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Home My WebLink About2020-03-09; Historic Preservation Commission; ; PROPERTIES OF CONCERNHISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Meeting Date: March 9, 2020 To: Historic Preservation Commission From: Suzanne Smithson, Deputy Library Director Staff Contact: Dianna Galindo, Senior Office Specialist Subject: Properties of Concern Recommended Action: Informational Executive Summary: Commissioners may share and receive information about properties of concern in Carlsbad. Current topics: ITEM# 7 • At the January 2020 meeting of the Commission, a question arose about the architect of the Red Apple Inn (currently part of the Army & Navy Academy). Subsequently, staff had an inquiry about any historic buildings located on that site. Attached is the research staff prepared regarding these inquiries. • The Commission has received a list of historic properties in Carlsbad and will discuss future plaque placement. Exhibits: Red Apple Inn/Army & Navy Academy research Red Apple Inn Research Notes Carlsbad History Collection at the Georgina Cole Library January 2020 ITEM# 7 In 1927, the northern-most section of Hwy 101 in Carlsbad was completed creating a market for businesses to accommodate travel ers, including the Red Apple Inn. The Inn sat on 40 acres of land known as Granville Park that was owned by Alfred Granville Blair. Mr. Blair was an in surance broker and property investor/developer. The Red Apple Inn opened to the public in July 1927. The Carlsbad Champion published an article in its May 6, 1927 iss ue entitled, "Granville Park Improvement On," that includes some information regarding its design. While the article does not list an architect, it describes the Red Apple Inn as two stories, 65 by 90 feet with a stucco finish, a re d tile roof and includes the following quote from Mr. Blair, "This is a restricted district, both as to business and residence buildings; not in the price of buildings but as to architecture. Our idea and plan is to have along the highway a 'Street in Se ville, Spain' and all building must carry out this motif." The Red Apple Inn did not survive the Depression and (what would become) the Army & Navy Academy bought the property in 1936. Additional structures built by Alonzo R. Baird were added to the campus in 1939. According to a 1979 article in the Journal of San Diego History, Irving Gill moved to Carlsbad in 1929 and died in Carlsbad in 1936. In reviewing the finding aid for the Irving Gill papers held at UCSB, there are three references to work in Carlsbad, including a "rendering, includes commercial building and church" for the "Spanish Village (project)" dated 1934 (in addition to an unidentified commercial laundry dated 1929 and an unidentified commercial building dated 1931). While the "Spanish Village" reference suggests a connection to the Granville Park project, an article written by the curator for the 2003 Oceanside Art Museum exhibit Irving Gill in Oceanside notes, "Gill so li cited the attention of the city governments and chambers of commerce in North San Diego County, as he was living in Carlsbad at the time. He cryptically promised the Carlsbad community he would be founding the 'Carlsbad Style' of architectural design, which would make the town famous. This was not to be as Gill apparently never finished a building in Carlsbad." According to the City of Carlsbad's Historic Resources Inventory (1990), "The Academy's Fegan Hall was originally built in 1927 as the Red Apple Inn on acreage within the subdivision of Granville Park (1923). The original plan for this area was to develop a deluxe residential community on land bounded by Buena Vista Lagoon and Cypress between the ocean and the railroad tracks. The only group interested were members of the Advent Christian Church who developed six of the acres as a church camp ground and conference site (pre-1943). In an attempt to promote development, A.G . Blair of Pasadena, the developer and promoter of the unsuccessful subdivision, built an Inn consisting of twenty rooms, a large dining room with seating for 120, an outdoor dining room with seating for 140, and a kitchen." (https://cbcl.sd p.sirsi. net/client/en_ US/sea rch/asset/1381/0) The Red Apple Inn/Army & Navy Academy does not have official landmark or historic site status through the City of Carlsbad, the State of California or the National Register. While the Red Apple Inn/Army & Navy Academy has been included on several lists of historic resources in Carlsbad, in 1993 the Carlsbad City Council removed any requirements associated with being on such a list and determined inclusion on any hi storical resource list was voluntary. Many resid ents and community groups, however, consider t he Red Apple Inn/ Army & Navy Academy to have historical sig nificance. In 2009, the Historic Preservation Commission purchased a plaque ce lebrating the history of the Red Apple Inn/Army & Navy Academy. The plaque was insta lled to t he right of the gated entrance to Fegan Hall . In 2009, the Army & Navy Academy submitted a proposed Master Plan to t he Housing & Redevelopment Commissio n (http://edocs.carlsbadca.gov/HPRMWebDrawer/RecordHTML/128175). The plan, approved by the Housing & Rede velopment Commission, indicates Fega n Hall (formerly the Red Apple Inn) will be replaced with a new Library/Administration bu ilding. A video currently on the Army & Navy Academy's website illustrates this proposed transformation (https://armyandnavyacademy.org/about-ana-m ilitary- acade my/our-strategic-plan/). 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'!'Ill' ]lll\f'l' WIii hi• u11t•11 1',,1• l\llf'.I nr•~ 1hn111 ,1111~ th'. t. ln 1<l111•lll\ C:l'htn'lll,, 1'111·k 1ll•l'l•lnpn1t•11i. M1-. Hl1\ll' «nlll, "'l'hlK 111 tl l't'>1trh11t'r1 1lll•td11I, b1 I I "l< tu h11:>h11-." •\\111 rr>,hlt'll<'i' ln1lltl111;i><: uni hl }ll'lt't• ht' bnlltiill"" hlll tl. ll} nl·• ,•hltcolnrl', 0111· ltll'II 111111 11hm I· t Ill\'\' nloug lht h llwn.r 11 •~)tf!l'I In !-\,,,-lilt•, , 1ml11' RUil nil bnlltlllll.f lnll I oat thl m tU,, 1'he l11 11,n:ro·_,_,,u,l\ltµl n till ·-..... - Red Apple Inn under construction on Highway 101, ca. 1927. "Granville Park Improvement On ," Carlsbad Champion, May 6, 1927.