Serving as stepping stones to La Jolla’s growth and development, four of The Village’s original staircases are included in the La Jolla Park Coastal Historic District, a designation now being considered for the National Register of Historic Places.
The La Jolla Park Coastal Historic District encompasses eight acres of coastal land from Coast Walk south to the end of Coast Boulevard and includes geographical spots like The Cove and Children’s Pool, along with structures such as the Casa de Mañana retirement community and Red Roost and Red Rest cottages.
There were many staircases originally, according to proposal leader Seonaid McArthur, chairwoman of the La Jolla Historical Society’s Landmark Committee, but many have changed too much over the decades to be included in the historic district nomination.
The four staircases included are the stairs from Prospect Street west of Girard Avenue down to Coast Boulevard, stopping at Ocean Street; the stairs just east of the La Valencia Hotel; those at the east end of Prospect down to Cave Street at the Cave Store; and the Devil’s Slide stairs, which begin at Prospect Place just north of Park Row to Coast Walk Trail.
These particular stairways, all more than 100 years old, were paved, had railings installed, and were “designed to last,” McArthur said.
The inclusion of the staircases in the National Register application is critical as they are “evidence of the importance of the coastline to the civic and cultural and economic life of The Village,” she said.
The historic district’s area is based on an 1887 map of what was called La Jolla Park, McArthur said, noting La Jolla’s founders positioned The Village and its commercial business district “on a little hill above this prime, gorgeous, beautiful coastline with these perfect beaches.”
That proved to be a strategic move, with Grand Avenue – now named Girard – being the widest street, leading straight down to what is now Scripps Park.
The park used to boast a pavilion with a dance hall and was “a very active civic area,” McArthur said; the importance of the park increasing the use and popularity of the staircases.
In 1887, an emergent railway system was slowly bringing people from “busy, urban Downtown San Diego” north to La Jolla, where the community’s founders hoped to sell the coastal lots of land.
The staircases – which predate the cars now used to shuttle tourists and residents around La Jolla – are tied to those original transit systems, McArthur said, providing straight lines down to the water.
“Originally we were walking” to the shoreline, she said, noting early pedestrians and potential landowners used the stairs, two of which are positioned near original hotels the Grande Colonial and La Valencia, down to Shell Beach and other points where low tide revealed rare views.
The other two included staircases brought people straight to Sunny Jim’s Cave and the others within the network of La Jolla’s caves, which “were just super popular,” McArthur said.
Eventually, the staircases, which started as dirt and would become “a mess” during rain, were paved and have stood for more than a century, maintaining their popularity with those who use them.
