Places of charm

Barbara Diamond

Five of Laguna’s special homes will be opened to the public Sunday

for the 33rd annual Laguna Charm House tour, featuring cottages and

casas in the central village area of town. The event is sponsored by

Village Laguna.

One of the highlights of the tour are the Manzanita Cottages.

Hollywood film producer Harry Greene commissioned local architect

Thomas Harper to design the four cottages where he could invite

friends for getaways from his L.A. studio.

Built in the 1920s, the Manzanita Cottages that Harper created are

still there, nestled in a private garden compound. They capture the

essence of early Laguna, when Hollywood stars, by their very

presence, designated it a chic bohemian resort.

Harper designed the cottages with shingled roofs, brightly painted

front doors, fireplaces, hardwood floors and hand-painted tiles.

Though the interiors have been renovated with modern amenities, they

retain their vintage charm.

Hollywood’s elite also visited the Malcom St. Clair House, another

stop on the Charm House tour. St. Claire worked for Warner Brothers

as a location director during the silent era. His shingled cottage

was designed in 1924 and built on a barren hillside on the outskirts

of town.

The glass in the large windows is original, as are the wooden

floors. The authentic water pump and brick well in the kitchen are

also original. Outside, the notable “Model A” garage has two

distinctive swinging doors.

Ocean Peek is a shingled Cape Cod-style cottage on Lombardy Lane.

It was built in the 1930s on a luxurious double lot. The home today

is filled with collectibles and antiques, including a rare Basque

armoire from the late 1800s. Black hand-honed marble countertops

accent white vintage-style cabinets in the charming kitchen, which

has had some redesign. Glass doors are from the 17th century, and the

dining room and library open onto a deck and gardens.

About 80 volunteers will staff the houses on the tour, said

Charlotte Mazarik, tour co-chair. “Some people do it every year.

Learning the history of the homes and contents gives them an

appreciation of Laguna. In fact, that’s a primary reason many of them

come on board.”

Another home, or casa -- secluded high in the hills above Laguna,

is notable for many reasons, not the least of which is its

breathtaking 180-degree view of the ocean.

Casa Cielo is a “miracle home” that survived the 1993 Firestorm.

It replicates the splendor and romance of a European country house.

Its carved doors once hung in a late-18th century castle in northern

Germany, and its 200-year-old greystone fireplace was brought over

from Belgium. The elegant old-world kitchen showcases a La Cornue

French oven.

Front Palladian-style arched windows, iron balcony and terra cotta

exterior belie Casa Bella’s origins -- a 1960s, A-frame that has been

transformed into a Tuscan-style villa.

Lush gardens with a fountain, bar, weeping wall, fire pit, wooden

furniture and Mediterranean plantings lure guests outside, but they

often find themselves lingering fireside, admiring an original oil

painting of the Tuscan countryside and view of trees and hills.

Preservation of historic buildings and dwellings that make Laguna

unique is one of the goals espoused by Village Laguna. Guides for

this year’s tour include chief of Orange County Harbors, Beaches and

Parks Eric Jessen, Design Review Board members Suzanne Morrison and

Steve Kawaratani, former board members J.J. Gasparotti, Linda

Morgenlander and Kimberly Stuart, and City Councilwoman Toni Iseman.

“I sometimes find people on the tour who have lived here longer

than I have and they share their stories,” Iseman said. “And I always

point out my favorite building -- the old sewer plant -- and give a

commercial.”

The old sewer plant is the quaint, round building in the city

maintenance yard that will be preserved as a focal point of the

village entrance, when it is finally built.

Getting there from here

Chartered trams will provide tour transportation. Trams will leave

continuously from noon to 3:30 p.m. and return to the bus stop in

front of the Irvine Bowl Park, better known as the Festival of Arts

Grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road. Homes will close at 5:30 p.m.

Comfortable shoes are a must -- the tour includes some walking and

stair climbing. The tour can be completed at the visitor’s own pace,

normally between two and three hours.

An opportunity drawing for a $100 Claes Restaurant gift

certificate will be held at the end of the day.

Village Laguna presents the Charm House tour annually the first

Sunday in May after Mothers Day.

Proceeds benefit the nonprofit group, which actively supports

preservation of Laguna’s unique downtown, Laguna Canyon and cultural

resources.

Pre-tour day tickets are $35 -- 40 on Sunday if available -- and

may be purchased at Coast Pet Supply, 880 N. Coast Highway; Post &

Package, 412 N. Coast Highway; the UPS Store, 668 N. Coast Highway;

Golden Spoon, 272 Broadway; Rock Martin, 268 Forest Ave.; Fawn

Memories, 384 Forest Ave.; Silver Images, 311 Ocean Ave.; Copy and

Print Center, 240 Beach St.; Hotel Laguna, 425 S. Coast Highway; La

Casa Del Camino, 1289 S. Coast Highway; Art of Framing, 1454 S. Coast

Highway; Animal Crackers and Mail Connection in the Aliso Creek

Shopping Center, 30822 Coast Highway.

For more information, call (949) 472-7522.