History

The One Hundred Year Birthday Of The Village

On June 29, 1904, George E. Hart, a Los Angeles real estate mogul, signed an agreement with the Irvine Company for the purchase of a 706.08-acre corner of the Irvine Ranch - which became the village of Corona del Mar. In early July, 1904, the transaction of this sale and ownership was officially recorded with the County of Orange.

Taken From "The Early History of Corona del Mar" by William Hendricks, 1980

Click Here - View Corona del Mar's Official Historical Timeline

The original developer of Corona del Mar, George E. Hart, provided the following text to promote visitors and potential buyers to Corona del Mar:

Corona Del Mar -- All observers share the opinion that this beautiful situation richly merits the kingly title bestowed upon it by the early Spaniards.  The imperial beauty of its coast line; the haughty grandeur of its rocky peaks; the frowning majesty of its stubborn palisades, and the graceful curves of its surf-swept beach, all contribute to a picture so grand and inspiring that parallels become impossible and comparisons seem odios.  These rocks stand alone upon the western coast in their peculiarity of shape and formation.  Coral mysteries clinging high upon the smooth vertical sides, puzzle the geological mind.  Caverns large and deep, some of them below the sea level, tempt the student of nature to explore their secret depths.  The sands of the beach present an endless pleasure to those who love the shells and stones of the Pacific.  The largest abalone shells, scintillating in their fervid hues, are found upon the coast of Corona Del Mar.

This beautiful city by the sea offers home sites of the highest character at prices ranging from $500 up.  The coast of California possesses many charming seaside places, but none other like Corona del Mar.  It is individual in formation, in natural situation and in its wealth of magnificent surroundings.  No other spot enjoys at once the elevation, the accessibility and the land and sea view possible here.  The sunsets viewed from the veranda of the Hotel Del Mar are said to surpass in grandeur those seen from any other point in America.  The constant addition of new residences and the steady march of improvement tend to the sharp and certain advance in values and prices.  The soil is a sandy loam inviting the cultivation of lawns, shrubs and flowers.  A pumping plant and pipe system supplies the water.

For seaside residence Corona Del Mar has no equal on the coast.  As an investment these lots afford an opportunity rarely equaled in the real estate of any city.  These possess features of superiority so manifest, and are so certain to grow more and more desirable as time advances that no estimate really can be placed upon their value a year, a month or a week from today.  For map, terms and full information, address the undersigned.

GEO. E. HART & COMPANY
300-301 Grosse Building, Los Angeles, Cal.

Corona Del Mar is only an hour and a half distance from Los Angeles and half an hour from Santa Ana, with the finest and fastest transportation in America from both places.  The Pacific Electric Railway runs its cars hourly from Los Angeles.  Steamer from Hotel del Mar makes regular trips connecting with all trains.  This service is free to parties living at Corona Del Mar or stopping at the hotel, which is open from June to October.  A beautiful driveway also skirts the cliffs for five miles along the bay. [ca. 1908]