CdMRA’s Historical Resources Committee Update
In collaboration with Sherman Library and the CdM Historical Society we are building awareness and a better understanding of our local history. Ron Yeo, Committee Chair, CdMRA Historical Resources
Update: We are pleased to announce that we have compiled a video collection and launched a new smartphone app which makes finding the gems of Corona del Mar easy and fun. We have also arranged to have Mary Everett Burton’s “Happy House” reprinted. Details about these updates are included below.
Video Collection
We have developed a YouTube Playlist on CdMRA’s YouTube Channel which focuses on our committee’s work.
Click on this link to visit the Historical Committee’s Playlist … Get to know Corona del Mar. Or see a sample video about 50 Post WWII Cottages that we have included at the bottom of this page.
Mary Burton’s “Happy House”
Made possible by donations, our committee was able to reprint this delightful retelling of what it was like to live on Ocean Blvd over 100 years ago. This booklet is not for sale but can be checked out at the Newport Beach Central Library, the OASIS Senior Center or by contacting the Sherman Library. You can read a bit more about the story of Mary’s family move from Pasadena in 1909 here.
There’s an App for that … PocketSights
Our committee has also been busy developing its first two walking tours of Corona del Mar for the smartphone app PocketSights:
Download the PocketSights app to your smartphone from your App Store.
Enter 92625 as your location.
Enjoy the guided walking tours.
After using the app, we’d appreciate your feedback.
Our app’s quick user survey is available here.
We also created a quick app tutorial. If you’d like a little help getting the app downloaded and started,
click here to view or download our PocketSights Tutorial.
Our ongoing projects include:
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- Work with the County Historical Commission to gain historical recognition for local sites such as Five Crowns, Kerckhoff Lab and the China House.
(We succeeded in getting that recognition for the Del Mar Hotel.) - Coordinate with Ed Olen on oral history recordings.
- Collaborate with Bill Lobdell on his podcast “Newport in the Rearview Mirror”.
- Develop an outreach speaker program with our local schools on what CdM was like 100 years ago.
- Spearhead a speakers’ roundtable discussion program of local “Living Treasures”, including the history of CdM Village cottages
- Create additional videos of CdM’s historical sites and sites of interest for our YouTube Playlist
- Design additional walking tours for our PocketSights smartphone app.
- Consolidate the CdM Historical Society’s website into CdMRA’s website to become the one-stop resource for CdM’s historical resources.
- Work with the County Historical Commission to gain historical recognition for local sites such as Five Crowns, Kerckhoff Lab and the China House.
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End Notes
The OC Historic Commission is noted for saying “You can’t protect what you don’t know you have.” As an example, the first house built in Corona del Mar in 1909 was Mary Everett Burton’s “Happy House”. It was torn down in 2004. Following that Tom Heffernan, who lives in a 1930’s cottage in the Flower Streets, founded the CDM Historical Society. Recently, 100 homes in Corona del Mar were chosen for historic value, and an article was published in the Preserve Orange County blog about our efforts. [Article here]. You will also want to check out Sherman Library’s digital photo album of Corona del Mar cottages. The album is quite extensive and available here.
Here’s a sample YouTube video from our Playlist. Please enjoy!
