China Cove in 1953

Picture of Tom Heffernan

Tom Heffernan

In a 1953 photo of China Cove from the OC Archives – the Kerckhoff Marine Lab is prominent and upon closer inspection a few other surviving homes can be found as well.

2700 Bayview:  Looks very different today but the 1929 home is right at the top of the stairs going down to China Cove

214 Goldenrod:  Appears identical to how it looks today although the 1930 house is currently flanked by construction sites as the houses on either side are recent teardowns

2608 Cove: 1949 cottage was just 4 years old at the time but looks to be identical to how it is today

2708 Cove:  Tucked in the back is this 1946 cottage which retains a similar shape although the beachfront garage appears to have been wisely converted to a bedroom.

Kerckhoff Marine Lab

Picture of Tom Heffernan

Tom Heffernan

One of our surviving historic treasures is the Kerckhoff Marine Lab in China Cove.  While it became a Marine Lab when it was sold to Caltech, it was originally designed as a boat and bath house for the short-lived Balboa Palisades Club in 1926.  The club ran into financial difficulty while it was still being built and they ended up selling it to Caltech in late 1929 for $50,000.  The lab was acquired with funds donated by William G. Kerckhoff, a California businessman who made his fortune in power and gas.