“Alvarado House” by SD Dirk is licensed under CC BY 2.0
One of the oldest structures in Del Mar is the historic Alvarado House. According to articles in both the Del Mar Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune, the Del Mar Historical Society aims to have the historic home relocated from its current placement at the Del Mar Fairgrounds to a new location within the city's planned civic center along Camino Del Mar.
History of the Alvarado House
The Del Mar Historical Society has maintained the Alvarado House and shared its story with the public since the mid 1980’s. Their website states that the historic home was built in 1885, the same year that the town was founded by Jacob Taylor. According to the Del Mar Times, the 600-square-foot home was originally purchased for the handsome sum of $600.
The same article stated that the Alvarado House was donated to the Del Mar Historical Society in 1985 so that a larger home could be built on the property. The century-old home was moved from its original location on 10th Street to the Del Mar City Hall’s grounds.
The historic home was relocated again in 1989 to the Del Mar Fairgrounds, where it has remained for 27 years. Currently, the 131-year-old home is open for public tours during the annual San Diego County Fair. Docents from the Del Mar Historical Society lead each tour of the Alvarado House.
The Del Mar Historical Society seeks new location for Alvarado house
There has been an ongoing effort to have the historic home relocated. Back in 2014, the Del Mar Times covered an initiative to move the Alvarado House to Seagrove Park. When the plan didn’t come together, the focus shifted to moving the Alvarado House to the location of Del Mar’s planned civic center on Camino Del Mar.
According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, the $17.8 million civic center project’s design would include a new town hall, administrative building, civic plaza and underground parking garage. The project could break ground as early as mid 2017.
The Del Mar Historical Society envisions the historic home being open to the public year-round at the city's planned civic center. A Del Mar Times story stated that the Alvarado House would also store the society’s collection of photographs, books, oral histories and historic artifacts.
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Posted by Dennis DeSouza on
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