Del Mar founder Jacob Taylor built a town around a resort hotel, Casa Del Mar, at the foot of 10th Street. He added a host of activities to attract patrons, including a bath house with a dance floor on the roof, a natatorium for safe ocean bathing, rental houses, and a school. A hotel fire and torrential rains put an end to the Taylor resort dream. Years of neglect followed until new investors stepped off the train from Los Angeles.

The South Coast Land Company re-created the Taylor resort dream. The town was moved from 10th Street to 15th Street and up the hill to Crest Road. A series of changes emerged to add a water system, create an electrical generation plant, and a heated, saltwater plunge. The first 25 years of the 20th century called for a community to accommodate a rail system and roads strong enough to hold the newly developed automobile. The resort town was becoming a community of size and importance.

Now, Del Mar is both a luxury resort destination and a coastal community between two major metropolitan cities. It has welcomed those seeking luxury living on the ocean and professors from UCSD with more modest housing needs, and it is a destination beach for neighboring communities. Jacob Taylor has reason to celebrate his dream that we in Del Mar enjoy.

If you have photographs, stories, or even books to share, please contact the Del Mar Historical Society at info@DelMarHistoricalSociety.org.