Suzie HarrisonIt’s inescapable all year long. The...

Suzie Harrison

It’s inescapable all year long. The rich history of Laguna can be

found in the historic houses, old hotels and the vintage lifeguard

house on Main Beach. But every May, the city is filled with events

and celebrations in honor of Heritage Month.

The Pageant provides sneak peeks of the summer show; guided tours

of Downtown, the Wilderness Park and art studios are offered; and

Laguna Art Museum gets into the act with an exhibit of old-time

Laguna.

To appreciate today’s architecture, it’s important to recognize

the past, including the Juaneno and Gabrielino Indians who once lived

on Laguna’s shores, the early artists and pioneers who came and made

this a village, the movie stars of the 1920s and ‘30s, and the people

today. Each segment of history has helped create Laguna’s

personality.

The historic preservation ordinance and the Laguna Beach Historic

Register were adopted in 1989 by the City Council, and in 1990, the

Heritage Committee was formed.

The heritage month celebration came to fruition when the City

Council designated the month of May to promote historic preservation

in 1991, said Ann Larson, senior planner for the city.

“In 1991, we had nearly 100 property owners on the public

register. As of May 2003, there are 215 listings,” Larson said. “I’ve

been helping the committee since 1994. It’s a fun time to promote

heritage.”

The celebration kicked off Thursday at Madison Square Garden Cafe

with the Heritage Committee, Mayor Toni Iseman speaking and a

celebration of Laguna with entertainment, contests and a

demonstration of plein air painting.

“You’re talking to me when you’re talking about the heritage of

Laguna, it’s so important,” Iseman said. “The magic of Laguna Beach

extends far beyond its natural beauty -- our historic buildings are

sacred and must be treated with great respect or we’ll lose the

essence of our community.”

This is the second year the kick has been held at Madison Square,

and with good reason.

The building itself is a Craftsman Bungalow, and owner John

Madison is on the heritage committee.

“We have a historic building,” Madison said. “I preserved and

restored the building. It will be 91-years-old this year. The

Heritage Committee is dedicated to preserving older homes in Laguna

Beach to preserve Laguna’s character. There are a variety of homes

and we’ve saved a lot of the older ones.”

Madison said that’s what people love about Laguna Beach, his

91-year-old building next to a new building such as Peter Blake’s.

From 4 to 5 p.m. today, the Pageant of the Masters is offering a

backstage tour, with a look at this season’s pageant and its 70-year

history.

“This is our 70th anniversary for the Pageant,” director Diane

Challis Davy said. “It started in 1933 over on El Paseo, before it

made its permanent home here in 1941. It will be a year of

celebrating our 70th anniversary, but also our 40-year lease.”

Sharbie Higuchi, marketing director, said the Pageant is steeped

in history.

“As part of our 70th anniversary celebration, we will be creating

a historic time capsule,” Higuchi said. “We hope that it will be

rediscovered at the end of the 40-year lease. It will really show the

history of the Pageant and the Festival of Arts with souvenir

programs, eye-witness interviews with former Pageant directors and a

few props, costumes and some memorabilia.”

A guided walk through Historic Downtown Laguna Beach is part of

the celebration. The walk is from 10 a.m. to noon May 10 and May 17.

People are instructed to meet in front of the library at 363

Glenneyre St.

Laguna Art Museum will exhibit “Greetings from Laguna Beach: Our

Town in the Early 1900s” throughout May featuring paintings, photos

and memorabilia that captures life in Laguna Beach from 1900 to 1930.

Museum director Bolton Colbourn said the exhibit captures the

early history of the town, how it began as an art colony that gave

birth to the Laguna Art Museum, the playhouse and eventually the

festivals.

“Laguna Art Museum is the underpinning, the art infrastructure,

coming into being at the turn of the century,” Colbourn said. “This

year is the museum’s 85th anniversary, an incredibly long time for

anything in Orange County.”

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is offering a natural history walk to

show what Laguna was like before development in a guided 3 1/2-mile

moderate hike through Laurel Canyon to Bommer Ridge.

Barbara Norton, park ranger, said to expect a lot of wildflowers.

The guided tour, led by Nadine Nordstrom, is limited to 20 people. It

costs $2 for the hike and $2 for parking. Call 494-9352 for

information or reservations.

The city is working on a project to update the historic element of

the general plan.

“The committee reviews proposed modifications to historic homes,

determines whether a home could be eligible to be placed on the

register,” Larson said. “Some are really interested in preserving

Laguna Beach’s heritage and architecture, so we’re trying to get the

word out to the community about the ordinance and the benefits it

carries.”

If an owner registers their house, all planning, building and

zoning fees are waived, and there are parking reductions and setback

flexibility, Larson said.

The $10 registration fee goes to the county. The home must be at

least 50 years old and in good condition with very few changes.

“It has to have some type of recognizable architecture in Laguna

Beach,” Larson said. “That can be very open because of the eclectic

styles, including beach cottages. In Laguna Beach, it may not fit

into a mold. Our architecture is unique to Laguna Beach.”

For more information about Laguna Beach Heritage Month, contact

Larson at 497-0320.