Oak Street Beach - Laguna Beach
Located in the center of the village is a wonderful neighborhood steeped with history and many say is the beginning of the California surf culture. Oak Street at Gaviota Drive is ground zero for the California surfing movement. Many famous names associated with surfing grew up and surfed at the famed Oak Street beach and surrounding beaches like Brooks Street. Most notably is Hobie Alter of the famed Hobie Surfboard and who lived on Gaviota and later built his first store on PCH. During the early 1950’s Hobie sold boards out of his garage near Oak Street, later Hobie’s dad helped him buy a vacant lot off PCH for $1,500 where the first Hobie Surf Shop was built. Other names like Steve Pezman, former publisher of Surf Magazine and Bob McKnight co-founder of Quiksilver Surf Clothing love to surf in these waters.
Many avid surfers consider it the best surf spot in Laguna Beach. It is no wonder that when the swell is up the young as well as the seasoned surfers are all at Oak Street. In the 1950’s when surfing was coming of age all the cool kids went to Oak Street to surf and to be seen. Today it is a sought after beach front neighborhood and the real estate prices will prove it.
My recent listing at 155 Oak Street sold in less than 1 week on the market for $6,100,000. This was the first time this home was on the market since the Hill Family bought that home with 50 feet of beach frontage in 1924 for $5,000. At a recent dinner with the 6 brothers and sisters they shared many wonderful memories of growing up on Oak Street. Their father, Walter B Hill M.D. from Upland remembers when his father purchased a 3 room cabin that was surrounded by empty land and a few small homes in 1924. Little did he know the importance of that purchase and the memories it gave to so many of his family. According to his book entitled “Laguna Beach: Our Extended Childhood”, which he wrote in 1996, The senior Hill recalls in 1924 as a young boy riding down a 2 lane oiled road known now as Coast Highway and then turning down a dusty dirt road now known as Oak Street to the small cabin at 155 Oak Street at Gaviota. Gaviota was called Seaview Avenue in those days and was later changed to its present Gaviota Drive. Over the years the Hill family would add a large family room with ocean views, additional baths and bedrooms. The original house was 2 bedrooms, a small kitchen, one toilet with sink, no bath or shower. Bathing was done in the ocean in the early years. They had indoor plumbing but you couldn’t drink the water, so they had bottled water. In the early days residents had to drive four miles up into Laguna Canyon to fill bottles with water for cooking and drinking. There beside the road was the old well with its hand pump. The home had no hot water, the shower was outside and the water just soaked into the sand. Cooking was by kerosene stove. Kerosene was bought from Wilson’s Store-at-Your-Door. Fresh food and groceries was also purchased from him as his van periodically visited the Oak Street neighborhood.
In 1927 Coast Highway was paved and widened through Laguna Beach. Before that one had to go inland to get to Newport Beach. Gene’s grocery store was just up on Coast Highway near Oak Street. It was a place where everyone would visit with one another. This building now houses The Art of Fitness and Spa Health Club.
The Oak Street area was originally part of the James Sterling Homestead of 1876 and Lorenso Nathen Brooks Homestead of 1879. “Nate” Brooks paid the US Government $1.25 per acre; his total holdings were 600 acres. See attached homestead map. Upon Nate Skidmore’s death in 1914, his widow Catherine Skidmore Brooks became sole owner and Joe Skidmore, son of Catherine Skidmore Brooks, would subdivide this area into lots for sale. Prices ranged from $400 interior lot to $1,700 for a 50 foot wide x 100 foot ocean front lot. Terms offered with 20% down, 2% monthly, payable quarterly. If you purchased in cash you would get a 10% discount. See attached pricing and term sheet for lots.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Other historic buildings in the Oak Street Area include La Casa del Camino Hotel-Cress St and South Coast Highway See attached photo. Pottery Shack at Brooks and S. Coast Highway-See attached early photo.
Bordered By: (from east, south, west and north)
Oak Street Beach Neighborhood is located along the beach from Brooks Street on the north to Cress Street on the south.
Current Market Activity in this area: (Current and recent listings with sales prices, price per square foot and description and amenities of the homes.)
Active Listings per MLS 6.20.11
1136 Gaviota Dr. 3 bedroom 3 bath. 2 car garage Built 2007 $2,899,000
150 Cress St. 8 bedroom 6 bath. 3 car garage. Built 1955 $5,499,000
1337 Gaviota 4 bedroom 10 bath. 4 car garage, 4,500 sq. ft. Built 1972 $9,950,000. Building of 4 residences.
1155 Gaviota Dr. 3 bedroom 3 bath. 2 car garage. 2,200 sq. ft. Built 1935 $6,995,000. $3,179 per sq. ft.
SOLD Since 1.1.11
155 Oak Street 6 bedroom 4 bath 3,042 sq. ft. Built 1919. $6,100,000 Listed by Shauna Covington Prudential. Sold in one week. Ocean Front. $2,005 per sq. ft.
990 Ocean Front 3 bedrooms 4 bath. 3,750 sq. ft. New Construction Ocean Front. $11,500,000. $3,066 per sq. ft.
Story by: Shauna Covington Realtor Prudential CA Realty 30812 S. Coast Hwy Laguna Beach, CA. 92651 www.shaunacovington.com shauna@shaunacovington.com 949-395-8786 Shauna is a Director and Secretary of The Laguna Board of Realtors.
Credits: Laguna Beach-“Our Extended Childhood” by Walter B Hill MD. Gene Felder-Laguna Beach Historical Society. Photos from the Tom Pulley Postcard Collection. Surf image courtesy of the MacRae Photograph Collection.
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