Tour offers charm

Suzie Harrison

Though it has a lot to do with heritage and character in Laguna

Beach, the timing of Village Laguna’s annual Charm House Tour just

happens to be when the city celebrates Heritage Month.

Still, the two compliment each other well, and on May 16 the tour

will show off some of Laguna’s best charms.

“We’ve always done it the first weekend after Mother’s Day,” tour

chair Anne Caenn said. “The fact that it’s Heritage Month makes it

all the more important in the sense of people thinking about the

heritage of the community, and that they get to see some of these

fabulous homes.”

Caenn said they received so much positive feedback about last

year’s North Laguna location that they decided to stay in the same

area for the 32nd annual event and scouted out five other homes to

showcase.

Josh Nolan and Ann Price were the official treasure hunters who

diligently researched houses that would best exemplify Laguna.

“This year it’s the Laguna Charm Home Tour, nothing but charm

homes, nothing contemporary this year but old traditional homes, more

traditional Laguna Beach,” Nolan said.

Nolan said she’s very pleased with the selection this year and she

expects tour-goers to feel the same.

“We have a variety, but within the realm of Laguna Beach charm,”

Nolan said. “All close together, so it’s an easy tour, which is a

treat. Along the way people can see our community.”

Caenn said it’s interesting to discover homes that are so diverse

but built in the 1920s to 1940s.

“For instance we always try and have a spectacular oceanfront

[home], which we do have this year,” Caenn said.

She said that another is an authentic Craftsman style typical of

Laguna.

“The Colwell House is a Craftsman bungalow that at one time had a

clear view of Hotel Laguna and further south. It was highlighted in

1922 in the local “Laguna Life” newspaper as the construction of a

modern house.

When the current owners purchased it in 1966 they had to do some

restorations, keeping it within code so that it is listed on the

Laguna Historic Register as a historic home, a “Colonial Revival

Bungalow.”

“We have one that’s a Spanish style home,” Caenn said.

“Casa Feliz” is a 1921 Spanish revival that is located along a

quiet street with other well-cared for homes, giving a sense of what

Laguna was like circa 1950. It has a flower-filled courtyard and

surrounding gardens along with light filled rooms and other

architectural highlights.

“We always try and have some older authentic [homes] typical of

early Laguna Beach,” Caenn said. “One is a two-story Colonial, it’s

really diverse; we try and give a broad view of architecture in

Laguna Beach, authentic and interesting.”

“The Ropp House” was built by Roy Ropp, one of Laguna’s early

builders. He built the English Manor style home in 1922.

Caenn said that homes are selected through various methods.

“Sometimes they are recommended by neighborhood, people keep their

eye out for things that look interesting and sometimes -- we drive or

walk around and say wouldn’t that be great or this one has this,”

Caenn said. “So there are all kinds of ways.”

They went back to the hunt for this year and started from scratch

in October. She said it got put together by the end of March.

“Last year we had to turn people away, we were down to less than

50 tickets on the day of the tour,” Caenn said.

She said they sell a limited amount of tickets so that it’s not

too crowded, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the experience.

Tickets are $35 presale and $40 the day of the tour, which

includes parking and transportation. Houses are open form noon to

5:30 p.m. with the last bus departing at 3:30 p.m. at the staging

area at the festival grounds at 650 Laguna Canyon Road.

Proceeds go to Village Laguna, a nonprofit organization that has a

philosophy of preserving a village atmosphere in Laguna Beach.

For more information, call (949) 760-7062 or go to

https://www.villagelaguna.org.