A public era dawns at Crystal Cove

Paul Clinton

CRYSTAL COVE -- History was made here Thursday as officials and

activists cut the ribbon on a new public visitors center.

The event, which also included a tree-lighting ceremony, marked the

first time one of the 46 cottages was opened to the public on a full-time

basis. The only previous glimpse visitors to the state-owned park had

before Thursday was a handful of tours through the cottages in late

summer.

“This is a very historic day,” said Joan Irvine Smith, a co-founder of

the Crystal Cove Conservancy.

The conservancy organized the event, which hit full stride at sunset.

The handful of gathered guests huddled together to view the sight from

the beach, watching a string of white tree lights switch on in the dusk.

In another nod to the holiday season, children grabbed red and purple

ornaments out of glass jars and placed them on the tree.

The event brought out people who lauded the conservancy’s efforts to

preserve the historic flavor of an area that drew summer visitors as

early as the 1920s and ‘30s.

“It’s a celebration of the fact that these folks have worked so hard

to keep it from going high-power commercial,” said Richard Wozniak, who

drove from Orange after reading about the event in the newspaper.

Smith and Laura Davick, who organized the event, joined a slew of

other environmentalists earlier in the year to stop the state’s attempt

to install a luxury resort.

Davick, a longtime resident of one of the cottages and activist in

their pending restoration, said the event christened a new era for the

cove.

To do that, she said she needed to continue a tradition started by the

former community living in the beachfront cottages, which were placed on

the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

As a former resident, Davick started the tree-lighting ceremony five

years ago as a way to bring the cove some holiday spirit.

“It’s important that we retain this tradition,” Davick said. “It’s

part of the new beginning, the new birth of Crystal Cove.”

California State Parks officials are finalizing a preliminary plan to

restore the historic cottages and open them to the public.

That plan is set to be unveiled early next year. It is expected to be

a mixture of some overnight rentals, ranging from $20 to $150 a night,

and educational uses.

In the interim, the state is spending $1.13 million to preserve and

protect the cottages from the elements.

On Thursday, leaders from the Crystal Cove Interpretive Assn. were

recruiting volunteers to lead cove tours. The new visitors center will

help that effort gather steam, as well as provide a focal point for

communicating the history and heritage of the place, Chief Lifeguard Ken

Kramer said.

“The visitors center will provide us an opportunity to tell a story,”

Kramer said, “of how the cottages came to be.”

* Paul Clinton covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .