La Jolla and San Diego dignitaries gathered to celebrate the listing of the La Jolla Park Coastal Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, which happened this spring after years of work.

“This is truly the result of a community effort, and we are thankful for the contributions of all [the] individuals who have helped preserve and highlight the significance of our historic district,” La Jolla Historical Society Executive Director Lauren Lockhart said at a dedication ceremony Nov. 7 at the La Jolla Cove Hotel & Suites, overlooking The Cove and Scripps Park.

“I feel immensely grateful to live in a place that shares a belief in protecting our environment and natural spaces and ensuring they are accessible to all for generations to come. Places like this are precious and provide us with solace, comfort and hope.”

Diane Kane, Seonaid McArthur, Nick Agelidis and Molly McClain accept the 2024 Jewel Award for preservation from the La Jolla Historical Society in October for their work on the La Jolla Park Coastal Historic District. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)

La Jolla Parks & Beaches President Bob Evans said “historic preservation of this area can help foster a sense of community and pride and strengthen … our regional identity.”

The Coastal Historic District encompasses places such as La Jolla Cove, the Children’s Pool, Casa de Mañana retirement community and Red Roost and Red Rest cottages. The area is based on an 1887 map of what was called La Jolla Park and includes eight acres of coastal parkland roughly between Torrey Pines Road and Coast Walk in the north and nearly the end of Coast Boulevard in the south.

The area’s period of significance ends in 1940, when the last of many recreational buildings were constructed and community development began to focus on areas farther from the coast.

The Nov. 7 ceremony also included poems from Indigenous leaders, music from the Gand Band and proclamations from government officials.

“This is some sacred ground that has long been occupied by various people over the years, starting with the Kumeyaay community, said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. What we now know today as La Jolla was once known as … ‘the place of many caves.’ This is not just a breathtaking coastal neighborhood, although it surely is, but is also the site of profound cultural and spiritual significance for many in our community.”

The listing on the National Register of Historic Places, he added, “is a remarkable achievement and … truly reflects the power of community engagement and the collective action of caring and interested citizens.”

He said future generations will “look [back at] this generation with appreciation that we had the wisdom and foresight to set it aside, preserve it, protect it and invest in it.”

San Diego City Councilman Joe LaCava (left) and Mayor Todd Gloria appear at a ceremony to recognize the listing of the La Jolla Park Coastal Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)

U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (D-La Jolla) echoed the importance of the area and its historic designation. “The La Jolla Park Coastal Historic District preserves the essence of what has drawn people here for over a century,” he said. “Rugged cliffs, pristine beaches and an artistic spirit rooted in the natural beauty surrounding us. … The designation of this historic district honors that legacy.”

Work to have the Coastal Historic District listed on the National Register had been underway for years, with local approvals coming last year.

Last summer, the La Jolla Community Planning Association, La Jolla Planned District Ordinance Committee, La Jolla Shores Association, Parks & Beaches and San Diego Historical Resources Board all voted to support the district, and the California State Historical Resources Commission followed suit in August.

The San Diego-based Save Our Heritage Organisation also has stated its support. In September, SOHO honored La Jollans Diane Kane, Molly McClain and Seonaid McArthur with People in Preservation awards for their work on the designation.

Though there was steady momentum, reaching the National Register was delayed partly by a letter submitted by animal-advocacy groups that raised questions about how marine mammals that go on land in La Jolla would continue to be protected. That was an issue because the historic district includes both the Children’s Pool, which is closed to the public for five months annually for harbor seal pupping season, and Point La Jolla, which is closed year-round to keep humans and sea lions apart.

Another letter from a former area resident asked that more properties be included in the district.

To resolve those issues, more specific details were added to the description of the district’s boundaries.

With the district now nationally designated, any changes to its resources have to follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, a series of federal guidelines that cover preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and reconstruction of historic sites.

Plaques honoring key sites in the La Jolla Park Coastal Historic District are displayed as part of a dedication ceremony Nov. 7. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)

The standards also could provide guidance on how to rebuild damaged or destroyed structures and enforcement of view corridors throughout La Jolla.

Federal funding and grants also may be available for historically designated sites to help facilitate repairs, preservation efforts and/or restoration.

“As we gather here tonight, we are writing the next chapter of the story,” McArthur said.

The next steps include fundraising for repair of the beach access stairs at Whale View Point. Thus far, $18,000 of the $34,000 goal has been raised.

San Diego City Councilman Joe LaCava, whose District 1 includes La Jolla, said that in light of the designation, steps could be taken to make the maintenance process easier, especially with volunteers willing to help.

“We as a city have to do better with nonprofits that are doing work in the public space and make it easier to get rid of the bureaucracy, get rid of the red tape and maybe cut the processing fees a little bit, he said. It is time for us to pivot and take advantage of when people are willing to … do the things we can’t afford quite yet and make La Jolla everything we all want it to be.”