10 Forgotten Pieces of Corona del Mar’s Past
By: William Lobdell
Photos provided by Newport Beach Historical Society
Here are 10 things missing from Corona del Mar’s past.
1. The original name. Rocky Point.
2. The Del Mar Hotel. Two stories, 18 rooms, built in 1907 on the bluff above China Cove.
3. Two piers. One on the ocean, one on the bay. Both were built in the early 1900s. Marguerite
Avenue was originally called Pier Avenue because it ended in front of the pier.
4. The original street names. The flower streets of today started as simply numbers: 29th
through 45th Street ran north and south, and 50 through 56th Street ran east and west.
6. Pansy Avenue. Residents didn't like the slang connotations of Pansy and got the name
changed to Poinsettia.
7. Sparr's Bath House at Pirate's Cove. There, you could rent wool–and usually wet--swimsuits–for five cents.
8. The China House at China Cove. The landmark was built in 1930 and demolished in 1987.
9. Polo grounds. In 1927, a 600-acre development was planned on the east end of Corona del
Mar that included polo grounds surrounded by luxury homes. But then the Great Depression
happened.
10. Horse stables. The facility met its demise in 1952 to make way for the Irvine Terrace
development.
William Lobdell is the historian laureate for the City of Newport Beach. He is also the founder of Newport Beach in the Rearview Mirror, which produces a local history podcast and 90-second videos (with over seven million views) that appear on Instagram.
Follow on IG @newport.in.the.rearview.mirror
