Emerald Bay Development Plans

(n. p.): [Emerald Bay Corporation], Circa 1929. 14-1/2 x 10 inches. Black four-ring binder stamped in gilt to the front cover ("Charles H. Jonas") containing 21 leaves of illustrations printed recto only, of which three are fold-out and one is photographic. All but one illustration are b&w copies of house plans or drawings; the remaining one is a fold-out blue and white artist's conception of the possible development of the entire Emerald Bay community. Pencil notations to artist's conception; split to front joint of binder; light toning and soiling to some leaves; light musty odor. Good.

A binder of illustrations documenting, in part, the development of Emerald Bay, now an exclusive community for the very wealthy in Orange County, California. The binder appears to have belonged to developer Charles H. Jonas, a prolific Southern California real estate developeer in the 1920s and '30s, given that his name is stamped in gilt to the front cover. Jonas was granted permission to develop Emerald Bay in 1929. It includes: copies of ten architectural drawings by Palmer Sabin of house designs for different lots in the community; a large fold-out illustration of a large building beside the beach signed in the plate by Ralph Owen and dated 1929; an artist's rendering of the overall layout of the community; nine copies of pencil drawings of proposed areas of the community, including an arched walkway to the beach and hillside cottages; and a fold-out drawing titled "View - A - Emerald Bay Development for Laurence Boothe" by Palmer Sabin, dated May 1, [19]32.

Adjacent to Laguna Beach, the private, gated community of Emerald Bay now contains 538 homes and a half mile stretch of private beach. It was originally part of a rancho known as Bolas de San Joachin granted in 1837 to Don Jose Andres Sepulveda. In 1876, a partnership led by James Irvine purchased 148.6 acres of the land now known as Emerald Bay. The property changed hands several times until 1929 when it was acquired by The Emerald Bay Trust and the unincorporated community compared to the French-Italian Riviera was officially founded. While an aggressive advertising campaign was launched to sell the home sites, admission to Emerald Bay was by invitation only.

After working for various other architectural firms in Europe, South America, and Los Angeles, Palmer Sabin formed his own firm in 1928, also in Los Angeles. Some of his more well-known projects include the Pasadena Hall of Justice and the Pasadena Art Institute. His papers are held at UC Santa Barbara, but do not appear to include the material offered here.