Balboa Island, Calif.: a 60's postcard tour

Balboa Island, California

N 33° 36.34’ W 117° 53.39’

The extraordinary wealth of Orange County, California has been on display in recent TV shows like ‘The O.C.’ and ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’.  The jewel in the crown of Orange County is Newport Harbor, a sparkling bay of multi-million dollar homes and ostentatious yachts.  One of the larger islands of Newport Harbor is Balboa Island.  Walking around the island, one is bedazzled by the beautiful, new homes with perfectly tended flower pots; the blocks and blocks of Lexus, BMW, and Porsches that crowd both sides of the narrow one-way streets; and the rich and entitled men and women who have the privilege of living here.  Even the tiniest tear-down house sells for millions of dollars.  But it wasn’t always this way.

Balboa Pavilion in 1906

The old wooden water tower can be seen in
Buster Keaton's The Boat (1921)

Newport harbor was the estuary of the Santa Ana River, which drains over 2500 square miles of Southern California.  In the late 1800’s, it was fairly worthless as a harbor because it was so shallow and full of silt.  What would become Balboa Island was known as Snipe Island, a mudflat that completely submerged at high tide.  William S. Collins bought most of the estuary from James McFadden in 1902 with an eye on developing the area’s recreational potential.  In 1906, the Balboa Pavilion opened to attract potential buyers to the fledgling town of Balboa, on the peninsula that separates the bay from the ocean.  With the extension of the Red Car electric train from Newport to Balboa, tourists were soon flocking to the beach at Balboa.  In 1908 and 1909, Collins dredged the channel on the north side of the bay and deposited the sand on the Snipe Island mudflat to create Balboa Island.   Streets were laid out and the first lots were sold for as little as $350.  In 1916, Balboa Island became a part of the City of Newport Beach.  The Bitter Point Dam was completed in 1919 to divert the Santa Ana River into the ocean west of the bay so that the bay would no longer fill with silt.  The 1920’s saw serious efforts to improve the island including construction of a seawall, a wooden water tower, sewers, sidewalks, and a narrow wooden bridge on the north side of the island.  Joe Beck ran a ferry service across the bay from near the Pavilion to the end of Agate Street with his two-car ferry “Joker”.   The vacant streets, named (for the most part) after jewels, began to fill with tiny clapboard beach houses built right on the sand without foundations.  About this time, my grandfather bought a little house on Apolena Avenue for a summer vacation home.  In the next few decades, a concrete auto bridge would replace the old wooden bridge, a two-block long village would sprout along Marine Street, and three three-car ferry boats would take over the ferry service:  the Captain, the Commodore, and the Admiral.

Balboa Island in 1921

Every summer of my youth, my family would head to my grandfather’s “beachhouse” for ten weeks of swimming, sailing, and exploring.  Balboa Island in the 50’s and 60’s had a very different vibe compared to today; it was much more of an everyman’s getaway.  While some people lived on the island year-round, most came for the summer to stay in either their own vacation home or in a rental.  This vacation-like atmosphere was pervasive and infectious.  Grab your Coppertone and your Hang Ten swim trunks as we go on a tour of Balboa Island in the 1960's! 

The back bay salt works circa 1960
Photo courtesy Orange County Archives

South of Santa Ana, we travel through miles and miles of orange groves.  In a few decades, the groves will be replaced with miles and miles of housing developments.  We head south on Jamboree Road, named for the National Boy Scout Jamboree of 1953 which took place on the bluff where Fashion Island is today.  We know we are getting close as we pass the salt works of Newport’s Back Bay.

The bridge to Balboa Island            Photo: Merle Porter

Finally, we crest the hill at Pacific Coast Highway and see Balboa Island spread below us, the blue bay dotted with small craft, the glorious Pacific Ocean, and on a clear day, Catalina Island.  We cross onto the island via the old concrete bridge with its narrow lanes and sidewalks.  This bridge will be replaced in the 80’s with a wider, safer bridge. 

Before us is Marine Avenue, the main commercial district of Balboa Island.  Mid-century, it was a long way to any off-island shopping for island residents.  Therefore, Marine had lots of stores that catered to everyday shopping including a grocery store, liquor store, hardware store, book store, variety store, jewelry store, two drug stores, and several apparel stores.  Later on, this will give way to an overabundance of real estate offices, t-shirt shops, yogurt shops, and touristy galleries.  But back to Marine in the 60’s!

Marine and Balboa looking NE.  Note the frozen banana!

First, we have to make a quick decision: do we deal with Marine’s slow traffic or do we make a quick right into the alley that rings the island?  Usually, the alleys provide a faster route across the island, particularly on busy summer weekends.  For our tour, we’ll stay on Marine for two blocks. At the top of the 300 block on our right is Steck’s, a T-shirt shop that specializes in the crazy hot rod designs of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.   On our left is Dad’s Donuts, home of the best blueberry donuts and maple bars in the world!  Just beyond the church, is Sugar ‘n’ Spice, the home of the frozen banana “since 1945.”

The Post Office on the 200 block of Marine

As we cross Balboa Avenue, on the right we see Mr. Mitty’s, a curious and trendy gift shop.  Continuing down Marine’s 200 block, we see the Variety Store on the right and the hardware store on the left, both essential to the vacationer.  Next on the left is Balboa Island’s post office with its wood façade.  On the right is the Jolly Roger restaurant where you can get a Frosty ice cream cone at the little window next to the entrance.

Marine and Park looking north

On the four corners of the intersection of Marine Avenue and Park Avenue are the Market Spot grocery store, the island’s only gas station, the Village Inn restaurant, and a tiny but iconic Drug Store.  The corner with the gas station will house the Newport Beach Fire Station No. 4 later on.

The Grand Canal looking north from the bridge

One block east of Marine is the short concrete bridge to Little Island, separated from the main island by the Grand Canal.  Collins may have had visions of Venice when he dreamed up the Grand Canal. However, except for the lack of a road, it looks pretty much like every other street on the island.

Park and Coral looking east

Let’s drive west on Park Avenue, the main divided thoroughfare of the island. After a few blocks, we turn left and park on a typical Balboa Island street.  In the 60’s, many of the houses are still the original cute, little bungalows built during the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s.  In the coming decades, most of these will be replaced by duplexes or luxury homes which use every inch of available space.  By the new millennium, houses older than 60 years will be so rare, they'll get a historical plaque.

South Bayfront near Ruby

Let’s walk down to the South Bayfront.  What a view!  The wide sidewalk and the two-foot high seawall run the entire length of the bayfront and continue all the way around the island.  Many a summer’s day (or evening) is spent sitting on the seawall with friends and family, watching the people go by.  White and grey docks about 100 feet apart extend from the seawall out to floating platforms.  The docks break up the bayfront into dozens of tiny beaches, all public.  Small boats are moored between the docks on ropes that run from buoys to a post on the beach.  Large boats are moored beyond the docks parallel to the shore between two buoys.  Beyond the moorings is a wide channel filled with small sailboats, luxury yachts, and power boats.  Every now and then, you might spot a large charter fishing boats returning from the sea, an America’s Cup competitor, or even John Wayne’s Wild Goose.  Collins would be amazed by what his harbor has become.  

View towards the west of the Pavilion from Collins

Stroll east on the boardwalk for several blocks, past the ends of Onyx, Amethyst, Apolena, Coral, Sapphire, Diamond, and Ruby Avenues.  From here, we get a good view of the venerable, old Balboa Pavilion still looming over the harbor.

The Ferry Landing (drydock at left)

The Balboa Island ferry terminus is at the end of Agate Avenue.  Just west of the landing are the old dry docks used for hauling the boats out of the water.  In a few minutes, one of the three ferries comes bumping into the dock, the attendant puts up the ferry’s barricade, and drops the car ramp with a distinctive clang.  The three cars exit the ferry by driving up the ramp, then three cars come down the ramp, while passengers get on through a side gate.  

Balboa Ferry "Commodore" approaches the Balboa landing.
That family in the rental sailboat just avoided a bad situation!

The ferry starts across the channel with a toot of its horn.  The attendant collects the fare: a dime per passenger in the 60’s.  Mid-channel, we get a fabulous view of the entire length of Newport Harbor, Balboa Island, and the Balboa peninsula.  In the 60’s, those hills in the distance are undeveloped – but not for long.  By the 80’s, they will be completely covered with homes.  At the end of the short ride, the gates open, the cars exit, and we climb the ramp to the mainland.

Fun Zone beachfront and Pavilion

The Fun Zone

We’ll end our tour at the Fun Zone, a small amusement area near the ferry.  First opened in 1936 by Al Anderson, the Fun Zone has entertained generations of fun-seekers.  By the 60’s, it included a small beach front, a diving platform just off the beach, a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, a bumper car concession, some kiddie rides and several penny arcades.  The sights and sounds of the Fun Zone never seemed to change.  For example, for at least two decades, the Harbor Boat Ride was “leaving in just a few minutes now…it’s the only way to see the bay.”  A lawsuit involving that diving platform would force Anderson to sell the Fun Zone in 1972.  In the mid-80’s, the old Fun Zone would be bulldozed and a new Fun Zone rebuilt with the Ferris wheel and merry-go-round right on the waterfront.  Oh, the diving platform is history, too.

Share on Facebook