MILLENNIUM MOMENT

What is today the elegant Five Crowns restaurant in Corona del Mar was

originally the brainchild of Matilda MacCullock, who built it in 1936 in

an effort to create an old English-style inn. MacCullock became so fond

of her creation that she decided to live in it.

The building went through many different personalities under MacCullock’s

slightly eccentric influence. During the 1940s, she called her

establishment the Hurley Bell, sold overnight accommodations, and played

host to celebrities like Rita Hayworth and Howard Hughes.

MacCullock passed away in 1948, and the building, no longer protected by

her influence, went through a period as a house of ill repute before

finally being turned into Five Crowns in 1965.

* MILLENNIUM MOMENT celebrates the people who have made a major

contribution to the Newport-Mesa community during this century.