Encinitas Preservation Foundation Forms,Plans to Purchase Encinitas Boat Houses.

With imagination, creativity, and recycled lumber from the 1888 Moonlight Beach Dance Halland Bathhouse that was dismantled in 1925, Miles Minor Kellogg, in honor of his forefathers builtthe now famous Encinitas Boat Houses. Now, the most famous and photographed houses inEncinitas.A local Newspaper, the Coast Dispatch, lampooned his boat house project as folly in ascathing 1928 editorial. Mr. Kellogg responded with a tongue lashing, "To the people of thisdistrict... the building of these boats helped the building up of Encinitas as much as any editorthat has come to town." -from the Encinitas Progress, late 1920s.

Mr. Kellogg had no idea of how right he was. In a culture of generic mass market housingofferings, the Boat Houses stand apart--a testament to the unique creation of a talented man, theyexpress the creativity and imagination needed to build a dwelling with recycled lumber andsupplies.The Encinitas Boat Houses are an icon of Encinitas, and a cornerstone of the culture that isdowntown Encinitas. Equally important, the Encinitas Boat Houses are a National treasure thatexemplify early California courtyard architecture, early building with recycled materials, andvernacular architecture associated with Historic U.S. Hwy 101.

The Encinitas Boat Houses havebeen deemed eligible for the National Historic Registry.The Boat Houses are currently privately owned. "The owners of the Boat Housesapproached DEMA last year and expressed a desire to sell the property to a HistoricPreservation Foundation. I am thankful that they did so, and for their preservationstewardship of the property for the past several years," said Dody Tucker, DEMAExecutive Director.Owners John Deters and Mark Whitley have been exploring preservation options for years,and believe that by working with DEMA and the Encinitas Preservation Foundation theirdreams of public access to the Boathouses will finally be realized."We went right to work and started seeing if we could make this happen. We immediatelydiscovered our natural partner in the Encinitas Historical Society which owns and operates the1883 Encinitas School house just a third of a block away.

Together, and with members outside the two organizations we have formed the Encinitas Preservation Foundation. Our goal will be toassemble funds to purchase the Boat Houses and preserve them in a Preservation Foundation forfuture generations," said Peder Norby, Hwy 101 Coordinator."Preservation of Encinitas history is important to the community," said Supervisor PamSlater-Price. "As a former mayor of Encinitas I am fond of the boat houses. But I alsothink they are cultural heritage and a tourist draw which is important to the downtownshops and restaurants."The first order of business is the purchase and preservation of these irreplaceablestructures, and then the Encinitas Preservation Foundation will look to the Encinitas HistoricalSociety to one day have them open for the pubic to view and experience firsthand."The Encinitas Historical Society is pleased and excited to be participating with the HistoricPreservation Foundation to maintain and operate these historic structures" said RosannDrielsma, Encinitas Historical Society President.

The Encinitas Preservation Foundation will be working with the City, County and State as wellas fundraising in the effort to purchase the property. On October 10th the Encinitas City Councilwill discuss the opportunities to partner in this effort."This is a unique moment in time for Encinitas, a combination of actions and factors has made itpossible for the Boat Houses, that we all cherish, to be purchased and preserved forever. Wehave identified the funding sources and the path to make this possible. Hopefully, with the helpand generosity of the public and our civic leaders we can make this goal a reality for all ofEncinitas to take part in the preservation of the Boat Houses" Doug Long, President of DEMA.