Historical Society showcases Sidney H. Woodruff’s community vision during 14th annual Home Tour

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Denise and Robert Morrison, the current owners of Sidney H. Woodruff’s personal Dana Point home, are restoring the 1928 structure and highlighting its Spanish colonial influences. Photo by Andrea Papagianis

By Andrea Papagianis

Crisp details of colored stenciling, once bright hues of red, green and yellow, don the surface of deep brown wooden beams running across a clean white ceiling, bringing to life a room made for living. The paintings near their century mark, but like the home they adorn, their style will stand the test of time.

White stucco homes with tiled roofs of burnt oranges can be seen throughout Southern California, pulling from the native-Mediterranean roots of the shore’s Spanish settlers.

In south Orange County, these homes date back to the mid- to late-1920s and early-1930s as visions of European beachfront communities led Prohibition Era tycoons, Ole Hanson, Edward L. Doheny and Sidney H. Woodruff, to San Clemente, Capistrano Beach and Dana Point, respectively. Both residential and commercial buildings throughout the communities maintain their builder’s mark, long after the Great Depression left projects penniless.

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Completed in 1928, Sidney H. Woodruff’s personal home on Santa Clara Avenue in Dana Point embodies his vision for the seaside community. Photo courtesy of the Dana Point Historical Society.

Woodruff set his sights upon Dana Point’s shores and headlands in 1926, after development of Los Angeles’s “Hollywoodland”—now made famous by “the HOLLYWOOD sign”—brought success to this Michigan born architect. With investors signed on, Woodruff purchased 1,400 acres of land and set out to create a get-away community, not too far, from the famed hills.

He held onto his dream Dana Point development for a decade after the 1929 economic fall, but sold his holdings when the economy failed to produce needed results. Now, the Dana Point Historical Society is offering visitors a chance to see the inner-workings of Woodruff’s operations and a peek inside five homes, and one commercial front, from his seaside development, said Barbara Johannes, current president of the Historical Society, and Woodruff homeowner.

In their 14th year of home tours, the Historical Society is holding true to the city’s roots by paying tribute to Woodruff’s vision. It is a vision, Denise and Robert Morrison have tried to capture in their own home.

Eighty-five years after the home’s completion, Denise sits beneath the ornamented beams of Woodruff’s Dana Point home. The home went on the market eight years ago, but after three tours the Morrisons could not figure how the three-bedroom home would fit their family of six. Opportunity came knocking last year as the 1928-home became available. With three of four sons out of their Laguna Niguel home, Denise and Robert answered. They purchased Woodruff’s personal residence just over a year ago and have worked tirelessly to maintain and bring out the home’s rich character.

“To me, I feel like such a keeper of probably one of the most significant pieces of architecture in our community,” said Denise Morrison.

From the home’s original wood floors, lighting fixtures, windows, mosaic bathroom tiles, rod-iron banisters, painted beams and a near century’s old furnace, Denise, an interior decorator by trade is attempting to add personal touches bringing out the home’s Spanish Colonial influences.

“I think it is so important that it is well-maintained and preserved, but also updated,” she said. “I hope it will forever be something important to our community.”

The Morrisons, along with four other homeowners, will open into their Prohibition Era-homes to guests on Sunday, October 6. It is the first-time in the Historical Society’s annual tour history that all homes will be Woodruff’s and listed on the city’s register of historical places.

Earlier this year, Denise and Robert, with the help of Johannes, had their Santa Clara Avenue home added to the Dana Point Historical Resource Register, a voluntary program aimed to aid owners in preserving historic properties. According to records provided by the Historical Society, the city has 33 properties listed on the register, of which 23 are from the Woodruff development.

While Woodruff was forced to leave his beachside dream behind, others have followed to ensure his legacy and Dana Point’s history lives on.

 A Look to the Past

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Dana Point’s first developer, Sidney H. Woodruff, used the now bar, restaurant, music store and venue on Del Prado Avenue and Golden Lantern as a sales auditorium for prospective buyers. Photo courtesy of the Dana Point Historical Society.

The Dana Point Historical Society hosts the 14th installment of its Home Tour on Sunday, October 6, this year highlighting Dana Point’s first developer, Sidney H. Woodruff’s vision for the seaside community. Five historic homes from the Prohibition Era will be featured on the tour, all in Woodruff’s signature Spanish Revival style, complete with white stucco structures and red-tiled roofs.

From his own family home on Santa Clara Avenue to an apartment unit on La Cresta Drive, this year’s event brings to life Woodruff’s take on a resort village for the Hollywood elite.

Guests can start their tour off at 11 a.m. at the Historical Society’s museum at City Hall, 33282 Golden Lantern, Suite 104, with a viewing of the Woodruff collection, including photographs and plans outlying the city’s beginnings. Or the day can start and end at Woodruff’s sales auditorium, now housing the speakeasy-style bar and restaurant, StillWater Spirits and Sounds, whose owners are hosting a cocktail and appetizer reception starting at 2 p.m.

Houses on the tour are open for viewing from 11 a.m. through 4 p.m. with docents on hand to guide visitors through their rich history.

The museum will be open until 3 p.m. Historical Society president Barbara Johannes recommends participants give three hours to fully experience the tour.

Tickets can be purchased at the registration sites, the DPHS museum and StillWater, on the day of the event for $35 each, or two or more for $30 apiece. Tickets are also available at the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce’s office, located at 24681 La Plaza, Suite 115, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For additional information, contact the Historical Society by phone at 949.248.8121, by emailing dphistorical@hotmail.com or by visiting www.danapointhistorical.org.