding, a brick chimney, and an elevated foundation.
126 Chain of Title for 237 Canyon Acres Drive, Laguna
Beach. Orange County Archives.
127 US Department Bureau of Land Management,
Patent #027766 for 40 acres granted to William F.

Egan, Issue Date 1/17/1910.
128 This report established the build date as ca. 1909
because it is known there was a building on the
property the year the Egan’s were married. However,
the date could be a few years earlier but there is no
documentation to support that claim.
129 Bernice Foley, “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon here
on 200-Acre Homestead,” South Coast News,
September 30, 1948.
130 Mrs. Bertie Egan, Pioneer Resident Expires
Sunday,” South Coast News, January 18, 1949.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 26 Egan homestead with original one-room cabin at the far left with shed roof, and the addition with brick chimney and gable roof to the right, ca. 1910. View looking towards the east. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.

By 1928, photographs depict the second addition on the north side of the house filling the void between the existing structures and creating the L-shaped plan. The cottage was unified in design with updated windows, new board-and-batten siding, and a new roof structure with exposed rafter tails.

Egan homestead with addition and unified design, ca. 1928. View looking towards the northeast. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 27 Construction chronology for 31526 Valido Road. Google Earth, 2024.

William Egan died in December 1930, and Bertie retained ownership of the 40-acre homestead. In 1934, Bertie deeded a 2-acres of the homestead to her daughter Esther Egan and husband, Howard R. Hind, as a wedding gift where they constructed a residence at 31552 West St (extant).131 Bertie sold a portion of the property to the South Coast Water District in 1937, and more was taken by eminent domain in 1944 to build a water reservoir.132 It appears a small addition used for laundry and storage was built onto the northeast facade ca. 1945.133 Bertie Egan died in January 1949, and her estate passed to her two daughters, Frances Egan Chatham and Esther Egan Hind. By 1950, the Egan family had sold a large portion of the homestead to developer Billy Bonds and the South Coast Water District, for two subdivisions north of West Street which would become Tract No. 1243 and Por. SW1/4, NW1/4, Sec. 5, T8S, R8W, as well as for water reservoir tanks on the northwest and southwest extremes of the homestead.

The Egan house was sold in 1956 to Nelson and Edna L. Holmwood, husband and wife as joint tenants. They did not own the property for very long. Curtis D. and Elizabeth A. 131 “Esther Egan, Russel Hind Wed At Beach,” The
Santa Ana Register, June 27, 1935; Email
correspondence with Ann Christoph, December 11,
2024.
132 “Real Estate Transfers,” The Santa Ana Register,
May 19, 1937; “Real Estate Transfers,” The Santa Ana
Register, January 17, 1937; “Water District Diles Suit
to Obtain Property,” The Santa Ana Register, April 8,
1944.
133 Reference aerial photographs from 1947, 1960,
1968, and 1976.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 28 Neiswender acquired the property in 1959.

The first documented work on the property was performed in 1958. Mr. and Mrs.

Neiswender contracted with Morgan Paving Co. to grade and pave the driveway from Valido Road and the parking area to the east of the cottage. Additional grading was done in 1961.134 In 1962, the County conducted street improvements to pave curbs and driveway approaches for private residences.135 About 1970, a small addition with a shed roof, aluminum windows, and a raised deck was added on the south facade.136 It appears the south wing had some alterations at this time including several wood windows were replaced with aluminum windows on the east and west facades of the south wing, and the board-and-batten siding was replaced with horizontal wood clapboard siding.

In 1996, a city inspection reported the illegal conversion of a carport into a garage.137 There is no permit for the carport or the garage, but a 1960 aerial photograph shows a detached structure to the southeast. The first building permit on record was issued in 2005 for reroofing the house and the detached garage with fiberglass shingles.138 In 2005, the property was transferred to the Trust of James W. O’Mara and Elizabeth A.

Neiswender, with James and Elizabeth as trustees. In 2021, the property was transferred to the Elizabeth A. Neiswender Separate Property Trust after the death of her husband James O’Mara. After the death of Elizabeth A. Neiswender in 2022, her successor trustees sold the property to Hongbin Peng, trustee of the P & C Family Trust.

A complete list of building permits for 31526 Valido Road is included in Appendix A, and detailed ownership information is included in Appendix C.

Architectural Description
The single-family one-story residence and detached garage at 31526 Valido Road in South Laguna is located on a polygonal lot which slopes down to the west and is bound by single-family residences to the east, south, and partially to the west. The north and northwest side of the parcel fronts the hillside, unobstructed by residential development. Valido Road is a narrow, curvilinear, residential street sloping west to the intersection of West Street and Catalina Avenue. Coast Highway is located approximately 900 feet from the intersection of Valido Road and West Street. The residence is deeply setback down a paved driveway from Valido Road and is not visible from the street.
134 Morgan Paving Co. Invoice 963, October 14, 1958
and Invoice 1832, August 9, 1961.
135 County of Orange Highway Department, permit
no. 4793, December 26, 1962.
136 Reference aerial photographs from 1947, 1960,
1968, and 1976.
137 City of Laguna Beach Department of Community
Planning Complaint form, No. 96-006, January 8,
1996.
138 City of Laguna Beach Building Permit No. B05-
2491 and 2492, issued December 14, 2005.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 29 The oldest portion of the residential cottage was initially constructed ca. 1909 with additions ca. 1910 and remodeled in 1928. The house has an L-shaped plan with a cross gabled roof, open eaves, and a partially elevated foundation. The exterior walls of the residence are clad with a combination of wood board-and-batten siding and wood clapboard siding. It appears the board-and-batten is original from the 1928 construction, while the horizontal siding is a later replacement. Fenestration consists primarily of wood sash and replacement aluminum sliding windows framed with simple flat wood surrounds. Some of the older wood windows have wood framed screens. An enclosed brick chimney is located near the cross gable in the roof where the ca. 1910 and 1928 additions meet.

The east (primary) facade is asymmetrical in composition, showing the intersection of the L-shaped plan. The entrance to the residence is located on the northeast extension of the L through a narrow enclosed porch with a wood framed screen door and wood sash windows. The entry features a non-original paneled door. This volume has wood board-and-batten and clapboard siding and is likely the original ca. 1909 portion of the house, although it has been significantly altered. According to an early photograph, the volume had shingle siding and a shed roof. The 1928 addition to the west appears to retain its original wood, board-and-batten siding and wood sash windows on the north and west facades. The ca. 1910 wing to the south has been substantially altered. It originally had narrow board-and-batten siding but was remodeled in 1928 with wider spaced battens and the original windows were replaced. It now has horizontal clapboard siding, and the 1928 windows have been replaced with large aluminum sliding windows.

The aluminum windows and clapboard siding appear to have been added ca. 1970 at the same time as the small addition on the south wing because the construction and appearance is all similar.

The detached two-car garage with a side gable roof is clad with wood board-and-batten siding. It replaced an unpermitted carport that was built ca. 1960. Mature trees and wild bushes and shrubs are overgrown throughout the property, and there is a simple concrete walkway along the north side of the parcel. There are remnants of low stone walls in the rear yard.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 30

4.0 EVALUATION OF ELIGIBILITY
The subject property at 31526 Valido Road will be evaluated against relevant contexts and themes and according to established criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources. A period of significance of ca. 1909-1928 has been established which indicates the date when the original cabin was constructed to the date when the last significant addition was added in 1928 by the Egan family. This was also the period when William F. Egan claimed the homestead and was actively farming the land.

Evaluation of Historic Significance
CRITERION A/1
To be considered for listing under Criterion A/1, a property must be associated with one or more events, important in the defined historic context. Criterion A/1 recognizes properties associated with single events, such as the founding of a town, or with a pattern of events, repeated activities, or historic trends. The event or trends, however, must clearly be important within the associated context. The property must have an important association with the event or historic trends, and it must retain historic integrity.

The single-family residence that would become 31526 Valido Road was originally constructed ca. 1909 on unclaimed government land in South Laguna. William F. Egan, a farmer from Spadra (Pomona), California, would officially claim the land the following year in 1910 as a homestead. The Homestead Act of 1862 gave ownership to 160 acres of land provided the applicant filed the necessary paperwork, improved the land with a structure 12’ x 14’, grew crops, and lived on the land for a minimum of five years.

William Egan claimed 40-acres of land and his uncle James M. Shrewsbury claimed an adjoining 160-acres of land in 1911. Together, they acquired 200 acres spanning roughly from Aliso Canyon south to Honeycomb Canyon near current Fifth Avenue for $1.68 per acre. Between them, they had enough land to establish a profitable farming concern and proceeded to grow melons, string beans, lima beans, and squash to sell at markets in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Egan also built a one-room cabin on the land to satisfy the claim. That cabin would grow into a two-bedroom cottage by 1928. Initially, Egan and his wife Bertie split their time between Spadra and South Laguna. They expanded the cabin ca. 1910 when their first daughter Frances was born by adding a living room and bedroom. In 1928, they added a dining room and guest room, finalizing the current Lshaped plan of the house, and they made South Laguna their primary residence. William Egan passed away in 1930 and Bertie died in 1949. The Egan daughters sold the last of the homestead in 1956. The house has had two additional owners and has had some alterations, but it retains its original form and massing from 1928 and conveys its association with the Eagn homestead in South Laguna.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 31 The Homestead Act drew many to settle in Laguna Beach. Farming was difficult because of the steep slopes, hills and canyons and profitable farming was rare. Most homesteads were eventually converted into subdivisions and buildable lots. Eugene Salter, the first homesteader in South Laguna (1871) left after only a few years. He sold his land and cabin to George Thurston, Sr. in 1879. The Thurston family made a success farming the land and built a home in Aliso Canyon, but that house no longer exists. The early homesteaders claimed land parcels from Aliso Canyon south to Three Arch Bay.

William Egan built two of the first three homes in South Laguna; the Egan cabin ca. 1909, and the Shrewsbury house (not extant) north of Providence Mission Hospital, roughly at the top of Third Avenue. The third home in South Laguna belonged to Robert Anderson, which stood alone at the top of 9th Avenue (not extant) on land Egan had sold to him. It appears the Egan residence at 31526 Valido Road may be the last intact residence associated with homesteading in South Laguna still in existence on its original site.

The residential property at 31526 Valido Road was built by William F. Egan, an early homesteader in South Laguna who made a success of farming on the land he claimed in an area notoriously difficult to farm because of its hilly terrain. The residence is the last vestige of the pioneer spirit that brought homesteaders to the region in search of opportunity and a mild climate. The homesteads of South Laguna have all been subdivided and developed into rows and pockets of single-family homes, and while the Egan residence fits neatly into its found neighborhood, it is still an intact representation of the early homesteads in South Laguna and is significant under National Register Criterion A at the local level of significance and California Register Criterion 1.

CRITERION B/2
According to National Park Service guidance, properties may be significant for an association with the lives of persons significant in our past. Persons “significant in our past” refers to individuals whose activities are demonstrably important within a local, state, or national historic context. A property is not eligible if its only justification for significance is that it was owned or used by a person who was a member of an identifiable profession, class, or social or ethnic group. In addition, the property must be associated with a person’s productive life, reflecting the time period when he or she achieved significance. Properties that pre- or post-date an individual’s significant accomplishments are typically not eligible. Also, Criterion B/2 is generally restricted to properties that illustrate a person’s important achievements.

Homesteader and farmer William F. Egan claimed land in South Laguna in 1910. He built a cottage and developed a profitable farm, and his actions embody the original objective of the Homestead Act. While he is known as an early homesteader, he is not the first homesteader nor the most important homesteader in South Laguna. He kept a fairly low profile and was not involved in local, state or national affairs, and there is no documentation to suggest he made a significant impact on local, state or national history. 369
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 32 Therefore, the Egan residence on Valido Road is not significant for its association with William F. Egan under National Register Criterion B or California Register Criterion 2.

CRITERION C/3
According to National Park Service guidance, Criterion C/3 applies to properties significant for their physical design or construction. To be eligible under Criterion C/3, a property must have distinctive characteristics of a particular type or architectural style, represent the work of a master, or possess high artistic value. The one-story single family residence at 31526 Valido Road was originally constructed ca. 1909 as a homestead cabin and it was enlarged in ca. 1910 and remodeled in 1928. It was self-built by William F. Egan and has the appearance of a hillside cottage; a modest home constructed with at-hand materials, simple wood frame construction and few decorative elements.

The residence is a typical example of a hillside cottage property type. It retains some original features, including wood board-and-batten siding, wood sash windows, onestory height, and L-shaped plan with cross gabled roof. Major alterations outside the period of significance include the replacement of board-and-batten siding with horizontal wood clapboard siding, and the alteration and replacement of several windows with aluminum sliding windows. The cottage is not unique in design or construction and does not possess the distinctive characteristics of a particular architectural style.

As a result, it is not an excellent or rare example of an architectural style or property type; it does not exhibit high quality of design or craftsmanship; it is not an important example of the work of a notable builder, designer, or architect; therefore, 31526 Valido Road is not significant under National Register Criterion C or California Register Criterion 3.

Evaluation of Integrity
Historical resources eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources must meet one or more of the criteria of significance as described above and retain enough of their historic character or appearance (integrity) to be recognizable as historical resources and to convey the reasons for their significance. If a resource has been found that it does not meet one or more of the criteria of significance, it is not necessary to evaluate integrity. Eligibility is contingent on having significance and integrity. As noted above in the evaluation of significance, it was found the property meets criterion A/1; therefore, it will be evaluated for integrity.

As previously noted, the National Park Service defines seven aspects of integrity for historical resources. These are location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, 370
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 33 and association. To retain historic integrity a property will always possess several, and usually most of the aspects. It is not necessary for a property to retain all its historic physical features or characteristics. However, the property must retain the essential physical features that enable it to convey its historic identity. The integrity of 31526 Valido Road is evaluated below based on these seven aspects.

The single-family residence at 31526 Valdo Road remains on its original site and therefore retains integrity of location. The setting has changed significantly since the residence was constructed and up through its period of significance (ca. 1909-1928).

Initially it was surrounded by farmland and even into the late 1930s there were few neighboring residences, whereas it is now surrounded by other single-family residences; therefore, the property does not retain integrity of setting. The cottage has had several alterations since its period of significance including the addition of a small utility room at the northeast corner of the cottage in the 1940s and the addition of a small addition with raised porch at the south wing in the 1970s. Several windows have been replaced and some of the wood board-and-batten siding has been replaced with wood clapboard siding. However, the property retains integrity of design, materials, workmanship and feeling because none of the alterations have diminished its ability to convey its significance. The residence retains its one-story form and massing and L=shaped plan from its period of significance and still has the appearance of the 1928 cottage associated with the Egan homestead and retains integrity of association.

Conclusion
This report has evaluated the single-family residence at 31526 Valido Road in South Laguna in the City of Laguna Beach for eligibility for designation as a historical resource.

The property was evaluated against the established eligibility criteria and integrity thresholds for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources.

The property at 31526 Valido Road is significant under Criterion A/1 for its association with the Homestead Act of 1862. William F. Egan, a farmer from the inland community of Spadra, came to South Laguna in the early 1900s and discovered the opportunity to acquire land for the cost of building a small cabin and some sweat equity. He claimed 40 acres of land for himself in 1910, and his uncle James M. Shrewsbury claimed 160-acres of land in 1911. Together they established a successful farm where they grew string beans, melons, squash, and lima beans that would be shipped to markets in Los Angeles and San Francisco. With the success of his claim Egan was able to expand his one-room cabin (ca. 1909) into a two-bedroom cottage (1928) where he lived with his wife Bertie until his untimely death in 1930. Bertie Egan continued to live in the cottage until her death in 1949. The homestead was eventually sold off to developers and claimed by the South Coast Water District to build water reservoirs for South Laguna. The remainder became undeveloped county land. The Egan residence appears to be the last intact 371
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 34 residence associated with homesteading in South Laguna still in existence on its original site.

Based on the findings of this assessment, the single-family residence at 31526 Valido Road, is significant under National Register Criterion A at the local level of significance and California Register Criterion 1. However, for the purposes of CEQA, the threshold is eligibility for listing in the California Register. The City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance defines a historic resource as one that has been found eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources. It was found the property is significant under California Register Criterion 1 and is eligible for listing in the California Register. Therefore, the property is a historic resource for the purposes of CEQA. 372
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 35

4.0 REFERENCES

BIBLIOGRAPHY
“100 Choice Lots Listed for Sale,” The Pasadena Post, June 28, 1929.
“50 Cents Pound Received for Early Beans,” The Santa
Ana Register, April 10, 1920.
1870 US Census for William F. Egan, Ancestry.com,
accessed October 2024.
1880 US Census for James Shrewsbury, Ancestry.com,
accessed November 2024.
1910 US Census for William F. Egan, Ancestry.com,
accessed October 2024.
1910-1912 Orange County Voter Registration for William
F. Egan, Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024.
1913 Laguna Road Distract Map. Orange County Archives.
1914-1916 Orange County Voter Registration for William
F. Egan, Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024.
1930 US Census for William F. Egan, Ancestry.com,
accessed October 2024.
1960 US Census, “Number of Inhabitants in California
Report, Table 8.” Population of all incorporated places and of unincorporated places of 1,000 or more: 1940-
1960.
“Announcing the Opening of Three Arch Bay,” The
Progress Bulletin, August 13, 1930.

Brown, William S. and S.B. Show, California Rural Land
Use and Management. United States Department of
Agriculture, 1944.
“Built Environment Resource Directory, Orange County.”
California Office of Historic Preservation, 2022.

California Birth Index for Frances M. Egan and Esther W.

Egan, Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024.

California Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980, for Bertie E. McCoy, accessed November 2024.
“California Historical Resource Status Codes,” California Office of Historic Preservation, 2022.

Chain of Title for 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach. Legal Description: Portion of the SW ¼ of the NW ¼ of S5
T8S, R8W, S B B & M. Orange County Archives.

City of Laguna Beach building and planning records for
31526 Valido Road,
https://www.lagunabeachcity.net/government/departm
ents/community-development/planningzoning/historic-preservation. Accessed October 2024.

City of Laguna Beach Historic Preservation Ordinance.

Laguna Beach Municipal Code Chapter 25.45 Historic
Preservation.
“City of Laguna Beach Historic Resources Element.”
(Resolution No. 06.006) Adopted July 1981.

Amendment adopted by Laguna Beach City Council,
January 10, 2006.
“City of Laguna Beach Historic Resources Inventory.”
(Resolution 82.111) Adopted by the Laguna Beach City
Council, December 21, 1982.
“Coast Pioneer Passes Saturday”, South Coast News,
January 2, 1931.
“Coast Royal,” South Coast News, October 21, 1930.

County of Orange, Historical Aerial Imagery, OC Archives. http://www.ocgis.com/ocpw/historicalimagery/index.html. “County Planners Give Approval to New Subdivision in
South Laguna,” The Santa Ana Register, March 8, 1947.
“Enjoys Outing at Beaches,” Progress-Bulletin (Pomona,
CA), July 31, 1920.
“Esslinger Sub-Division Approved by County Planning
Board,” Coastline Dispatch, March 25, 1949.
“Found Missing Animal,” Progress-Bulletin (Pomona, CA), August 28, 1915.

Freund, Jacob. “The Homestead Act of 1862: The First
Entitlement Program,” Journal of the West 52, No. 6
(2013).

Gates, Paul W. Free Homesteads for All Americans: The
Homestead Act of 1862. Civil War Centennial
Commission, 1962.
“Historic American Landscapes Survey of Laguna Beach,”
HALS CA-123. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of
the Interior, National Park Service, 2016.

Janz, Jane. Naming Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach, CA:

Pacific-Noir Press, 2018.
“John Robert Egan,” Pomona Daily Progress, January 7,
1903.

Laguna Beach Historic Survey Board Records. MS-R98.

Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine
Libraries, Irvine, California,
https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt2h4nb12j/.
“Met District Offers Terms,” Anaheim Bulletin, August 20, 1940.
“Mrs. Bertie Egan, Pioneer Resident, Expires Sunday,”
South Coast News, January 18, 1949.
373
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 36 “Mrs. Egan Spent Honeymoon Here on 200-Acre
Homestead,” South Coast News, September 30, 1948.
“National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation.” Washington, D.C.: U.S.

Department of the Interior, National Park Service,
revised for internet 2002.
“National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete the
National Register Registration Form.” Washington D.C.:

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1997.
“Ocean Front Lots,” The Pasadena Post, August 16, 1926. “Opening!,” The Los Angeles Times, September 7, 1924.
“Real Estate Transfer,” The Santa Ana Register, May 19, 1937.
“Real Estate Transfers,” The Santa Ana Register, January 17, 1937.
“Revives Old Litigation,” The Los Angeles Times, February 29, 1908.
“Soars Does Land on Beach,” The Los Angeles Times,
August 8, 1906.
“South Laguna Water District Studies MWD Annexation
Plan,” The Santa Ana Register, March 25, 1942.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:20,000. Flight
AXK-1938. Frame 58-42. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1938.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:7,200. Flight C11730. Frame 4-81. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1947.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:14,000. Flight
PAI-105V-2. Frame 45. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1959.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:6,000. Flight
PAI-133V-1. Frame 24. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1960.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:28,800. Flight
TG-2400. Frame 4-69. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1968.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:10,000. Flight
WAS-G14. Frame 101. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1976.

Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara; Aerial Photography
Collection. Laguna Beach [air photo]. 1:24,000. Flight
AMI-OC-81A. Frame 10968. Laguna Beach, Calif. 1981.

State of California Department of Parks and Recreation. “Coast Royal.” Historic Resources Inventory form.

Prepared by Environmental Coalition, April 1981.

State of California Department of Parks and Recreation. “South Laguna.” Historic Resources Inventory form.

Prepared by Environmental Coalition, April 1981.
“A Special Invitation,” The Pasadena Post, August 27,
1926.
“Subdivisions and Subdividers,” The Los Angeles Times,
September 7, 1924.
“Subdivision to Replace Trailer Park in Laguna Beach,” The Santa Ana Register, February 22, 1949.
“Supervisors O.K. Tract,” Anaheim Bulletin, September 3, 1952.
“Three Arches of Laguna Coast Charming,” The Whittier
News, July 16, 1927.

Thurston, J.S. Laguna Beach: Early Days. (Charleston, SC:

The History Press, 1947.

Turnbull, Karen. “A Short History of Laguna Beach”,
https://www.lightheaded.com/asite/laguna/laguna_history/laguna_beach _history.php, accessed November 2024.

Turnbull, Karen Wilson. Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated
History. Santa Ana, CA: Friss-Pioneer Press, 1977.

U.S. Department Bureau of Land Management, Patent
#170682 for 160 acres granted to James M.

Shrewsbury, Issue Date 1/16/1911.

U.S. Department Bureau of Land Management, Patent
#027766 for 40 acres granted to William F. Egan, Issue
Date 1/17/1910.

Viebeck, Beryl Wilson. “Homestead Map Overlays Modern
Streets,” Laguna Beach Historical Society.
“Water District Files Suit to Obtain Property,” The Santa Ana Register, April 8, 1944.
“Water Facilities Contract is Let,” The Santa Ana Register, November 08, 1947.

Wells, Glenn and Connie. “Looking Back on South
Laguna,” South Coast News, August 4, 1961.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 37 APPENDIX A: BUILDING PERMIT HISTORY

DATE PERMIT
NO. OWNER ARCHITECT/ CONTRACTOR DESCRIPTION
1958-
10-14
Mr. & Mrs.

Curtis
Neiswender
Morgan Paving Co.
(contractor)
Pave drive-parking area
1961-
08-09
Mr. & Mrs.

Curtis
Neiswender
Morgan Paving Co.
(contractor)
Grade out & pave additional parking
1962-
12-26
Curtis D.

Miswender
[sic]
County of Orange: To break curb and
install concrete driveway approach for
private residence
1996-
01-08
Elizabeth A
Neiswender
City Inspection Finding(s): Carport has
been converted into a garage without
permits.

Remedial Action Taken: No access to
garage to verify electrical work. Send
letter to owner requesting permit for
carport conversion and access into
carport/garage.
2005-
12-14
B05-
2491
Hobson Roofing Co.
(contractor)
On detached garage, remove existing
roofing; install sheathing, install 2 layers
30# felt, install Class “A” 30 yr.
fiberglass shingles. Pitch 3 ½: 12; Color:

Birchwood *No white roofs allowed.
2005-
12-14
B05-
2492
Hobson Roofing Co.
(contractor)
On house, remove existing roofing;
install sheathing, install 1 layer 30# felt,
install Class “A” 30 yr. fiberglass
shingles. Pitch 4: 12; Color: Birchwood
*No white roofs allowed.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 38 APPENDIX B: MAPS AND HISTORIC AERIALS
Beryl Wilson Viebeck’s Homestead Map Overlays Modern Streets, 1996. (Laguna Beach Historical Society) 376
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 39 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1938. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 377
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 40 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1947. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 378
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 41 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1959. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 379
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 42 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1960. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 380
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 43 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1968. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 381
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 44 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1976. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 382
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 45 Aerial photograph with Egan Homestead outlined in a dashed yellow line and the subject property outlined in red, 1981. (Special Research Collections, UCSB Library, University of California Santa Barbara) 383
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 46 APPENDIX C: ASSESSOR RECORDS
Chain of Title for 31526 Valido Road, page 1 of 2. The County records are incomplete and there is no documentation of ownership prior to 1919, although the Egan Homestead was established in 1910. (Orange County Archives)
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 47 Chain of Title for 31526 Valido Road, page 2 of 2. (Orange County Archives) 385
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 48 1913 Orange County Plat map showing 40-acre Egan Homestead. (Orange County Archives) 386
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 49 The property assessment book for 1911 indicates J.S. Thurston as owner of the property and indicates the land value at $115 with no improvements. (Orange County Archives) 387
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 50 The property assessment book for 1912 indicates William F. Egan as owner of a portion of the property and indicates the land value at $155 with no improvements. (Orange County Archives) The property assessment book for 1916 indicates James M. Shrewsbury as owner of the property and indicates the land value at $500 and improvements valued at $200. (Orange County Archives) 388
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 51 APPENDIX D: HISTORIC IMAGES
31526 Valido Road, ca. 1910. Egan homestead with original cabin (ca. 1909) on the left and addition (ca. 1910) on the right. View looking east. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 52 31526 Valido Road, ca. 1915. Frances and Esther Egan at the rear of the Egan homestead with agricultural fields in the background. View looking toward the south. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association. 390
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 53 31526 Valido Road, ca. 1928. Egan homestead about the time it was remodeled. View looking towards the east. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 54 31526 Valido Road, ca. 1930. Frances Egan standing at the rear of the Egan homestead. View looking towards the east.

Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 55 31526 Valido Road, ca. 1932. Front of the Egan homestead in early 1930s. (The decorative border indicates the photo was taken at the time of the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.) View looking west. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association. 393
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 56 31526 Valido Road, no date. View looking west. Photo courtesy of Nancy Burnham and Deborrah Allen in memory of Howard Russel Hind and Esther Egan Hind; the South Laguna Civic Association. 394
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 57 APPENDIX E: EXISTING CONDITIONS PHOTOGRAPHS
Photographs taken by Historic Resources Group on October 24, 2024, unless otherwise noted.

View of 31526 Valido Road driveway from street; view facing northwest. (California Regional Multiple Listing Service)
View of detached garage from driveway; view facing northwest. 395
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 58 View of east (primary) facade; view facing west. (California Regional Multiple Listing Service) View of main entrance on east (primary) facade; view facing northwest. 396
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 59 Detail of main entrance on east (primary) facade; view facing northwest.

East (primary) façade; view facing west. (California Regional Multiple Listing Service) 397
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 60 Detail of windows on east (primary) facade; view facing west.

Small addition (ca. 1945) on east end of north facade; view facing southeast. 398
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 61 North façade with concrete walkway; view facing northeast.

Detail of north facade; view facing northeast.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 62 North end of west facade; view facing northeast. (California Regional Multiple Listing Service) Detail of north end of west facade; view facing northeast. 400
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 63 West façade; view facing northeast.

Detail of replacement window on west facade; view facing northeast. 401
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 64 Addition with raised deck (ca. 1970) on south end of west facade; view facing northeast.

View detached garage from rear yard; view facing northeast. 402
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Historic Assessment 65 View detached garage from front yard; view facing southeast.

Detail of replacement windows on east facade; view facing west. 403
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Historic Resource Assessment of
31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach 92651
Scott Torres, M.A., Carrie Casteen, M.S., Andrew Rodriguez, M.A.

April 2025
Attachment 11
404
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405
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Historic Resource Assessment of
31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach 92651
Prepared by:

Scott Torres, M.A.

Carrie Chasteen, M.S.

Andrew Rodriguez, M.A.

Prepared for:

LCRA Architectural and Planning
35 Hugus Alley, Suite 220
Pasadena, California 91103
Technical Report No.: 25-092
Chronicle Heritage
55 East Huntington Drive, Suite 238
Arcadia, California 91006
(626) 408-8006
April 2025
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i
Abstract
Chronicle Heritage was contracted by LCRA Architecture and Planning on the behalf of the property owner to prepare a Historic Resources Assessment (HRAR) of the single-family residence at 31526 Valido Road (subject property) Laguna Beach, California 92651 (Figure 1 and Figure 2). This HRAR was prepared to determine if the subject property may be considered a historical resource pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In addition, this assessment includes a peer review of a historic resource assessment of the subject property that was completed in by Historic Resources Group (HRG) in November 2024 for the City of Laguna Beach (City).

Chronicle Heritage, like HRG, completed property research that included Orange County (County) archive records, County plat maps, County building permits, local publications of the history of the City and the South Laguna area, and a site visit to the subject property; digital photographs were taken. Unlike HRG, however, Chronical Heritage did not conclude that the subject property is significant for its association with the Homestead Act of 1862 or that it appears to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) at the local level pursuant to Criterion A/1.

After reviewing HRG’s historic resources assessment, Chronical Heritage undertook an independent review of the Bureau of Land Management’s Government Land Office (GLO) land patents, County assessment records, County plat maps, historical aerial photographs of the subject property and surrounding area, historical newspaper articles, Federal Census records (Ancestry.com), and local publications regarding the history of the City and the South Laguna area in particular
Chronicle Heritage does not concur with HRG’s finding that the subject property adequately reflects or conveys an association with the Homestead Act of 1862. The subject property may be the oldest intact property within the area of William Egan’s 40-acre homestead; however, the progression of development over the course of time has altered the setting, and it does not wholistically exude the feeling or embody what once was an active farming homestead. Based on digital photographs, the Egan homestead land and surrounding parcels were completely developed by the early 1970s. Therefore, any association with homesteading was lost over 40 years ago. After a review of all the information available regarding the subject property, the City, and the South Laguna area, Chronicle Heritage concludes that the subject property does not appear to be eligible for listing in the NRHP and CRHR at the local level, nor does it appear to be eligible for listing under any of the designation under local criteria. Therefore, the building does not appear to be a historical resource pursuant to Section 15064.5(a) of the CEQA guidelines.

The City conducted a historic resources survey between 1980-1981. A historic resources inventory was established based on the results of the survey and was adopted in 1981. The subject property was not listed in the historic resource inventory in 1981 and was not added to the inventory between then and the present. In 2024, the City issued an update to the historic preservation ordinance and reached the conclusion that the 1981 inventory has not been sufficiently updated every five years, and did not accurately reflect the number of historic properties in the City. The 1981 survey findings were voided as a result. The 2024 historic preservation ordinance prescribes that a property that is presumed historic may be voluntarily listed by the property owner in the City’s historical register pending review and approval by City staff. The owner of the subject property does not consent to list the property in the City’s historical register because a detailed examination of the record does not indicate that the subject property meets one or more eligibility criteria.
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Contents
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 METHODS ......................................................................................................................................... 2 RESEARCH CONDUCTED .............................................................................................. 2 FIELD METHODS .......................................................................................................... 3 REGULATORY CONTEXT ................................................................................................................... 5 NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT .................................................................... 5 Eligibility Criteria ................................................................................................. 6 STATE REGULATIONS .................................................................................................. 6 California Environmental Quality Act .................................................................... 6 California Register of Historical Resources Program ............................................ 6 CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH CODE OF ORDINANCES CHAPTER 25.45 HISTORIC PRESERVATION .................................................................................................. 7 CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH CRITERIA FOR HISTORIC REGISTER LISTING 25.45.006 ........... 8 Purpose and Intent .............................................................................................. 8 Criteria for Laguna Beach Historic Register Listing .............................................. 8 Evaluation of a Property’s Integrity ....................................................................... 9 RECORD SEARCH .............................................................................................................................. 9 RECORD SEARCH ......................................................................................................... 9 PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS AND DESIGNATIONS SUMMARY .......................................... 10 Development History ......................................................................................... 10 Building Permit and Alteration History ................................................................ 15 31256 Valido Road ............................................................................................... 15 National Register of Historic Places and California Register of Historical Resources Criterion Evaluation .......................................................................... 21 Laguna Beach Resource Evaluation ................................................................... 21 Integrity Evaluation ........................................................................................... 23 FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................... 23 REFERENCES CITED ....................................................................................................................... 27 Figures
Figure 1. Subject property location map. ....................................................................................... 4 Figure 2. Subject property sketch map. ........................................................................................ 5 Figure 3. Land Patent, Department of the Interior, BLM. .............................................................. 12 Figure 4. Newspaper announcement, The Register Santa Ana , California, 1909. ........................... 13 Figure 5. Assessment Book of the Property of Orange County for the Year 1915, OC Archives. ........ 13 Figure 6. 31526 Valido Road circa 1938, HistoricAerials.com......................................................... 14 Figure 7. 31526 Valido Road circa 1952, HistoricAerials.com. ........................................................ 14 Figure 8. 31526 Valido Road circa 1972, HistoricAerials.com. ......................................................... 15 Figure 9. Primary elevation, facing northwest. ............................................................................. 16 Figure 10. Northwestern elevation exhibiting varying siding materials, facing southwest. ............. 17 Figure 11. Southwestern elevation, facing northeast. .................................................................... 17 Figure 12. Porch and entrance on southeastern elevation, facing northeast. .................................18 Figure 13. Covered entrance, facing northwest. ...........................................................................18 Figure 14. Detached garage primary elevation, facing south. ........................................................19 410
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Figure 15. Southwestern elevation of garage, facing north. ...........................................................19 Figure 16. Paved driveway descending to Valido Road, facing southeast. ..................................... 20 Figure 17. Paved driveway ascending to property from Valido Road, facing northwest. ................. 20 Appendices
Appendix A. DPR 523 Forms

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1 Introduction
Chronicle Heritage was contracted by LCRA Architecture and Planning on the behalf of the property owner to prepare a Historic Resources Assessment (HRAR) of the single-family residence at 31526 Valido Road (the subject property), Laguna Beach, California 92651 (Figure 1 and Figure 2).

This HRAR was prepared to determine whether the subject property may be considered a historical resource pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In addition to the HRAR’s determination on the issue of eligibility, the assessment also includes a peer review of a historic resource assessment of the property that was completed by the Historic Resources Group (HRG) in November 2024.

Chronicle Heritage understands the City of Laguna Beach initially established an inventory of historic resources that was based on a historic resources survey of the City in 1980-1981, followed by a historic resources element that was adopted in 1983. The City’s historic resource survey established a historic resource inventory where properties were assigned a letter rating of E (exceptional), K (key), and C (contributive). The 1983 historic resource element indicated:
"E" rated buildings are usually in excellent condition and unique; some are eligible for the National Register. Structures with a "K" rating are buildings which strongly maintain their original integrity and demonstrate a particular architectural style or time period. "C" rated structures contribute to the overall historic character of the neighborhood, but are not unique or distinctive; however, these properties are still important to the streetscape of Laguna Beach. The City of Laguna Beach has a total of 745 properties listed on its Historic Inventory, with 130 "E" rated structures, 351 " K rated structures, and 258 "C" rated structures.”1
According to the historic resources assessment that was completed by HRG, the subject property has never been listed on the City’s historic register at anytime between 1981 and the present. As time passed, the City began to believe the historic resource inventory was outdated. Initially, City staff believed state law required the Inventory to be updated every five years, but the Inventory hadn’t been updated since 1981. The City staff asserted that the historic resource inventory was also inaccurate, and various properties were mistakenly given a E, C, or K rating. In addition to misidentified properties, the City concluded the survey was ultimately over inclusive and as many of the buildings and structures that were originally identified had been substantially altered or demolished.

A review of the Laguna Beach Ruling regarding the Laguna Beach Historic Preservation Coalition vs. City of Laguna Beach2 indicated:
“In 2020, the City Council adopted the current general plan, which includes the amended Historic Preservation Program. The ordinance amending the Historic Preservation Program was supported by a staff analysis. As relevant here, City staff wrote: “It has been determined that the 1981 Historic Inventory no longer meets the requirements of Public Resources Code section 5020.1(k) because it has not been updated within the last five years.
1 City of Laguna Beach Historic Resources Element, originally adopted July, 1981. Available at https://www.letlagunalive.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Historic_Resources_Element.pdf 2 Laguna Beach Historic Preservation Coalition vs. City of Laguna Beach 21-1178477, January 11, 2021. 412
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2 As the current version of the City’s historic preservation laws now state, their “purpose” is to “achieve the following objectives,” which include “Recognize that the previous historic resource inventory (adopted by Ordinance [sic] No. 82.111) is ineffective for the purposes of creating a presumption of historicity of any property identified thereon.” (Laguna Beach Mun. Code § 25.45.002(H).) This provision tracks proposed language in the staff report, which suggested the Code be amended to “Declare that the previous historic resource inventory (adopted by Ordinance [sic] No. 82.111) is ineffective for the purposes of creating a presumption of historicity of any property identified thereon.” (AR6-1537.) As a result of these changes, the City now maintains only a voluntary register. A property owner applies for inclusion on the register, and the City’s Heritage Committee determines if the property qualifies for inclusion. (Laguna Beach Mun. Code § 25.45.006.).” Chronicle Heritage concludes that the subject property does not appear to be eligible for listing in the NRHP and CRHR at the local level, nor does it appear to be eligible for listing under any of the designation under local criteria, in addition to the subject property owner not voluntarily listing the residence on the City’s historic register. Therefore, the building does not appear to be a historical resource pursuant to Section 15064.5(a) of the CEQA guidelines.

The City conducted a historic resources survey between 1980-1981. A historic resources inventory was established based on the results of the survey and was adopted in 1981. The subject property was not listed in the historic resource inventory in 1981 and was not added to the inventory between then and the present. In 2024, the City issued an update to the historic preservation ordinance and reached the conclusion that the 1981 inventory has not been sufficiently updated every five years, and did not accurately reflect the number of historic properties in the City. The 1981 survey findings were voided as a result. The 2024 historic preservation ordinance prescribes that a property that is presumed historic may be voluntarily listed by the property owner in the City’s historical register pending review and approval by City staff. The owner of the subject property does not consent to list the property in the City’s historical register because a detailed examination of the record does not indicate that the subject property meets one or more eligibility criteria.

Methods
The assessment methodology consisted of research and field inspection of the building on the subject property and on neighboring properties.

Research Conducted
Chronicle Heritage obtained and reviewed the historic resources assessment that was completed by HRG in November 2024. The historic resource assessment report contained City building permits, ownership history, and Orange County (County) parcel and plat maps. Chronicle Heritage also completed a desktop review of voter and Census records (Ancestry.com), historical newspaper articles (Newspapers.com), Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) General Land Office (GLO) records patents and maps, and historic aerial photographs (NETRonline.com) to ascertain 413
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3 the level of accuracy in the HRG historic resource assessment. Chronicle Heritage also coordinated with the County Archives on January 22, 2025, verifying assessment records and deeds to confirm length of ownership and any recorded building alterations/additions. Chronicle Heritage researched the subject property and surrounding area at the Laguna Beach Public Library to establish the general history and context of the subject property site, including a review of the Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD) for the County. Chronicle Heritage reviewed and analyzed ordinances, statutes, regulations, bulletins, and technical materials relating to federal, state, and local historic preservation ordinance processes and programs to evaluate the significance and integrity of the building on the subject property.

Field Methods
Chronicle Heritage conducted a field inspection of the subject property and setting on December 13, 2024, to determine the general condition and physical integrity of the building. Digital photographs were taken during the site inspection, which only included the exterior of the building, and field notes were made.
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4 Figure 1. Subject property location map.
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5 Figure 2. Subject property sketch map.

Regulatory Context
National Historic Preservation Act
The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (Public Law 89-665; 16 U.S. Code 470 et seq.) is intended to preserve historical and archaeological sites in the United States. The NHPA created the National Register of Historic Properties (NRHP) and the State Historic Preservation Offices.

Properties listed or formally determined eligible for listing in the NRHP are automatically listed in the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) and are therefore historical resources pursuant to Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 5024.1(d)(1) and thus under CEQA.

Inclusion in the NRHP requires a property to meet one or more eligibility criteria for significance and possess the requisite integrity.
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6 Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria are used to assess a property’s significance by requiring a property to meet one or more of following four criteria:
 Criterion A: Be associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history
 Criterion B: Be associated with the lives of significant persons in our past  Criterion C: Embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or represent the work of a master, or possess high artistic values, or represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction
 Criterion D: Have yielded or may be likely to yield, information important in history or prehistory
State Regulations
California Environmental Quality Act
A proposed project that may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource may have a significant effect on the environment under CEQA (Section 15064.5(b) of the CEQA Guidelines).3
Pursuant to CEQA, a historical resource is a resource listed in, or eligible for listing in, the CRHR (PRC, Sections 21083.2 and 21084.1; Section 15064.5(a) of the CEQA Guidelines). In addition, resources included in a local register of historical resources or identified as significant in a local survey conducted in accordance with state guidelines are also considered historical resources under CEQA unless a preponderance of facts demonstrates otherwise (Section 15064.5(a) of the CEQA Guidelines). Furthermore, any object, building, structure, site, area, place, record, or manuscript determined by the Lead Agency to be significant is a historical resource provided that the determination is supported by substantial evidence in light of the whole record (Section 15064.5[a] of the CEQA Guidelines). Generally, the fact that a resource is not listed in, or determined eligible for listing in, the CRHR or that it is not included in a local register or survey shall not preclude a Lead Agency from determining that the resource may be a historical resource (Section 15064.5[a] of the CEQA Guidelines).

California Register of Historical Resources Program
The CRHR is a state government program that was created in 1992 and implemented in 1998 to identify the state’s historic resources and to indicate what properties are to be protected, to the extent prudent and feasible, from substantial adverse change (PRC Section 5024.1[a]). Certain properties, including those listed in or formally determined eligible for listing in the NRHP and California Historical Landmarks numbered 770 and higher, are automatically included in the CRHR.

California Historical Landmarks are buildings, sites, features, or events that are of statewide significance and that have anthropological, cultural, military, political, architectural, economic, scientific or technical, religious, experimental, or other historical value. Other properties 3 Association of Environmental Professionals, “2023 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Statute and Guidelines” (Palm Desert, California: Association of Environmental Professionals, 2023). 417
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7 recognized under the California Points of Historical Interest program, identified as significant in historical resources surveys or designated by local landmarks programs, may be nominated for inclusion in the CRHR. California Points of Historical Interest are buildings, sites, features, or events that are of local (city or county) significance and have anthropological, cultural, military, political, architectural, economic, scientific or technical, religious, experimental, or other historical value. A resource, either an individual property or a contributor to a historic district, may be listed in the CRHR if the State Historical Resources Commission determines that it meets one or more of the following criteria, which are modeled on NRHP criteria (PRC Section 5024.1[c]):
 Criterion 1: It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of California’s history and cultural heritage.  Criterion 2: It is associated with the lives of persons important in our past.  Criterion 3: It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction; represents the work of an important creative individual; or possesses high artistic value.
 Criterion 4: It has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in history or prehistory. Resources nominated to the CRHR must retain enough of their historic character or appearance to be recognizable as historical resources and to convey the reasons for their significance.

It is possible that a resource’s integrity does not satisfy NRHP criteria but may still be eligible for listing in the CRHR. A resource that has lost its historic character or appearance may still have sufficient integrity for the CRHR if, under Criterion 4, it maintains the potential to yield significant scientific or historical information or specific data. Resources that have achieved significance within the past 50 years may be also eligible for inclusion in the CRHR provided that enough time has lapsed to obtain a scholarly perspective on the events or individuals associated with the resource.4
City of Laguna Beach Code of Ordinances Chapter 25.45 Historic Preservation5
The City recently amended their Historic Preservation Program, and the City Council adopted a new ordinance on April 26, 2022, which updated Chapter 25.45 of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code. Section 25.45.004 of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code indicates that the City provides six ways in which a property gains status as a historic resource in the City:
"Historic resource" means a property or structure that (1) is listed on the City's historic register, (2) is listed on the California Register of Historical Resources, (3) has been officially determined to be eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources by the State Historical Resource Commission, (4) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, (5) has been officially determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service, or (6) the City is mandated by law to treat as a historic resource based on substantial evidence in light of the whole record. 4 California Office of Historic Preservation [OHP], “Instructions for Recording Historical Resources” (Sacramento:

California Office of Historic Preservation, 1995), https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1054/files/manual95.pdf. 5 City of Laguna Beach, “City of Laguna Beach, CA: Historic Register Designation, Criteria and Procedures and Removal from Register.,” City of Laguna Beach, CA Code, 2024, https://ecode360.com/42901425. 418
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8 Generally, a resource shall be considered to be "historically significant" if the resource meets the criteria for listing on the California Register of Historical Resources.

City of Laguna Beach Criteria for Historic Register Listing

25.45.0066
Purpose and Intent
The purpose of the Laguna Beach historic register is to provide a means to preserve, protect and enhance historic resources within the community, including buildings, structures, sites, objects, districts and cultural or historic landscape features. All historic resources identified subsequent to the effective date of this chapter shall be added to the register pursuant to the procedures established in this chapter. Properties listed on the register may be identified on-site with an exterior marker or plaque displaying pertinent information about the property. The current list of historic resources on the register will be kept on file with the City Clerk.

Criteria for Laguna Beach Historic Register Listing
Upon submittal of an application by the property owner(s), a building, grouping of buildings, structure, site, object, or district shall be considered for designation by the Heritage Committee if it meets criteria 1 and also one or more of criteria 2–11:

1. The owner of the property voluntarily agrees to the placement on the register;

2. It is listed on the NRHP or the CRHR;

3. It exemplifies the cultural, political, economic, social, or historical heritage of the community;

4. It is identified with a person, events, culture, or site significant in local, state or national history;

5. It is representative of the work of a notable builder, designer, architect, or artist including those of local importance;

6. It embodies distinguishing architectural characteristics of a style, type, period, or method of construction that exemplifies a particular architectural style or way of life important to the City;

7. It embodies elements that represent a significant structural, engineering, or architectural achievement or innovation;

8. It has a unique location, a singular physical characteristic, or is an iconic visual feature or public view point within the City;

9. Is one of the remaining examples in the City, region, state, or nation possessing distinguishing characteristics of architectural, cultural or historical importance;

10. Is an iconic landscape, garden, space, or public view point that is significant to the history and heritage of the City; or
6 City of Laguna Beach, “City of Laguna Beach, CA: HISTORIC PRESERVATION,” City of Laguna Beach, CA Code, 2024, https://ecode360.com/42901400.
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9 11. Has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the nation.

Evaluation of a Property’s Integrity
Historic properties either retain integrity (i.e., convey the reasons for their significance) or they do not. A property may meet one or more eligibility criteria but may be substantially altered (i.e., lost integrity) such that it would not be eligible for listing in the NRHP. Within the concept of integrity, the NRHP criteria recognize seven aspects that may contribute to a historic property’s integrity:
 Location: The place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred.
 Design: The combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property.
 Setting: The physical environment of a historic property.  Materials: The physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property.  Workmanship: The physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory.
 Feeling: A property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time.
 Association: The direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property. To retain historic integrity, a property will always possess several, and usually most, of the aspects. The retention of specific aspects of integrity is paramount for a property to convey its significance. Determining which of these aspects are most important to a particular property requires knowing why, where, and when the property is significant.

Record Search
Record Search
In accordance with current policies and procedures of the California Historical Resource Information System (CHRIS), an equivalent record search was conducted by reviewing the California Office of Historic Preservation BERD for Orange County7, historic U.S. Geological Survey

7.5-minute series topographic maps and aerial photographs for the site and adjacent properties. In addition to official maps and records, published registers and reports for the geographic area were reviewed:
 NRHP: Listed8
 CRHR: Listed9
7 California Office of Historic Preservation [OHP], “Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD),” Electronic document, CA State Parks, 2024, https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30338. 8 National Park Service [NPS], “National Register Database and Research,” Electronic document, National Register of Historic Places, 2024, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm. 9 California Office of Historic Preservation [OHP], “California Historical Resources Information System (CHRIS),” Electronic document, 2024, https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1068. 420
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10  California State Historical Landmarks (1996 and updates)10  California Points of Historical Interest (1992 and updates)11  Laguna Beach Historic Resources Element Inventory (1981/2006)12  Historic Resources Assessment Report 31987 Coast Highway (HRG 2016)13  Historic Resources Assessment Report 31526 Valido Road (November 2024)14 Previous Evaluations and Designations Summary
The subject property was not identified in the area of South Laguna in the Laguna Beach Historic Resources Survey completed in 1981.

The subject property was evaluated by HRG in November 2024. According to the historic resource assessment completed by HRG, the subject property, “is still an intact representation of the early homesteads in South Laguna and is significant under National Register Criterion A at the local level of significance and California Register Criterion 1.”15 The HRG assessment concludes that the subject property is significant under CRHR Criterion 1 and is eligible for listing in the CRHR.

Development History
A review of various resources that include GLO patents, voter and Census lists, Karen Turnbull’s Three Arch Bay: An Illustrated History, 1977, newspaper articles, and contemporary web-based articles regarding the history of South Laguna Beach was conducted to inform this review.

South Laguna
South Laguna, originally a small unincorporated beach community in the County, was annexed by the City in 1987.16 Homes in South Laguna are set into the hillside or perched on a cliff overlooking the beach. Few houses are on level lots, and many South Laguna homes are cottages and bungalows, hastily built as beach homes and continuously remodeled. The original homesteader in South Laguna was William Egan, who took up a claim extending from West Street to approximately 1Qth Avenue in 1907. By popular vote, the area formerly known as Three Arches was renamed South Laguna in 1934.17 Beach communities such as South Laguna were characterized by small beach 10 California Office of Historic Preservation [OHP], “California Historical Landmarks,” Electronic document, California Historical Landmarks by County, 2024, https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21387. 11 California Office of Historic Preservation [OHP], “California Points of Historical Interest,” Electronic document, Office of Historic Preservation, 2024, https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21750. 12 City of Laguna Beach, “Laguna Beach: Historic Resources Element” (City of Laguna Beach, 2006), https://www.letlagunalive.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Historic_Resources_Element.pdf. 13 California Coastal Commission, “W12b, A-5-LGB-17-0033 (Dimitry Demo SFD)” (Central Coast District Office, August 10, 2017), https://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2017/8/w12b/w12b-8-2017-exhibits.pdf. 14 Historic Resources Group, “Historic Resources Assessment 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach” (Pasadena, California: Historic Resources Group, November 22, 2024). 15 Ibid., 30.
16 Because South Laguna was an unincorporated part of Orange County for most of its history, it was not covered by Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, nor was it comprehensively covered in South Orange County directories. Three neighborhoods made up Three Arches (now South laguna): Coast Royal, South Laguna, and Three Arches Bay, There appears to be some overlap in the boundaries for these neighborhoods. However, properties across the street from 3 1987 Coast Highway were included in the Three Arches district identified in the 1981 survey of South Laguna. 17 Information on South Laguna largely adapted from Environmental Coalition, ·South Laguna. State of California Department of Parks and Recreation Historic Resources Inventory form, November 1980, prepared April 1981. 421
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11 cottages throughout their early history. Due to the corrosive nature of the sea air, building materials utilized near the beach require replacement over time, including wood sash windows or wood siding. Many residences were altered over time as needed to replace original materials and maximize the inhabitants' ability to enjoy the ocean view and sea breeze.

William Egan was granted 40 acres of land for the, “southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section five in Township eight south of Range eight west of the San Bernardino Meridian, California, on January 7th, 1910 (Figure 3). Based on an article in The Register, Santa Ana CA William Egan had a cabin between Salt Creek and Aliso Creek in 1909 (Figure 4). 422
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12 Figure 3. Land Patent, Department of the Interior, BLM. 423
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13 Figure 4. Newspaper announcement, The Register Santa Ana , California, 1909.

A review of the County Assessment records did not provide conclusive evidence that a building or structure was on Egan’s land as early as 1909. However, assessment records do indicate that improvements, which may have been additions to an already extant cabin/building/structure, were recorded in 1915 (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Assessment Book of the Property of Orange County for the Year 1915, OC Archives.

A review of historic aerial photography of the South Laguna area, 31526 Valido Road illustrated the progression of development between 1938–1972 (Figure 6–Figure 14). Based on the aerial 424
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14 photographs, the area was completely developed with single-family residences. The subject property appears to be the only remaining building that was photographed in 1938.

Figure 6. 31526 Valido Road circa 1938, HistoricAerials.com.

Figure 7. 31526 Valido Road circa 1952, HistoricAerials.com. 425
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15 Figure 8. 31526 Valido Road circa 1972, HistoricAerials.com.

Building Permit and Alteration History
The subject property was constructed sometime between 1909–1910. Historic photographs highlighted in the HRG report indicate that the subject property had additions constructed between 1910–1928 (Appendix A). The area of south Laguna was not incorporated into the City until 1987. Therefore, the City does not have a complete record of all the building permits associated with the subject property. Official building permits in the City building records indicate an alteration was completed in 2005. A permit was issued to re-roof the subject property house and a detached garage with fiberglass shingles.18 The alterations that appear to have been completed between 1928–2004 were not recorded.
31256 Valido Road
Architectural Description
The subject property, 31526 Valido Road, is in south Laguna Beach in the Three Arch Bay neighborhood. The subject property includes a single-story single-family residence and detached garage. The residence is constructed in an L-shaped footprint on a concrete base. The building has a multi-gabled roof with a moderate pitch, sheathed in composition shingles, and minimal overhang on each elevation. The residence is clad in wood paneling on each elevation, though the width, style, and orientation of the wood siding varies. The residence features horizontal clapboard on the primary (northwestern) elevation (Figure 10), a portion of the southern elevation near the rear of the property, and the southwestern (Figure 11) and southeastern elevations. The southeastern elevation of the rear portion of the residence is clad in narrow board and batten wood panels, whereas the rear (northwestern) elevation is clad in thicker board-and-batten paneling. Windows vary on the residence but are mostly wood and metal horizontal sliding windows apart from a single vinyl window on the rear elevation. The residence includes two entrances. The primary entrance on the primary elevation (Figure 9) is accessed by a single wood door inset with a 18 City of Laguna Beach, “Building Permit No. B05-2491 and 2492,” December 14, 2005. 426
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16 screen that leads into a covered foyer (Figure 13). The foyer includes a single wood door to access the interior of the residence and continues towards the rear into a connected shed portion. The second entrance features a single wood door accessed by a wood porch on the southwestern elevation (Figure 12). The residence is in only fair condition.

The south side of the property includes a single-story detached garage constructed in a rectangular footprint on a concrete base (Figure 14 and Figure 15). The garage features a sidegabled roof with a shallow pitch sheathed in composition shingles. The garage is sided in varying wood compositions, primary vertical tongue-and-groove wood, both thin and thick board-andbatten panels, and large wood panels. The northwestern elevation features a single wood door and multi-pane wood framed windows, and a window opening that was covered by wood on the southeastern elevation as well as multi-pane windows on the southwestern elevation. The northeastern elevation has large wood panels that appear to have functioned as garage doors. The garage also is in only fair condition.

The subject property features a paved driveway that descends into Valido Drive (Figure 16 and Figure 17). The subject property also includes a variety of plant and tree types, including a windbreak portion of narrow trees on the southwestern elevation. Additionally, the subject property includes a concrete wall on the southern portion that separates the subject property from the neighboring property to the south.

Figure 9. Primary elevation, facing northwest.
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17 Figure 10. Northwestern elevation exhibiting varying siding materials, facing southwest.

Figure 11. Southwestern elevation, facing northeast.
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18 Figure 12. Porch and entrance on southeastern elevation, facing northeast.

Figure 13. Covered entrance, facing northwest.
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19 Figure 14. Detached garage primary elevation, facing south.

Figure 15. Southwestern elevation of garage, facing north. 430
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20 Figure 16. Paved driveway descending to Valido Road, facing southeast.

Figure 17. Paved driveway ascending to property from Valido Road, facing northwest. 431
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21 National Register of Historic Places and California Register of Historical Resources Criterion Evaluation
The subject property was constructed by William Egan as early as 1909. Egan was officially granted 40 acres of land in 1910 through the Homestead Act. Based on a review of historic land patents, property assessment records, historical newspaper articles, County plat maps, and historical aerial photographs, it appears that the subject property is the oldest remaining property associated with the 40 acres of the Egan homestead. Based on a review of historical aerial photographs and title deeds, the Egan family retained the property and began selling portions of the homestead beginning in 1934. Aerial photographs indicate that areas directly surrounding the subject property were completely developed with residential properties by 1972.

Due to the progression of development over the course of time, the area surrounding the property that was once part of the Egan homestead no longer conveys an association with the Homestead Act. The subject property may be the last remaining vestige of the Homestead Act in south Laguna Beach; however, due to surrounding area being completely developed, it does not adequately reflect the Homestead Act period or period of time in which the Egan family farmed in the area.

The Egan’s property no longer possesses a pastoral agricultural feeling due to infill development, and therefore, does not possess sufficient integrity to convey an association with this early event in the history of south Laguna Beach. Furthermore, south Laguna Beach was annexed by the City in 1987, and the subject property has no association with the early development of the City. The subject property, therefore, is not eligible for listing on the NRHP or CRHR pursuant to Criterion A/1.

Moreover, the subject property does not appear to be associated with any person/s of significance within any context of history on the national, state, and local level. William Egan was an early homesteader to the area; however, there was no information reviewed to assert that Egan played a vital role in the development of area. It appears that Egan lived a quiet life and did not involve himself in national, state, and local social, political, and cultural activities. Therefore, the subject property is not eligible for designation as a Historic Resource pursuant to Criterion B/2.

The subject property is an example of a vernacular cottage that was initially constructed circa 1909–1910 and was added on to over the course of time. The current form of the subject property was completed in 1928. The subject property does not appear to be a unique design type and was constructed with common building materials that include wood board-and-batten siding, horizontal clapboard siding, and wood windows. The subject property also has been substantially altered over the course of time through additions and replacement windows and retains only a fraction of what might have been any of the original building material. Furthermore, the subject property was constructed by William Egan, and there was no information to suggest that Egan was a master builder/craftsman of any type. The subject property is not an excellent example of any style and of a type common in beach cities across the United States and California. Therefore, the subject property is not eligible for designation on the NRHP and CRHR pursuant to Criterion C/3.

The subject property was constructed using common materials and methods, and the site was graded during construction. Therefore, the subject property does not yield any important information and is not eligible for listing on the NRHP and CRHR pursuant to Criterion D/4.

Laguna Beach Resource Evaluation
As explained above, under the City’s Criteria for Historic Register Listing, upon submittal of an application by the property owner(s), a building, grouping of buildings, structure, site, object, or 432
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22 district shall be considered for designation by the Heritage Committee if it meets criteria 1 and also one or more of criteria 2–11:

1. The owner of the property voluntarily agrees to the placement on the register: The property owner has not voluntarily agreed to placing the subject property on the City register.

2. It is listed on the NRHP or the CRHR: The subject property is not listed on the NRHP or the CRHR.

3. It exemplifies the cultural, political, economic, social, or historical heritage of the community: The subject property was not found to exemplify the cultural, political, social, and historic heritage of the community and does not appear to be associated with cultural, political, economic, social, or historical heritage of the community. There was no information reviewed to assert that William Egan played a vital role in the development of area. It appears that Egan lived a quiet life and did not involve himself in national, state, and local social, political, and cultural activities. The Egan homestead and farming did not appear to be a significant economic contribution to the area. There was no additional information to assert that Willam Egan was involved in City government, public, or private association that played a role in the social, political, and historic heritage of the City.

4. It is identified with a person, events, culture or site significant in local, state, or national history: The subject property does not appear to be associated with any person of significance within any context of history on the national, state, and local level. William Egan as an early homesteader to the area; however, there was no information reviewed to assert that Egan played a vital role in the development of area.

It appears that Egan lived a quiet life and did not involve himself in national, state, and local social, political, and cultural activities. The establishment of homesteads is not a unique event in Southern California or the County. The intent of the Homestead Act was to attract Euro-American migrants from the eastern United States to settle lands west of the Mississippi River, regardless of ownership or occupancy by indigenous persons.

The establishment of homesteads occurred until the act was repealed in the late 1970s.

The establishment of the Egan homestead does not reflect a significant context within history on any level.

5. It is representative of the work of a notable builder, designer, architect, or artist, including those of local importance: No notable builder, designer, architect, or artist of local importance was associated with the subject property.

6. It embodies distinguishing architectural characteristics of a style, type, period, or method of construction that exemplifies a particular architectural style or way of life important to the City: The subject property is not an excellent example of any style of architecture. Furthermore, it is a common type of a cottage found in beach cities across the United States and California.

7. It embodies elements that represent a significant structural, engineering, or architectural achievement or innovation: The subject property does not embody elements or represent significant structural, engineering, architectural achievement or innovations because it is a vernacular cottage with no distinctive features.

8. It has a unique location, a singular physical characteristic, or is an iconic visual feature or public viewpoint within the City: The subject property is not in a unique location 433
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23 particular to the City. Due to the terrain, homes built into and atop the cliffsides and hills are not uncommon. Furthermore, due to infill development on acreage that was part of the original homestead grant, the subject property is not a unique location.

9. Is one of the remaining examples in the City, region, state, or nation possessing distinguishing characteristics of architectural, cultural or historical importance: The subject property was constructed by William Egan as early as 1909. Egan was officially granted 40 acres of land in 1910 through the Homestead Act. Based on a review of historic land patents, property assessment records, historical newspaper articles, County plat maps, and historical aerial photographs, it appears that the property is the oldest remaining property associated with the 40 acres of the Egan homestead. Based on a review of historical aerial photographs and title deeds, the Egan family retained the property and began selling portions of the homestead beginning in 1934. Aerial photographs indicate that areas directly surrounding the subject property were completely developed with residential properties by 1972. Due to the progression of development over the course of time, the area surrounding the property that was once part of the Egan homestead no longer conveys an association with the Homestead Act.

The subject property may be the last remaining vestige of the Homestead Act in the City; however, due to surrounding area being completely developed, it does not adequately reflect the homestead act period or period of time the Egan family farmed in the area. Furthermore, south Laguna was not annexed by the City until 1987, and the subject property has no association with the early development of the City.

10. Is an iconic landscape, garden, space, or public viewpoint that is significant to the history and heritage of the City: The subject property does not appear to be an iconic landscape, garden, space, or public viewpoint that is significant to the history and heritage of the City. The subject property does not possess landscape architecture or designed gardens, and the yard is not visible from the public viewpoint because it is a flag lot.

11. Has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the nation: The subject property was constructed using common materials and methods, and the site was graded during construction. Therefore, the subject property is not likely to yield important information to the prehistory or history of the local area, California, and the nation.

Integrity Evaluation
The subject property has not been moved from its original parcel; however, the surrounding area that was once part of the larger homestead has been completely developed and does not retain the feeling and association with the Homestead Act period in the City, and thus it does not retain integrity of feeling and association. Furthermore, due to the substantial surrounding development, the integrity of setting has been lost. Due to the completed alterations, the subject property also does not retain integrity of design, materials, or workmanship.

Findings and Conclusions
A review of the historic resources assessment of the subject property that was conducted by HRG for the City was completed to inform this study. HRG completed property research that included County archive records, County plat maps, County building permits, local publications of the 434
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24 history of Laguna Beach and the south Laguna area, and a site visit to the subject property, and digital photographs were taken. HRG concluded that the subject property is significant for its association with the Homestead Act of 1862 and is the last remaining example of a Homestead Act property in the City. HRG asserts:

The residential property at 31526 Valido Road was built by William F. Egan, an early homesteader in South Laguna who made a success of farming on the land he claimed in an area notoriously difficult to farm because of its hilly terrain. The residence is the last vestige of the pioneer spirit that brought homesteaders to the region in search of opportunity and a mild climate. The homesteads of South Laguna have all been subdivided and developed into rows and pockets of singlefamily homes, and while the Egan residence fits neatly into its found neighborhood, it is still an intact representation of the early homesteads in South Laguna and is significant under National Register Criterion A at the local level of significance and California Register Criterion 1.19
The HRG report, however did not find any information to suggest the subject property was significant. Therefore, the subject property did not meet any additional NRHP or CRHR criteria.

HRG also did not evaluate the subject property against the local designation criteria because the local historic preservation ordinance indicates that the City is mandated by law to treat a historic resource based on substantial evidence in light of the whole record. Generally, a resource shall be considered to be "historically significant" only if the resource meets the criteria for listing in the CRHR.

Chronicle Heritage does not concur with HRG’s finding that the subject property adequately reflects or conveys an association with the Homestead Act of 1862. The Homestead Act encouraged westward expansion and economic growth. At its core, the Homestead Act was the catalyst that pushed Euro-Americans from the east and middle of America to migrate to the west for an opportunity at land ownership. The stipulations for establishing a homestead required a homesteader “prove up” their land within five years of ownership, including constructing living quarters and agricultural fields and/or owning herds of grazing animals. Because the Egan Homestead was established in the County prior to the incorporation of the City and the annexation of South Laguna, it is appropriate to consider the homestead within the context of the County.

Numerous homesteads were established within the County, and the enactment of the Egan Homestead is not a rare or unique event. Newspaper articles recorded that Egan farmed melons and string beans and shipped them by rail to markets in Los Angeles and San Francisco. There was no information to assert that any profits gained from farming his homestead were allocated to the City or to the immediate area of South Laguna for further development that would promote economic growth in area. Additional information regarding Egan indicated that the subject property was not his permanent place of residence. Egan often travelled from Spadra (present day Pomona) to the area of what is now the City/South Laguna on multi-day camping trips and sought to stake a claim to undeveloped land. An article in the Pomona Progress Bulletin20 indicated that in 1920, Egan and his family relocated back to Spadra to a home they recently built. Furthermore, there was no additional information found in newspaper articles beyond 1920 to assert that the Egan homestead was actively producing crops for sale within California or locally in the area. 19 Historic Resources Group, “Historic Resources Assessment 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach.” 20 Pamona Progress Bulletin, “Summer News Items of Interest from Spadra,” Panoma Progress Bulletin, July 31, 1920, https://www.newspapers.com/image/622741432/?match=1&clipping_id=new. 435
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25 The subject property may be the oldest intact portion of the property within the area of William Egan’s 40-acre homestead; however, the progression of development over the course of time has altered the setting, and it does not wholistically exude the feeling or embody what once was an active farming homestead. Based on digital photographs, the Egan homestead land and surrounding parcels were completely developed by the early 1970s. Therefore, any association with homesteading was lost over 40 years ago.

The City conducted a historic resources survey between 1980-1981. A historic resources inventory was established based on the results of the survey and was adopted in 1981. The subject property was not listed in the historic resource inventory in 1981 and was not added to the inventory between then and the present. In 2024, the City issued an update to the historic preservation ordinance and reached the conclusion that the 1981 inventory has not been sufficiently updated every five years, and did not accurately reflect the number of historic properties in the City. The 1981 survey findings were voided as a result. The 2024 historic preservation ordinance prescribes that a property that is presumed historic may be voluntarily listed by the property owner in the City’s historical register pending review and approval by City staff. The owner of the subject property does not consent to list the property in the City’s historical register because a detailed examination of the record does not indicate that the subject property meets one or more eligibility criteria.

After a review of all the information available regarding the subject property, the City, and the South Laguna area, Chronicle Heritage concludes that the subject property does not appear to be eligible for listing on the NRHP and CRHR at the local level, nor does it appear to be eligible for listing under any of the local criteria. Therefore, the building does not appear to be a historical resource pursuant to Section 15064.5(a) of the CEQA Guidelines. 436
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27 References Cited
Association of Environmental Professionals. “2023 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Statute and Guidelines.” Palm Desert, California: Association of Environmental Professionals, 2023.

California Coastal Commission. “W12b, A-5-LGB-17-0033 (Dimitry Demo SFD).” Central Coast District Office, August 10, 2017.
https://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2017/8/w12b/w12b-8-2017-exhibits.pdf.

California Office of Historic Preservation [OHP]. “Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD).” Electronic document. CA State Parks, 2024. https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30338. ———. “California Historical Landmarks.” Electronic document. California Historical Landmarks by County, 2024. https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21387.
———. “California Historical Resources Information System (CHRIS).” Electronic document, 2024. https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1068.
———. “California Points of Historical Interest.” Electronic document. Office of Historic Preservation, 2024. https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21750. ———. “Instructions for Recording Historical Resources.” Sacramento: California Office of Historic Preservation, 1995. https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1054/files/manual95.pdf.

City of Laguna Beach. “Building Permit No. B05-2491 and 2492,” December 14, 2005. ———. “City of Laguna Beach, CA: HISTORIC PRESERVATION.” City of Laguna Beach, CA Code, 2024. https://ecode360.com/42901400.
———. “City of Laguna Beach, CA: Historic Register Designation, Criteria and Procedures and Removal from Register.” City of Laguna Beach, CA Code, 2024. https://ecode360.com/42901425.
———. “Laguna Beach: Historic Resources Element.” City of Laguna Beach, 2006. https://www.letlagunalive.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/01/Historic_Resources_Element.pdf.

Historic Resources Group. “Historic Resources Assessment 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach.” Pasadena, California: Historic Resources Group, November 22, 2024.

National Park Service [NPS]. “National Register Database and Research.” Electronic document.

National Register of Historic Places, 2024.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm.

Pamona Progress Bulletin. “Summer News Items of Interest from Spadra.” Panoma Progress Bulletin, July 31, 1920.
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Appendix A.

DPR 523 Forms
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For General Inquiries:

T: (886) 563-2536
T: (602) 254-6280
[email protected]
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Supplemental Memo 1 MEMO
TO: CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH
ATTN: HEATHER STEVEN, SENIOR PLANNER
FROM: LAURA JANSSEN, SR. ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN;

MARIANA RUIZ, ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN
DATE: JUNE 3, 2025
Introduction
Historic Resources Group (HRG) submitted a historic assessment report for the property at 31526 Valido Road in the City of Laguna Beach in November 2024 and a revised report in February 2025. An independent historic assessment report of the property by Chronicle Heritage was submitted to the City in April 2025.1 The City asked HRG to review the report and comment on the report’s conclusions.

It is important to note that Chronicle Heritage reviewed the initial draft of the report HRG submitted in November 2024 and not the revised report submitted in February 2025. HRG updated the historic assessment report with additional research and updated the historic context statement for the development of South Laguna. Although HRG’s findings were unchanged in the updated report, the research was expanded and fact checked by local historian and landscape architect, Ann Christoph.

Generally, Chronicle Heritage did not find fault with HRG’s methodology or research conclusions; however, they did not agree with the finding that the subject property appears eligible for listing in the National Register at the local level and the California Register. In fact, they failed to provide any additional research that would negate HRG’s findings or clarify any 1 “Historic Resource Assessment of 31526 Valido Road,
Laguna Beach 92651,” prepared by Chronicle Heritage, April 2025.
556 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Suite 101-514
Pasadena, CA 91105
Attachment 12
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Supplemental Memo 2 misconceptions about the Egan family and/or the development of South Laguna. They contend that because the setting has changed from rural farmland in the early 1900s to a residential development the subject property is not significant for its association with the Homestead Act of 1962, and therefore not eligible under Criterion A/1. HRG respectfully disagrees with this contention.
“Setting” is one of the seven aspects of integrity and a property must have historic significance and retain integrity to be eligible for designation as a historic resource. Historic integrity is the ability of a property to convey its significance. HRG noted in the Evaluation of Integrity that the subject property retains all aspects of integrity except setting. It is not necessary for a property to retain all of its historic physical features or characteristics. However, the property must retain sufficient features that enable it to convey its historic identity. The subject property retains integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association and HRG concluded the subject property retains enough integrity to convey its significance. Even though the Chronicle Heritage report went to great lengths to note that since the setting had changed it was no longer able to convey its significance, it neglected to clarify this important point. HRG is not disputing that the subject property has lost integrity of setting, but the residence still retains its essential form and appearance from its period of significance (historic identity) and therefore its association with homesteading in South Laguna.

CLARIFICATION
Chronicle Heritage notes in its Abstract (pg. i), and in its Introduction (pg. 2), and again in its Findings and Conclusions (pg. 25) that the owner of the subject property does not consent to list the property in the City’s historic register. That is not at issue here. HRG did not assess the property against the City’s criteria because according to the revised Historic Preservation Ordinance, adopted in 2022 (not 2024), a Historic Resource for the purposes of CEQA is defined as a property that meets criteria for listing in the California Register. The City’s criteria for listing in the local Historic Register is reserved for those properties whose owners wish their properties to be listed in the local register. It is not necessary to assess a property against the local criteria when the property owners do not wish the property to be listed locally. However, in order to establish if a property is a historic resource, it must be evaluated against California Register criteria, which is how it was evaluated in the HRG report.

HRG’S RESPONSE
Chronicle Heritage agrees with HRG that the property does not meet criterion B/2 or C/3; however, they do not agree the property meets criterion A/1. HRG will rebut this conclusion.

HRG’s response follows and corresponds to the bold numbers below. The paragraph below is clipped from pg. 21 of the Chronicle Heritage report under NR and CR Criterion Evaluation:

Due to the progression of development over the course of time, the area surrounding the property that was once part of the Egan homestead no longer conveys an association with the Homestead Act. The subject property may be the last remaining vestige of the Homestead Act in south Laguna Beach; however, due to surrounding area being completely developed, it does not adequately reflect the Homestead Act period or period of time in which the Egan family farmed in the area.(1) The Egan’s property no longer possesses a pastoral agricultural feeling due to infill development, and therefore, does not possess sufficient integrity to convey an 445
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Supplemental Memo 3 association with this early event in the history of south Laguna Beach.(2) Furthermore, south Laguna Beach was annexed by the City in 1987, and the subject property has no association with the early development of the City.(3) The subject property, therefore, is not eligible for listing on the NRHP or CRHR pursuant to Criterion A/1.

The urbanization of South Laguna follows twentieth century planning and land use policies seen throughout Southern California (and the United States) and the change in setting alone is not reason enough to disqualify the property from association with homesteading.

1. South Laguna, along with a majority of Southern California, took part in twentieth century urbanization, transitioning from agricultural land into a modern city. Residential and commercial development in South Laguna began in earnest in 1924 following suburban development models and the City Beautiful Movement seen throughout the United States. The Standard State Zoning Enabling Act (1922) and the Standard City Planning Enabling Act (1928), both prepared by the U.S. Department of Commerce, formed the basis for zoning laws across the country. These Acts enabled local communities to plan, and zone uses within their jurisdiction. Zoning laws allowed for regulation of construction use and type, as well as created property value — land assigned for commercial uses, for example, was seen as more valuable than land assigned for agriculture.2

Other federal policies further encouraged housing development in the 1930s. In 1934, the federal government passed the National Housing Act and created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to support housing development. The FHA insured longterm mortgages by private lenders, making it easier for citizens to borrow money for homes. FHA regulations also provided very low-risk financing to builders of large suburban subdivisions.3
Suburban development further boomed following World War II, with the return of servicemen supported by the GI Bill. A strong economy, the growing number of young families, and the desire — and economic ability — to own a home pulled the middle class away from the city. Developers met the demand for new housing with mass-produced large, single-family subdivisions on inexpensive farmland outside the city. Additionally, new highway infrastructure put these developments within an easy automobile commute of the city.
4 It is important to note that the Egan homestead, exclusively, was underdeveloped until the mid-1970s, when Tract No. 1243 and the neighborhood in Por. SW1/4, NW1/4, Sec. 5, T8S, R8W were finally developed. These two tracts span approximately 16 acres along the southern portion of the 40-acre homestead. The remaining acreage (approximately 24 acres) above the Egan property was acquired by Hermes Financial Corp in 1984 and dedicated to Orange County as part of the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park as 2 “City and Suburb: An Overview of Urbanization in the
United States,” Summit County Utah,
https://www.summitcountyutah.gov/DocumentCenter/View/
20863/History-of-Urban-DevelopmentUS#:~:text=As%20a%20reaction%20to%20these,characteristi cs%20of%20these%20early%20suburbs, accessed May 2025.
3 “City and Suburb: An Overview of Urbanization in the
United States.” 4 “City and Suburb: An Overview of Urbanization in the United States.”
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Supplemental Memo 4 a wildlife conservation area.5 This large undeveloped area is preserved and reflects the original setting of the homestead during the period of significance. Refer to the Appendix B of HRG’s “Historic Resource Assessment: 31526 Valido Road” report for aerials of the homestead.

2. Although South Laguna no longer serves an agricultural purpose, the Egan property retains its integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association to the Egan homestead. The modifications to the home from a one room cabin to a twobedroom house pertain to the period of significance (ca. 1909-1928), during which time the Egans maintained an active farming concern and expanded their household with the birth of their two children (Francis and Esther Egan). Like most homestead dwellings, small cabins were actively expanded and modified to accommodate the homesteaders’ growing needs over the years. In the case of the Egan residence, the house was fully developed by 1928, almost 20 years after it was first erected to “prove up” the land. A small addition was constructed on the northeast facade ca. 1945, and the windows were updated over time. These improvements, however, do not detract from the property’s ability to convey its significance to the Egan homestead as it developed during its period of significance. Refer to Appendix D of HRG’s “Historic Resource Assessment: 31526 Valido Road” report for historic photographs of the property.

3. HRG assessed historic significance within the context of the Homestead Act and how it played a role in the development of South Laguna during the period of significance from ca. 1909-1928. However, to our knowledge, the Egan property may be the last remaining property associated with homesteading in all of Laguna Beach.

The paragraphs below are clipped from pp. 24-25 of the Chronicle Heritage report under Findings and Conclusions:

Chronicle Heritage does not concur with HRG’s finding that the subject property adequately reflects or conveys an association with the Homestead Act of 1862. The Homestead Act encouraged westward expansion and economic growth. At its core, the Homestead Act was the catalyst that pushed Euro-Americans from the east and middle of America to migrate to the west for an opportunity at land ownership. The stipulations for establishing a homestead required a homesteader “prove up” their land within five years of ownership, including constructing living quarters and agricultural fields and/or owning herds of grazing animals. (4) Because the Egan Homestead was established in the County prior to the incorporation of the City and the annexation of South Laguna, it is appropriate to consider the homestead within the context of the County. Numerous homesteads were established within the County, and the enactment of the Egan Homestead is not a rare or unique event. (5) Newspaper articles recorded that Egan farmed melons and string beans and shipped them by rail to markets in Los Angeles and San Francisco. There was no information to assert that any profits gained from farming his homestead were allocated to the City or to the immediate area of South Laguna for further development that would promote economic growth in area. (6) Additional information regarding Egan indicated that the subject property was not his 5 This area excludes the almost 14,300 square feet of land deeded to the South Coast Water District to build a water reservoir on the northwest extreme of the homestead.
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Supplemental Memo 5 permanent place of residence. Egan often travelled from Spadra (present day Pomona) to the area of what is now the City/South Laguna on multi-day camping trips and sought to stake a claim to undeveloped land. An article in the Pomona Progress Bulletin indicated that in 1920, Egan and his family relocated back to Spadra to a home they recently built. (7) Furthermore, there was no additional information found in newspaper articles beyond 1920 to assert that the Egan homestead was actively producing crops for sale within California or locally in the area. (8)
The subject property may be the oldest intact portion of the property within the area of William Egan’s 40-acre homestead; however, the progression of development over the course of time has altered the setting, and it does not wholistically exude the feeling or embody what once was an active farming homestead. Based on digital photographs, the Egan homestead land and surrounding parcels were completely developed by the early 1970s. Therefore, any association with homesteading was lost over 40 years ago. (9)

4. The significance of the Homestead Act of 1862 is not in question. However, by the late 1930s, approximately 10 percent of California land had been claimed by homesteaders; contributing significantly to the agricultural economy of the state and accounting for about 65 percent of new farms.6 These homesteaders laid the foundation for some of the first roads, ditches, and wells; they planted some of the first crops in the region; and contributed to the food supply of nearby towns and rural communities. Their toil, patience, agricultural experimentation, and innovation, faced with the hardship of natural elements and disasters, and their resolve to defend hard-earned land for themselves and their families, exemplifies the legacy of the Homestead Act and its role in the settlement and agricultural expansion of California.7

5. There were only 70 homestead claims filed in Orange County under the Homestead Act due to the limited amount of available land and water. Most of California was developed under the Spanish, and later Mexican, the land grant system which created the Ranchos.

The Irvine Ranch (1864) held approximately one-third of Orange County land for farming and ranching, which they did not begin to subdivide until the 1960s. The relative success of Orange County’s homesteaders, who all lived south of the Santa Ana River, depended a great deal on the early efforts of the Santa Ana Valley Irrigation Company, for irrigation.8 The small number of homesteaders farming the area also gave them each a better opportunity to succeed at the produce markets in the new towns of Tustin, Orange, and Santa Ana; and in the case of the Egans and Shrewsburys, as far north as Los Angeles and San Francisco. The first successful homesteader in Laguna, George Thurston, Sr., also sold his produce in Los Angeles, which was a five-day trip by wagon.

In order to make their farms a success they had to go where the markets were. These pioneers fulfilled both the spirit and the letter of the Homestead Act in Orange County, where limited land and water availability proved difficult to succeed as farmers. The establishment of the Egan homestead was not a rare or unique event, there were other homesteaders in South Laguna; however, the Egan residence is still extant and is the 6 Josh Sides, Backcountry Ghosts: California Homesteaders and the Making of a Dubious Dream (University of Nebraska Press: 2021), e-book, 23.
7 Sides, Backcountry Ghosts, 23-24. 8 Sides, Backcountry Ghosts, 211. 448
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Historic Resources Group 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach | Supplemental Memo 6 last residence associated with homesteading in South Laguna, which makes that association rare and unique.

6. The Egan homestead was established primarily for the benefit of the Egan and Shrewsbury families. However, during times of harvest seasonal employment was offered to transient workers. The agricultural stimulation of an otherwise arid and rough terrain, and food supply to local markets, lead to the development of rural communities, small towns, and ultimately cities, as was the case in South Laguna.

7. The Egans predominantly lived in Spadra from 1910 to 1914, they split their time between Spadra and South Laguna from 1914 to 1928 when the family relocated permanently to Laguna Beach.9 Egan also had a farm in Spadra so he devoted time to oversee both operations. However, HRG’s report found the residence was not significant for its association with William F. Egan (Criterion B/2), so the amount of time he spent on either farm is not relevant.

8. The 1930 US Census indicates William Egan’s occupation as a farmer, and the 1930 South Orange County city directory lists him as an apiarist.10 Those are the two occupations that he engaged in since 1880 when he went to live with his uncle James Shrewsbury after his mother’s death. With this information, it is safe to assume he was still farming and keeping bees on his homestead until his death in 1930. Residential development began in Coast Royal in 1924, which was located to the west and south of the Egan homestead, and by 1928 Tract No. 849 was being developed directly south of the Egan homestead in Three Arches. However, the Egan homestead was still intact and had not yet been subdivided indicating it was still a viable business from 1920 util 1930.

9. As noted above, the setting of the Egan homestead has been altered by the progression of development. The Egan homestead was one of the last remaining areas to be subdivided in South Laguna, and most of the northern portion of the original 40-acre homestead is still undeveloped and has been retained as a wildlife conservation area, additionally the residence currently backs up to this area. Even though the setting has been altered it is not inconceivable that the property as it exists today could be recognized by the Egan family. Refer to contemporary aerial photograph on pg. 11 of HRG’s “Historic Resources Assessment: 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach.” 9 “Mrs. Bertie Egan, Pioneer Resident, Expires Sunday,” South Coast News, January 18, 1949.
10 1930 US Census for William F. Egan, Ancestry.com,
accessed October 2024; South Orange County City Directory, Ancestry.com, accessed October 2024.
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July 28, 2025
Matthew Schneider, AICP
Community Development Director
City of Laguna Beach
505 Forest Avenue
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Subject: Peer Review of Historic Resource Assessments for 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach
Dear Mr. Schneider:

On behalf of GPA Consulting, thank you for the opportunity to conduct a professional peer review of two historic resource assessment reports submitted to the City for the property located at 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach, California. The City requested GPA’s assistance in evaluating whether the conclusions presented in the Historic Resource Assessment Report prepared by Historic Resources Group (HRG) (dated February 12, 2025, with supplemental memo dated June 3, 2025), are well-supported by the facts, particularly in regard to the property's potential historical significance due to its association with the Homestead Act of 1862. This request was prompted by the submission of a second report prepared by Chronicle Heritage in April 2025, which reaches a conflicting conclusion regarding the property's historical eligibility.

Specifically, HRG concludes that the subject property qualifies for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources under Criterion A/1 due to its association with early homesteading in the South Laguna area. In contrast, the Chronicle Heritage report asserts that the property does not retain sufficient integrity—particularly with respect to setting— and therefore does not meet eligibility criteria. As you noted in your request, the City is seeking a fair and honest evaluation of whether the conclusions drawn by HRG are wellsupported by the facts. GPA is not providing a third independent assessment of the property itself.

GPA has reviewed both of the reports submitted—“Historic Resources Assessment, 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach” (HRG, February 2025, with supplemental memo June 2025) and “Historic Resource Assessment of 31526 Valido Road, Laguna Beach 92651” (Chronicle Heritage, April 2025).

Attachment 13
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