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DRUMMER DAVID SANGER TAKES NEW ROAD
INSIDE: MOTHER’S DAY HISTORIC HOME TOUR IS BACK | BRIDGE RUN A COORDINATED EFFORT
» FROM THE EDITORS
The power of preservation H
istoric preservation is many things, from recognizing important moments and people to caring for places and celebrating ideas. The act of preserving history allows us to focus on what’s important and learn new things. Knowledge from the past lets us have a better conversation about the future. May is Preservation Month, and like institutions across the country, the Coronado Historical Association is planning events to highlight the city’s remarkable past, including its annual Mother’s Day Home Tour (see story page 14). Historical homes are a big part of the community's charm, and although some are small and sometimes impractical, preserving them is crucial. The homes on the tour are proof that old houses can be restored for today’s living and don’t need to be torn down. The idea of setting aside time to look at the value of history began in 1973 as National Preservation Week. In 2005, the National Trust for Historic Preservation extended the observance to an entire month. After World War II, the country was focused on progress, and everything shiny and new was in vogue. Urban centers — considered old, undesirable and inconvenient to the new car culture — were rapidly demolished. By 1966, half of the 12,000 structures in the National Park Service’s Historic American Buildings Survey had been destroyed. That year, Congress passed the Historic Preservation Act and awareness of community identity grew. One often overlooked benefit of preservation is its economic impact. Surveys show that cities that retain their heritage have better real estate values and foster thriving local businesses. Coronado has a lot of history to celebrate. We all benefit from the grand vision of its founders and the citizens along the way who have worked tirelessly to save and maintain our heritage. Cheers, Leslie & Martina
IN BLOOM THIS MONTH:
Bird of paradise
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Contents MAY 2022
COVER STORY
4
4
FRESH BEAT
Drummer David Sanger plans next step after retiring from Texas swing band Asleep at the Wheel.
FEATURES
14 COTTAGE UPDATE
Restored Dutch Colonial Revival home shines with fresh look that respects its past.
22 PUBLIC ART
Murals of Alfredo Ramos Martinez have place of honor at Coronado Public Library.
14
DEPARTMENTS
28 DID YOU KNOW? La Avenida Cafe.
30 FROM THE GROUND UP
22
The forgotten gardeners of the Hotel Del Coronado.
36 LOOKING BACK
This month in Coronado history.
38 MILITARY
Navy Bay Bridge Run/Walk involves many jurisdictions.
44 BEACHCOMBER Ringed nudibranch.
ON THE COVER David Sanger
46 BEACH AND BAY
City’s water stations offer alternative to bottled water.
PHOTO BY MIKE SHORE
WE APOLOGIZE » Cox Channel 4 San Diego in February's story on Jane Mitchell was incorrectly named Channel 10. A photo of Mitchell and her mother accepting an Emmy is from 2009. It was dated 2019. » Kel Casey lives in Imperial Beach. The February story on her photography said her home was in Coronado. 2 Coronado365.com
CORONADO
365
PUBLISHER Now and Then Publishing LLC EDITOR Leslie Crawford CREATIVE DIRECTOR/MANAGING EDITOR Martina Schimitschek COPY EDITOR Rose Wojnar CONTRIBUTORS Michelle Delaney, Christian Esquevin, Nicole Sours Larson, Gina Petrone, Amy Steward, @coronadobeachcomber
Visit us online at Coronado365.com
WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT MAY 2022 » VOLUME 1 » ISSUE 5
CONTACT editor@coronado365.com or (619) 435-0334 ADVERTISING To advertise, contact Heidi Iversen at heidi@Coronado365.com or advertising@Coronado365.com CORONADO 365 is a division of Now and Then Publishing LLC, 830 Orange Ave., Suite B, Coronado, CA 92118 Copyright ©2022 Now and Then Publishing LLC All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
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Slower tempo Drummer David Sanger finds his own rhythm since retiring from Asleep at the Wheel
David Sanger plays on Levon Helm's drum set at Levon Helm’s Studio, known as The Barn, in Woodstock, New York. COURTESY OF DAVID SANGER
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MIKE SHORE
David Sanger retired from the band Asleep at the Wheel after its 50th anniversary tour, which ended in October 2021. He spent 35 years as the Texas swing band’s drummer.
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By NICOLE SOURS LARSON
H
ow does a Coronado-raised kid wind up winning six Grammy Awards and spending 35 years as the drummer for the acclaimed Austin-based Western swing/country band Asleep at the Wheel? It started with a close-knit family, an understanding Coronado community and parents who wanted their children to be happy, said David Sanger, now 60 and retired from the band. That support fostered Sanger’s talent, while his methodical persistence helped him succeed. Sanger’s parents, longtime Coronado physicians George and Blossom Sanger, encouraged their daughter and three sons to develop their individuality, pursue their potential and do what they loved. Both parents played instruments, surrounded their children with music and nurtured their talents. “When we got together as a family, we all played,” said Wendy McGuire, Sanger’s older sister. Extremely supportive and loving parents, the Sangers were sensitive to the pressures that growing up “one of the
Sanger kids” created for their children. The prominent family was one of the few Jewish families on the island. The parents offered each child special opportunities, and all four siblings became high achievers and chose nontraditional careers. Sanger, the youngest, displayed exceptional early talent as a drummer, with an instinct for rhythm and patterns. He was “a hot drummer at 11,” explained his brother, George Sanger, a pioneering composer of video game music. They performed together throughout their school years, taking their rock band on a cross-country tour when David was only 13 and George 16. Sanger later provided rhythm for many of George’s video game compositions. But, growing up in the ’60s and ’70s, Sanger never thought becoming a professional musician was possible. Aside from his Coronado High School band director, the legendary Bob Demmon who played with the 1960s surf band The Astronauts, Sanger knew of only one other professional musician in Coronado, Bernie Gallant, who was the father of his childhood friend, Greg.
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“I enjoyed
the travel, but I always told myself that if I felt I was missing something at home, it was time to stop.” DAVID SANGER
While studying history at Occidental College in Los Angeles, Sanger played in bands, but he considered becoming an entrepreneur after struggling to break into the LA music scene. Doors started opening once he joined Wendy in San Antonio, Texas, in 1984. Soon he discovered that Austin, Texas, — 100 miles to the north and a place known for its sizzling music scene and welcoming environment — presented abundant opportunities. There he learned it was possible to make a career playing music and touring. “I made it my focus to try to make a living playing music. I hadn’t played in a couple of years. I set about it methodically, working my way up through the ranks. I joined a blues band, met some people, joined another band, and supplemented [my income] by being a prep cook and line cook and a bouncer at a club,” said Sanger, speaking from his home in Austin. But success was elusive. He got his big break in 1986 when he heard from a friend that Asleep at the Wheel needed a drummer. Ray Benson started the band in 1970, playing Western swing music popularized by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Sanger auditioned, though he’d never played roots or country music before, and got the job. But he still felt success wasn’t guaranteed. “I’d given myself a 10-year window to reevaluate. When I was 30, I called my » Asleep at the Wheel opened for George Strait in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2019. PHOTOS BY MIKE SHORE
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID SANGER
Clockwise from top: David Sanger enjoys time sailing in San Diego Bay while visiting in Coronado; Sanger at Little League and in the bandroom at Coronado High School.
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mom. If I wanted to be a doctor, this is my last window. She said, ‘It’s no fun anymore. What you do is fun. Do it.’ ‘Don’t worry, be happy,’ was always her attitude. She’s going gangbusters at 93,” he said. It turned out to be a dream gig, affording him the opportunity to play in a highly professional band and with some of the top names in the business, including Willie Nelson, George Strait, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Paul Simon and James Taylor. He credits part of his success to his skill at recognizing patterns — and his reliability. “Music and math go hand in hand. Drumming is patterns. I’m good at figuring out the patterns,” he explained. “Being a good musician is reading the room. I’m good at keeping my head down and not getting in the way, recognizing and applying those patterns — and making people happy.” Another critical requirement: “Be dressed and be on time. If you show up, make people feel good, nail your stuff with a fair amount of speed, that’s success. It doesn’t always mean you’re the best musician,” Sanger said. Brother George Sanger, who also lived in Austin before returning to Coronado, added, “Dave’s goal was to play in a band of musicians that have no limits. The Wheel took the swing thing and put a country layer on it. Dave was always very eclectic and versatile. He’s really that good and has influenced a lot of musicians. He has the skill, and he’s always working at it.”
After a storied 35-year career with the Wheel, Sanger knew it was time to come off the road and retire from touring. “I enjoyed the travel, but I always told myself that if I felt I was missing something at home, it was time to stop. The band enabled me to do everything I wanted to do. I’m not sure there’s anything more I want to accomplish in the music world.” That “everything” included winning his six Grammys along with another 21 nominations, playing on 200 records and performing in every state and around the world. Sanger is also a songwriter, producer, engineer, publisher and record label owner. He retired from the Wheel after its 50th anniversary tour, which ended in October 2021 after the pandemic delayed it by two years. The pandemic radically disrupted his career and forced him to reevaluate his future, as it has for most musicians. But it also gave him the opportunity to shift his primary focus to his two children, a gender-fluid child, 13, and a daughter, 10. “It feels great to be off the road,” he said, explaining that he spent an average of six months a year traveling with the band on the bus and overseas — in chunks of three days to six weeks — and performing 200 to 250 dates annually. That didn’t leave much time for family life and parenting his kids. He married at age 43 to Elizabeth McQueen, a singer/ songwriter/guitarist 16 years his junior who led her own jazzy band until joining the Wheel soon after their marriage. She
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traveled with her husband, first on the bus and later with their family in the “baby van,” for 8½ years until leaving to care for their young kids. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes, and I didn’t plan on messing this up,” Sanger said. “My wife said, ‘I don’t want you gone. I don’t want to be a single parent.’” The pandemic eased his transition off the road when everything closed down in March 2020, although the band resumed limited performances the following September. Since then, he’s performed masked at
COURTESY OF DAVID SANGER
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« David Sanger with his wife, Elizabeth McQueen, and their two children.
a few concerts and made some recordings, but mostly he’s focusing on the kids, while Elizabeth produces music-focused podcasts for Austin Public Radio. He’s also learning to play the piano, tending the family’s chickens and chinchillas, studying Italian and playing music at home for fun while encouraging their musically precocious children. Their 13-year-old shows great talent on the bassoon and guitar and their 10-year-old loves music. Ray Benson, the Wheel’s leader, spoke of Sanger’s contributions. “He was such an organic part of the band,” Benson said. “He came as a young guy, knowing nothing, but he became an
expert on the kind of music we play and taught others in the band. “A lot of drummers you hire because they’re drummers, but they’re not a part of the band. But Dave was so much a part of the band, just like Ringo Starr was a part of the Beatles. We still haven’t found anyone to replace him. It’s special to have someone contribute for so long. He earned those Grammys and hard knocks,” Benson added. Transitions are never easy, but Sanger is looking forward to his next gig — and discovering new worlds to explore, perhaps outside music. ■ Nicole Sours Larson is a freelance writer.
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ED GOHLICH
The Dutch Colonial Revival house was built in 1928 and still has many original features, including the exterior shutters and most of the window panes.
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Rescue mission
Cottage update respects home’s history By MARTINA SCHIMITSCHEK
W
ith royal blue shutters set against light stucco and a gambrel roof reminiscent of a barn, the recently renovated Dutch Colonial Revival house surrounded by a white picket fence is a picture of storybook tranquility. But by the time the current homeowners, who wish to remain anonymous, bought the house in 2018, it had seen a lot of living. “The house was in rough shape,” the husband said. To avoid a patchwork of updates, the couple decided to take the walls down to the studs, rewiring and replumbing the two-story 3,500-square-foot house while making some small adjustments to the layout to add modern comfort. They kept everything that was salvageable,
including the original hardwood floors, the doorknobs and a lot of the hardware. In all, 688 windowpanes were numbered and removed; the window frames were shipped to Los Angeles to be stripped of years of paint. The windows that couldn’t be salvaged were replaced with old glass. Their effort has garnered them a GEM (Going the Extra Mile) nomination this year from the Coronado Historical Association. Among the owners’ priorities was getting a historical designation by the city of Coronado and subsequent approval for Mills Act tax reductions. Both goals were achieved by January 2019. The couple had their eye on the home when it was for sale two years before they bought it. When it came on the market
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ED GOHLICH PHOTOS
Clockwise from top left: The pantry still has the original tilework around the sink; the backyard was completely redone with a new lap pool; water damage made restoring the sunroom windows a challenge; a new hallway with reading nook leads to the back family room.
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again and another offer was accepted, the wife said, “I was in a panic that they would knock it down. I get upset when I see an old house knocked down here.” But that deal fell through, and the couple was able to buy the house and give it the TLC it needed. “I liked the cottage feel of it, and I liked the coziness of it,” she said Built in 1928 by A.M. Southard Co., which was the largest custom residential homebuilder in San Diego at the time, the house cost $14,250 to construct during Prohibition. While renovating the home, the couple found “lots of places to hide booze,” the husband said, such as a niche behind a sliding door in the back of a built-in bookcase. The house, which will be part of the Coronado Historical Association Mother’s Day Historic Home Tour on May 8, was constructed for Charles F. De Long and his family. De Long is believed to be the nephew of Frank De Long, a wealthy Philadelphia inventor who came up with the idea for folding paper boxes, hook-and-eye clothing fasteners and the bobby pin. The De Longs lived in the home for five years until the death of Helen De Long, Charles’ wife. In 1933, the house became the property of Navy Capt. Stewart Reynolds, his wife, Jane, and their three children. Members of the Reynolds family lived in the home on and off for six decades and hosted everything from military soirees to weddings and lots of family gatherings and parties. Nick Reynolds, the youngest of the three children, was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio. The folk music band soared to worldwide acclaim during the late ’50s and early ’60s and helped spark the folk
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The new master bathroom has a vintage feel with black and white tile and decor.
music revival of that era. Reynolds, who died in 2008, credited his keen harmonizing skills to his family’s singalongs, led by his father, who also played guitar. The house, which has five bedrooms and four bathrooms, is designed with lots of places to gather, including a living room, a sunroom, a formal dining room and a casual seating and eating area that opens to the backyard pool. The couple realigned the hallway from the living room to the back family area,
creating a light-filled corridor next to outside windows and a reading nook by moving the powder room toward the interior of the home. Like much of the rest of the house, the small bathroom is designed with a nautical feel. The bar area at the beginning of the same hallway was kept intact, complete with a pass-through window to the butler’s pantry. Another hiding spot for liquor was found beneath the bar cabinets. The couple, who hired Coronado
« The deep blue in the living room reflects the wife's love for color. The wood floor is original but the fireplace was redesigned when the house was used as the San Diego Historical Society's Showcase home in 1998. ED GOHLICH PH0TOS
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ED GOHLICH
Pastel colors add a cheerful note to the dining room and the adjoining sunroom.
What: Coronado Historical Association Annual Mother’s Day Historic Home Tour Where: six homes throughout Coronado When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 8 Tickets: $55 per person or $45 for CHA members, available at the Coronado Museum Store, 1100 Orange Ave., or online Information: (619) 435-7242 or coronadohistory.org
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architect Kevin Rugee for the restoration, kept the footprint of the kitchen and adjoining butler’s pantry, which still has the original tilework around the sink. A checkered linoleum-tile floor was added, which flows from the pantry to the kitchen and into a sewing room and laundry room, changing colors but not the pattern in each room. “I like color,” said the wife, who grew up in historical homes in San Diego. Her love of color is evident with the rich, dark blue on the living room walls, aqua colors in the pantry and sunroom, and a happy pink in the formal dining room. Colorful chandeliers collected during travels add sparkle. In contrast, the new upstairs master bathroom was designed in classic black and white with hexagonal floor tiles and subway tiles on the walls. The landscaping also received a complete makeover with a new lap pool, seating area and an outdoor shower. The front of the property was regraded to level the slope that drained toward the house, causing water damage. A small, live-edge bench in the front yard adds to the storybook feel of the home, which the owners have named Crescent Moon Cottage for the moon shapes in the meticulously restored shutters. Like the rest of the house, they needed a lot of tender, loving care, but the extra effort was worth it to the owners. “You’ve got to respect the house,” the husband said. ■
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COURTESY OF CORONADO PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Alfredo Ramos Martinez murals were commissioned by Albert Bram for his La Avenida Cafe, which operated from 1938 until 1990.
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Public treasures History of Ramos Martinez’s murals in Coronado spans the decades By CHRISTIAN ESQUEVIN
T
he captivating murals by Mexican artist Alfredo Ramos Martinez, now permanently on display at the Coronado Public Library, have an equally captivating history. “El Día del Mercado” and “Canasta de Flores” had their beginnings in a popular Coronado eatery. They were painted in 1938, commissioned by Albert Bram for the interior of his restaurant, La Avenida Cafe. Bram, a native of Switzerland who came to Coronado in 1928 to operate the Island Lunch cafe, hired Walter Vestal to design and build La Avenida Cafe at 1301 Orange Ave. in a Spanish-style architecture. Ramos Martinez, a central figure in Mexican modernism, was then commissioned to paint five murals for the interior for $1,000.
The 48-foot-long “El Dia del Mercado’’ was created in the main dining room and includes spaces for three passageways. The “Canasta de Flores,” a 5-square-foot still life mural, was painted in the cocktail lounge and was later covered by paint and wallpaper in a remodel. The other three murals were “Flores de Mexico,” an 18-foot-long painting of the heads of three indigenous Mexican women carrying baskets of flowers on their heads, and two smaller murals that were lost during remodels. “Flores de Mexico,” in a separate dining room, was removed and sold to Hollywood movie producer Joel Silver after the restaurant closed in 1990. The La Avenida Cafe murals are considered one of Ramos Martinez’s major works,
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LESLIE CRAWFORD
The restored “El Día del Mercado” mural hangs in the reception area of the Coronado Public Library and can be seen from the outside.
executed during his full artistic maturity and using his favored themes and subjects — fruits, flowers, rural Mexico and young women going to market. Ramos Martinez was born Nov. 12, 1871, in Monterey, Mexico. His parents recognized his early artistic talent and moved to Mexico City so he could study at the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes (the National Academy of Art) at the age of 12. In 1897, Phoebe Hearst, a philanthropist and mother of publishing mogul William Randolph Hearst, saw Ramos Martinez’s art and sponsored his studies in Paris. There, he mixed with leading impressionists as well as the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso. In the 1906 Paris Fall Salon, Ramos Martinez exhibited his painting “La Primavera” and won a gold prize. He stayed in France
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13 years, absorbing but ultimately rejecting the various academic and impressionist schools of art he learned. When he returned home, he dedicated himself to indigenous Mexican art themes for the rest of his career. In 1912, not long after his return to Mexico, Ramos Martinez was appointed director of Mexico City’s Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes. During his tenure, he eliminated the traditional academic model and launched the aire libre, or open air, school of painting, with art programs around the country. In 1928, Ramos Martinez married Maria de Sodi Romero, a native of Oaxaca. The following year, their daughter, Maria, was born with a congenital bone disease. The family traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for medical treatment and settled in Los Angeles in 1930 for Maria’s continued
medical treatment. At the age of 58, Ramos Martinez had to reestablish his reputation in Southern California. He accepted private commissions, painting residential murals for members of the Hollywood film community. He found work with screenwriter Jo Swerling, directors Ernst Lubitsch and Alfred Hitchcock and costume designer Edith Head. Exhibitions of his paintings were held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Faulkner Memorial Art Gallery in Santa Barbara and at the Fine Arts Gallery of Balboa Park – later renamed the San Diego Museum of Art. Surviving frescoes from Ramos Martinez, who died in 1946, are rare. Murals at the Chapman Park Hotel Wedding Chapel in Los Angeles, the Yucca Loma Ranch in Apple Valley and the Normal School Library in Mexico City have been destroyed, along with their buildings. Surviving examples are at the Chapel of the Cemetery of Santa Barbara and the Margaret Fowler Memorial Garden at Scripps College in Claremont. A portal done for Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church in La Jolla in 1937 was damaged by weather and replaced using the same design in mosaic. After La Avenida Cafe closed in 1990, it was sold to developers who wanted to demolish the restaurant and build a large hotel. Local preservationists rallied to save the murals, which were showing the wear and tear of time. The developers eventually defaulted on their loans, and the property
WIKIMEDIA/CREATIVE COMMONS
Artist Alfredo Ramos Martinez in an undated photo.
went into foreclosure. In 1992, Gus and Barbara Theberge bought the restaurant. By that time, the Coronado Historical Association had been advocating for the preservation of the murals, and the new owners were sensitive to their artistic value. With careful planning and fundraising, the two murals were rescued, professionally restored and placed in the Coronado Public Library. The “Canasta” mural had to be purchased by
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LESLIE CRAWFORD
the Friends of the Coronado Library at the Design Center in Beverly Hills, where the Theberges had consigned it. The “El Dia del Mercado” is in the lobby. A library remodel, completed in 2005, includes a high glass wall so the mural can also be seen from outside. It is illuminated at night, so it’s visible from the street even when the library is closed. “Canasta de Flores” is in direct line of sight from the original library’s old front door and is displayed in the seating area of the main library. ■ Christian Esquevin is the former director of the Coronado Public Library.
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COURTESY OF CORONADO PUBLIC LIBRARY
“Canasta de Flores” (top) is now permanently displayed in the Coronado Public Library. The artwork, which was commissioned for La Avenida Cafe, had been hidden behind wallpaper (above).
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» LOOKING BACK
Did you know? LA AVENIDA CAFE, built by Albert Bram in 1938, was known for the Alfredo Ramos Martinez murals and the famous Jack’s Salad. The salad was named after maitre d’ Jack Clapp, who brought his version of the Caesar salad to La Avenida. Known as Uncle Jack, Clapp had worked for Caesar Cardini at Caesar’s Palace restaurant in Tijuana. La Avenida Cafe was on the corner of Orange and B avenues, where the now-closed Bistro D’Asia operated in recent years. Albert Bram also built the adjacent La Avenida Motel in 1956, demolishing the 1886 San Carlos Hotel to make way for the new 27-unit L-shaped building with a parking lot and a pool. The hotel is still operating as the La Avenida Inn. ■
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LESLIE CRAWFORD COLLECTION
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» FROM THE GROUND UP
COURTESY OF HOTEL DEL CORONADO
The freshly landscaped Hotel del Coronado courtyard opened to the public in February 1888. Frederick Koeppen was placed in charge of The Del's landscaping.
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Forgotten gardeners Kate Sessions only played small role in cultivation of Hotel Del grounds By GINA PETRONE
I
t has been widely believed that renowned horticulturalist Kate Sessions was responsible for designing the gardens in and around Hotel del Coronado. However, a review of hotel co-founder Elisha Babcock’s business correspondence and newspaper stories reveal two often-overlooked contributors — Edgar Sharpe and Frederick Koeppen — and show that Sessions’ involvement was sporadic. Before Babcock and Hampton Story formed the Coronado Beach Co. in April 1886, they hired John Orcutt, whose family operated a nursery in San Diego, to supervise tree planting on Coronado. By March 1886, orange trees, camphor, tea and coconut trees had all been ordered.
In September of that year, the Coronado Beach Co. entered into a contract with “Mr. and Mrs. S.G. Blaisdell and Miss Kate Sessions of Oakland” to establish a nursery on Coronado, which opened about a month later. Nurseries started to spring up all over San Diego, and exotic plants were all the rage. The Coronado Beach Co. purchased 200 varieties of cactuses from Orcutt and arranged with industrialist John D. Spreckels to secure royal palms. The company established its own nursery in August 1887 while The Del was under construction, and the partnership with the Blaisdells and Sessions dissolved by year-end. Edgar Sharpe, Babcock’s cousin from
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COURTESY OF HOTEL DEL CORONADO
Hotel del Coronado's nursery became known as a botanical garden filled with exotic plants. This photo was taken in the 1890s.
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Evansville, Illinois, was placed in charge of the company’s nursery on Coronado. An article in the San Francisco-based Pacific Rural Press in November 1889 said: “The establishment is under the management of Edgar Sharpe. He was not a professional florist or gardener, but his fondness for forestry had caused him to acquire a vast amount of information in his globe travels, and how well he has utilized it, the rarely beautiful grounds of Hotel del Coronado, the parks and growing avenues, testify.” The article says Sharpe was turning the nursery into a botanical garden, having “turned principally to Japan, the Canary Islands, Cape of Good Hope, and Australia for seeds,” with many varieties of palms, acacia trees, eucalyptus and pines. By May 1890, Babcock had a created a Botanical Gardens trolley stop at 3rd Street. While Sharpe controlled the nursery, Frederick Koeppen, who came to Coronado in 1886, was The Del’s first landscape gardener. Babcock directed him to plant blue morning glory in the court patio and marguerite daisies all around the hotel in May 1890. Babcock was so fond of marguerites, he later recommended changing the name of Orange Avenue to Marguerite Avenue. After Coronado incorporated in December 1890, the city took over management of its trees and parks. Babcock reached out to Sessions at that time and offered her the role of a commission agent to sell Coronado Beach Co. plants. Sessions also received part of a pavilion to open the Spring House flower stand in exchange for 50 percent of the proceeds. The flower
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COURTESY OF HOTEL DEL CORONADO
A photo of the Coronado nursery, taken between March 1892 and February 1900.
stand, across from the hotel, opened in January 1891. By the end of 1891, Sharpe left San Diego for Monterey County and Koeppen was placed in charge of the nursery, which had become known as the Coronado Botanical Garden. “The late manager, Mr. Sharpe, brought these grounds from the condition of wilderness to one of the most beautiful garden spots and his successor, Mr. Koeppen, is a thoroughly practical gardener. This gentleman takes unusual delight in his profession and is untiring in his efforts to keep not only the botanical gardens but the court of the hotel in the highest state of perfection,” according to a story in the San Diego Union and Daily Bee on Dec. 3, 1891. Babcock ended his contract with Sessions in April 1892 and took over the management of the flower stand himself until 1899, when he asked her
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to take over again. He then separated the botanical garden from the hotel and retained Koeppen at the hotel grounds, who stayed until 1904. By then, the hotel was owned by Spreckels and Babcock was the manager. “Miss Kate Sessions will take charge of what is grown at the nursery, make purchases, attend to the decorating of the hotel and manage the flower stand. She will be paid $30 per month,” Babcock wrote in August 1899. Sessions did not operate the flower stand herself, but she planted the cactus garden near the hotel’s Spring House in 1900. In a letter to Sessions in June 1901, Babcock wrote: “Our statements show that for the two years the gardens have been under your control, we have been selling less each year than we did before.” Babcock offered to lease her the hotel flower stand on a percentage basis, but Sessions negotiated to take charge of the botanical gardens, golf grounds, cactus garden and Tent City although there is no mention of her regarding any operation at the hotel after 1901. Sessions went on to bigger things, especially shaping the landscape of Balboa Park. While her place as “the dean of California horticulturalists” is well established, her connection to Hotel del Coronado appears to be limited. The main work of The Del’s grounds fell to Sharpe and Koeppen, the forgotten gardeners. ■ Gina Petrone is Heritage Manager at Hotel del Coronado.
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» LOOKING BACK
THIS MONTH IN CORONADO HISTORY No. 144 on Dec. 17, 1970. The hotel, one of the oldest and largest all-wooden buildings in California, is also one of America’s largest wooden buildings.
May 7, 1929
LESLIE CRAWFORD COLLECTION
A colorized postcard of the American Ostrich Co.'s Coronado farm.
May 3, 1887 The Coronado Beach Co. and E.J. Johnson, the owner of the Fallbrook ostrich farm, signed an agreement to have ostriches on Coronado. Johnson moved an ostrich flock onto Block 40, Coronado Beach.
May 3, 1923 Army pilots Lt. John Macready and Lt. Oakley Kelly arrived at Rockwell Field from Hempstead, New York, successfully completing the first nonstop flight across the United States. This was their third attempt, achieving the feat in 26 hours, 50 minutes and 38 seconds.
May 5, 1977 Hotel del Coronado received national historic designation. It was already named California Historic Landmark
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The Coronado City Council authorized a request for orders from the secretaries of war and the Navy for a ban on flying over Coronado after instances of ordinance dropping on the Strand and the golf course at the Coronado Country Club and a machine gun slug narrowly missing a boater. The flying of government planes over the city was characterized as a menace to the lives of residents.
May 10, 1927 Charles Lindbergh took off from North Island for the first leg of his historic flight to Paris, making his way toward the East Coast. May 15, 1846 The 4,158-acre Coronado Peninsula was deeded to Pedro Carrillo and Josefa Bandini as a wedding gift from California Gov. Pio Pico (under Mexican rule). Carrillo used the land to graze his cattle and watered them at Russian Spring, a freshwater spring on the west end of North Island.
May 16, 1887 The Coronado Evening Mercury pub-
lished its first issue. By the end of the second week in print, 500 subscribers were getting the newspaper delivered by horseback.
May 17, 1992
For the 1992 America’s Cup races in San Diego, the New Zealand team set up home base at the old Rask boat yard (where Il Fornaio and adjoining parking lot now stand), creating a little enclave called Kiwinado. The Spanish team, Desafio Espana Copa, had a compound on First Street and lived at the Hansen mansion at 700 A Ave. ApparWIKIMEDIA ently, they were a lively group because neighbors complained of the “Spanish Syndicate” being rowdy.
May 23, 1968
Escrow closed on the city of Coronado’s Rancho Carrillo property. The Coronado Cay Co. purchased the property for $4,309,678. Construction was to begin in September 1968. Plans called for more than 1,500 homes, a marina, a small shopping center, parks, city facilities and a school.
May 25, 1887
B.L. Muir and Lizzie Barber were married in Mrs. E. D. Garrison’s tent, decorated with flowers and evergreens. The wedding, the first marriage on Coronado, was officiated by Rev. E.F. Chase, head of the First Methodist Church of San Diego who had helped organize Coronado Beach Methodist Episcopal Church earlier that year. In 1895, the Muirs built a Queen Anne Victorian-style house at 1022 Park Place that still stands today. ■
May 22, 1929
Col. Ira Copley, a newspaper magnate whose assets included the San Diego Union and Evening Tribune, purchased the mansion overlooking Glorietta Bay, previously owned by John D. Spreckels (now part of the Glorietta Bay Inn). Spreckels had bequeathed the mansion to his daughter, Mrs. Alexander Hamilton of San Francisco, who sold the property to Copley.
LESLIE CRAWFORD COLLECTION
B.L. and Lizzie Muir's house on Park Place was built in 1887 and still stands today.
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NAVY REGION SOUTHWEST MARKETING DEPARTMENT
Participants on the Bay Bridge Run/Walk make their way across the San Diego-Coronado Bridge heading west to Coronado.
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Coordinating colleagues Federal, state, city jurisdictions work as team for Navy’s Bay Bridge Run/Walk By MICHELLE DELANEY
O
n May 15, the Navy will host its 35th Bay Bridge Run/Walk. The annual run/walk is along a 4-mile route that allows participants to cross the San Diego-Coronado Bridge on foot to take in the panoramic views at a slower pace. The event, which starts in San Diego between the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel and San Diego Convention Center and ends at Tidelands Park, is the Navy Region Southwest’s largest public event and an exercise in government teamwork. The event usually draws 10,000 runners and walkers. You might envision the cities of San Diego and Coronado, plus the California
Highway Patrol as the likely facilitators, but there are quite a few more agencies involved in the logistics. The course for the Bay Bridge Run/Walk covers only 4 miles but has more than double that number of agencies with jurisdictional oversight. The city of San Diego has authority for the start of the race by the convention center. From there to the beginning of the Coronado Bridge, the city works in conjunction with its police and fire departments, as well as the Metropolitan Transit System. One major piece of the logistics, according to event coordinator Kim Hansen, is the timing of all participants with the trolley schedule.
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NAVY REGION SOUTHWEST MARKETING DEPARTMENT
Runners head to Tidelands Park, which is the end point of the 4-mle run.
“Ultimately, we cannot mess with the trolley schedule,” said Hansen, who is coordinating the event for the Navy Morale Welfare and Recreation Program. Morale Welfare and Recreation, the city of San Diego and MTS are all involved in get-
ting the runners and walkers cleared of the trolley at the Barrio Logan stop near Cesar E. Chavez Parkway and Harbor Drive. And they must ensure all participants are on the bridge by 8:45 a.m. so the city can reopen the streets to traffic. Once on the bridge, the California Department of Transportation takes
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over jurisdiction and is primarily responsible for traffic control. Caltrans will be on the bridge at 3 a.m. May 15 to create safety lanes for participants. During the event, corpsmen from Naval Medical Center San Diego are on hand for whatever emergencies may arise. At the end of the bridge, the city of Coronado has jurisdiction to Tidelands Park. Then the San Diego Unified Port District (which is one of the event’s three presenting sponsors) takes over. All these agencies, as well as others such as FBI and the
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Department of Homeland Security, coordinate with Morale Welfare and Recreation to ensure that the event runs safely and smoothly. There are other facilitators for the event: Road Runner Sports in Kearny Mesa will host a registration packet pick-up the day before on May 14, and the Coronado Ferry will offer free rides to participants with registration. (Free bus service is also available between Coronado and San Diego before and after the event.) About 400 volunteers work the event to ensure things run smoothly and everything from water bottles to bananas to chairs get to their
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What: 35th annual Navy Bay Bridge Run/Walk Where: starting line at Hilton San Diego Bayfront, 1 Park Blvd., San Diego; finishing line at Tidelands Park, Coronado When: 8 a.m. May 15 Admission: $32 to $55 per person Information: (619) 554-8117 or navybaybridgerun.com
proper destinations. A water station and a mariachi band will be waiting for participants at Chicano Park in San Diego. Musicians will provide entertainment at each mile marker
except for the 2-mile mark at the top of the bridge. The finish line celebration at Tidelands Park “incorporates all the Navy’s assets with the local community,” Hansen said. Along with refreshments, music and awards, there will be a definite “military feel,” she said, with a helicopter flyover, a Navy jazz band and a triad of leadership from Naval Base Coronado in attendance. All proceeds will go to Morale Welfare and Recreation, which provides fitness and recreational opportunities at each of the five San Diego County Navy bases. The program operates fitness centers, swimming pools, movie theaters, bowl-
ing lanes and golf courses, as well as child care centers, food and beverage facilities and more. “We are a group of Navy and DOD [Department of Defense] employees who do this for our sailors; it is a great opportunity for the Navy to be a part of the community but also a great way for the community to support MWR in giving back to our sailors.” Hansen said, “The event is a massive undertaking by MWR, but it could not be as successful as it is without the enormous support of our sponsors and all of the agencies who partner with us.” ■ Michelle Delaney is a freelance writer.
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» BEACHCOMBER
THE RINGED NUDIBRANCH, a jelly-bodied, shell-less mollusk, is a species of sea slug. The specific epithet of its scientific name, diaulula sandiegensis, means “of San Diego,” although it’s not clear why the species was named after our region. It can be found from British Columbia to Baja California. Also known as ringed-spotted dorid, leopard dorid and San Diego dorid, the creature tolerates water temperatures from 0 to 68 degrees and lives in intertidal zones among rocks and ledges as well as in kelp, feeding on several different kinds of sponges. The diaulula sandiegensis grows up to four inches long and its coloring can range from white to shades of yellow and brown. The frilly part is its gills. When spawning, it lays a spiral casing containing millions of eggs. This particular specimen was found on the Coronado shoreline in San Diego Bay. ■ Class: Gastropoda Order: Nudibranchia Family: Discodorididae Genus: Diaulula Species: D. sandiegensis
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Ringed nudibranch
CORONADOBEACHCOMBER
Coronado’s shoreline changes with the weather, tides and time of year. Coronadobeachcomber explores our shores daily on the beach or at the bay, paying attention to the interesting animals, shells and sea life. Follow @coronadobeachcomber on Instagram.
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CURRENT WATER BOTTLE FILLING STATIONS • Central Beach (pictured) • City Hall • Coronado Cays Park • Coronado Community Center • Coronado Golf Course Club House • Coronado Public Library • Coronado Tennis Center (bike path) • Fire stations • Glorietta Bay Park • John D. Spreckels Center • Library Tennis Courts • North Beach • Mathewson Park • Rotary Park • Spreckels Park
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» BEACH AND BAY
On tap City’s water filling stations offer Earth-friendly drinking option By AMY STEWARD
W
ater. It’s literally and figuratively the lifeblood of our planet. Although roughly 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, only 2.5 percent is fresh and less than 1 percent is available for people to use. The United Nations notes that over the past century, fresh-water usage has increased at more than twice the rate of population growth. But one in four people worldwide does not have access to clean water. Access to clean water is considered to be a human right and critical to a healthy community. Here in Coronado, the city has installed water bottle filling stations to provide free drinking water and help reduce the use of plastic. You can find them across the city in parks as well as inside and adjacent to municipal buildings. The Coronado Unified School District has also installed water filling stations at all schools. “We have a goal over the next two years to have a minimum of at least one bottle filler in each facility and outdoor public
areas that currently have standard water fountains,” said Ian Lasley, public services supervisor for the city of Coronado. Some of the filling stations around town are touchless, and stations are cleaned nightly, Lasley said. Reducing the number of single-use plastic water bottles not only helps the environment, but it also helps reduce water scarcity. It takes four to six times the amount of water contained in a single-use bottle to produce that plastic bottle. Plastic water bottles also contribute to the pollution of water sources. According to the journal Science Advances, only 9 percent of all plastic ever made globally has been recycled. The rest ends up in landfills or somewhere else in the environment. And while water purveyors sell the idea that bottled water is better, science has shown that plastic can leach toxins into the bottle. Decreasing the use of water bottles faces an uphill battle due to climate change. Climate change causes shifting weather patterns, which in turn change the access
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and availability of fresh water. While some regions of the world face catastrophic flooding, others face severe drought. These shifts in water availability increase the reliance on bottled water. Even here in California, people in Central Valley are facing drinking water supply vulnerabilities due to the overpumping of aquifers during a drought, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Many homes have had to resort to using bottled water as wells run low or dry. The drought in California continues. San Diego International Airport recorded only 0.16 inches of rain in January, a month that normally averages nearly 2 inches of rain. Like much of California, Coronado is
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facing water restrictions because of the drought. While restrictions are not yet in place, residents can be proactive by watering their yards less, converting lawns to gardens with native and drought-tolerant plants, taking shorter showers and placing buckets in showers to collect water for use in the garden. Conservation is critical. With so much water surrounding us, it’s easy to forget that the world’s water supply is limited. The city’s water stations are one way to use fresh water wisely and at the same time reduce the impact of plastic on the environment. ■ Amy Steward is president of Emerald Keepers.
WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT
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