Guide to the Christine F. Shirley Files on Crystal Cove Historic District MS.R.113

Processed by Audrey Pearson; machine-readable finding aid created by Audrey Pearson, 2008; updated by Zoe MacLeod, 2021
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
(cc) 2021
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu


Contributing Institution: Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
Title: Christine F. Shirley files on Crystal Cove Historic District
Creator: Shirley, Christine F., 1926-2012
Identifier/Call Number: MS.R.113
Physical Description: 7.3 Linear Feet (8 boxes and 1 oversized folder)
Date (inclusive): 1923-2002
Date (bulk): 1977-2001
Abstract: This collection comprises the personal papers of Christine Shirley, a former resident of Crystal Cove, California and member of the Crystal Cove Residents' Association Executive Committee. The collection includes records from the Crystal Cove Residents' Association. Materials reflect Shirley's involvement in the association's efforts to add Crystal Cove to the National Register of Historic Places and its legal struggles with the State of California over tenancy of the Crystal Cove cottages.
Language of Material: English .

Access

The collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.

Preferred Citation

Christine F. Shirley Files on Crystal Cove Historic District. MS-R113. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mahlon Vail, 2004.

Processing History

Processed by Audrey Pearson, 2008.

Historical Background

No Subnote Content

Biography

Christine F. Shirley was a resident of Crystal Cove, California from 1967 until 2001 and a long-time activist for preserving its 46 rustic cottages and the surrounding natural environment. Shirley first began to visit Crystal Cove in the 1930s with her cousin and fellow Cove resident Ruthie Van Wyck. She purchased the lease to cottage 23 in 1967 and spent most weekends thereafter at Crystal Cove with her children. At the time, she lived with her family in the Hollywood Hills and taught at Los Angeles High School. She married Jack Shirley in 1970 after they met at Crystal Cove.
Shirley was a member of the Executive Council of the Crystal Cove Residents' Association. Worried that the Irvine Company would sell Crystal Cove to a developer who would destroy the cottages and natural ecology of the surrounding area, Shirley worked with fellow resident Martha Padve to add Crystal Cove to the National Register of Historic Places. Shirley was deeply interested in Crystal Cove's history and gathered much information about it for an unrealized book.
Crystal Cove lies on the Pacific Coast between the Southern California cities of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. The area was purchased by James Irvine in 1864 and retained by the Irvine Company until 1979. Early in the twentieth century, squatters began to live in the area, first erecting tents, then one-room cottages. More rooms were added to these structures as needed over time, often assembled from driftwood gathered along the beach. The cottages are one of the only remaining examples of California vernacular beach architecture, otherwise known as architecture without architects.
Beginning in the 1920s, silent film productions used Crystal Cove as a set for movies set in the South Seas because all of the cottages had palm-thatched roofs during this era. Such movies included Treasure Island (1920), Storm Tossed (1921), Sadie Thompson (1928), Half a Bride (1928), White Shadows in the South Seas (1928), and, much later, Beaches (1988). Road traffic increased with the construction of Pacific Coast Highway in 1926, and Crystal Cove became easily accessible to the public. In the late 1930s the Irvine Company informed cottage owners that they must either move their cottages or agree to lease the property from the company. Many owners chose to remain.
After the Irvine Company sold Crystal Cove to the State of California in 1979, Shirley remained involved in the Crystal Cove Residents' Association as it filed lawsuits against the State to allow residents to remain in the cottages. The association won several lease extensions for its residents until 2001, when all residents were evicted.
The last of the cottages was built in the late 1940s. The exteriors of the structures have remained nearly unchanged since the 1950s, although many interiors have been remodeled. Between 2001 and 2006, the State of California restored 22 of the 46 cottages to their vintage 1935-1955 interior and exterior condition.

Biographical/Historical note

Chronology

1967 Christine Vail purchases the lease to cottage 23.
1970 Christine Vail marries Jack Shirley.
1979 June 16 Crystal Cove Historic District placed on National Register of Historic Places.
1979 December State of California purchases 1,898 acres of Crystal Cove State Park from the Irvine Company for $32,600,000.
1981-1983 Development and Public Use Plan
1982 April 14 Crystal Cove residents given notice to vacate by 1982 July 31.
1983 Crystal Cove lease period extended by ten years.
1991-1994 Development and Public Use Plan
1993-1995 Tenant leases extended for two years.
1994-2001 Development and Public Use Plan
1995 December 29 Crystal Cove Residents' Association file lawsuit against the State of California, Parks and Recreation to prevent eviction.
1996 Crystal Cove Preservation Partners selected as concessionaire of the Historic District.
1996-2001 Tenant leases extended month-to-month.
1999 Crystal Cove Alliance formed to resist the State of California's plans to build a luxury hotel and modify the Crystal Cove cottages.
2001 Crystal Cove Preservation Partners' contract cancelled.
2001 February 9 The California Department of Parks and Recreation issues 30-day eviction notice to residents. Residents file lawsuit claiming non-compliance of agreement.
2001 July 8 Crystal Cove residents vacate their properties.
2001-2006 Plan for Public Use and Preservation
2006 June Crystal Cove cottages made available for public use.

Collection Scope and Content Summary

This collection comprises the personal papers of Christine Shirley, a former resident of Crystal Cove, California and member of the Crystal Cove Residents' Association Executive Committee. The collection also includes records from the Crystal Cove Residents' Association and reflects Shirley's involvement in the association's efforts to add Crystal Cove to the National Register of Historic Places and its legal struggles with the State of California over tenancy of the Crystal Cove cottages.

Collection Arrangement

This collection is arranged in three series.
  • Series 1. Crystal Cove Residents' Association records, 1967-2001. 2.0 linear feet
  • Series 2. Subject files, 1923-2002. 3.2 linear feet
  • Series 3. Clippings, 1959-2002. 2.0 linear feet

Related Collections

Related Crystal Cove materials can be found in the following collection:
  • Martha Padve papers on the Crystal Cove Historic District. MS-R091. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Photographic prints -- California -- Orange County -- 20th century.
Historic buildings -- California -- Crystal Cove State Park.
Cottages -- California -- Crystal Cove State Park.
Shirley, Christine F., 1926-2012 -- Archives

 

Crystal Cove Residents' Association records Series 1. 1967-2001, bulk 1978-1995

Physical Description: 2 Linear Feet
General Physical Description note: no content

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains materials generated by the Crystal Cove Residents' Association, including meeting minutes, newsletters, legal papers, and files on individual residents.

Arrangement

This series is arranged alphabetically by topic or material type.

Processing note

Loose photographs in box 2 are not sleeved. Researchers must wear gloves.
box 1, folder 1

Address and telephone lists 1979-1990, 2001, undated

box 1, folder 2

Assessment notices 1989-1995

box 1, folder 3-4

Budgets and related materials 1978-1984, 1997

 

Cookbook

box 1, folder 5

Correspondence, order form, and other materials 1981

box 1, folder 6

Receipts, financial statements, and other materials 1981-1982

 

Correspondence

box 1, folder 7

Congress 1973-1984

box 1, folder 8-9

General 1978-2001

box 1, folder 10-13

Legal 1978-1996

box 1, folder 14-18

Executive Committee meeting minutes and related materials 1978-1982

box 1, folder 19

Insurance issues: correspondence 1982-1983

box 1, folder 20-23

Legal documents 1981-1983, 1996

box 1, folder 24-28

Newsletters and related materials 1978-1995

box 2, folder 1

Profile of Crystal Cove summary 1978

box 2, folder 2

Rental analysis undated

 

Resident files

box 2, folder 3

Barnard, Jean and John: correspondence 1978, 1992-1995

box 2, folder 4

Barnard, Maggie and Ralph: correspondence 1991-1995

box 2, folder 5

Benson, Maddy and Stan: correspondence and related materials 1980-1981, undated

box 2, folder 6

Brescia, Colleen and Fred: correspondence 1991

box 2, folder 7

Clement, Lisa and Norm: correspondence and clippings 1978-1979, 1990-1994

box 2, folder 8

Combs, Cinda and Bob: correspondence and clippings 1967, 1978-1997

box 2, folder 9

Davidson, E. Roy: correspondence 1978

box 2, folder 10

Dice, Ann Fletcher: correspondence and related materials 1989-1993

box 2, folder 11

Falzett, Vivian and Doug: correspondence 1984-1989

box 2, folder 12

Gabriel, Laurie: correspondence and clippings 1989-1990

box 2, folder 13

Goodell, James: correspondence and slides 1989

box 2, folder 14

Gualtieri, Kathy: correspondence 1978-1990

box 2, folder 15

Hiatt, Stella: correspondence and related materials 1979-2001

box 2, folder 16

Hodges, Dottie and Jim: correspondence 1978

box 2, folder 17

Johnson, Paul: quotes undated

box 2, folder 18

Kennedy, Dennis and Ron 1979-1989

box 2, folder 19

Lawson, Robert: correspondence 1983

box 2, folder 20

Lowe, Phyllis: correspondence and report 1978-1982, 1991, undated

box 2, folder 21

Luckenbill, Birke and Dixie: correspondence and notes 1989-1991

box 2, folder 22

Luther-Wilder, Judith: correspondence and résumés 1989

box 2, folder 23

Makely, Russ: correspondence and invoice 1978

box 2, folder 24

McGraw, Betty and John: correspondence 1985

box 2, folder 25

Mellon, Carlotta: correspondence 1978

box 2, folder 26

Miller, Becky and Douglas: correspondence, photographs, and clippings 1978-1992

box 2, folder 27

Mitchell, Sherrie and Bob: correspondence 1978-1981

box 2, folder 28

Moran, Margaret: correspondence and clipping 1992

 

Padve, Martha

box 2, folder 29

Correspondence, clippings, and notes 1972-1986

box 2, folder 30

Correspondence, essays, photographs, and other materials 1976-1995, undated

box 2, folder 31

Payne, Biddy: correspondence, audio cassette tape, and other materials 1977-1978

box 2, folder 32

Pilaria, Rowland: correspondence 1978

box 2, folder 33

Ramsey, Pat and Paul: correspondence 1978, undated

box 2, folder 34

Rowland, John: correspondence 1989

box 2, folder 35

Spengler, Lauren and Andrew: correspondence 1989

box 2, folder 36

Taft, Skip: correspondence 1978-1987

box 2, folder 37

Thobe, Jim: correspondence 1978-1985

box 2, folder 38-39

Van de Kamp, John: clippings, correspondence, and other materials 1978-1990

box 2, folder 40

Van Pelt, Lee: correspondence 1978

box 2, folder 41

Van Steenwyk, Meredith: correspondence 1979

box 2, folder 42

Van Wyck, Bill and Ruth: correspondence 1978, 1994, undated

box 2, folder 43

Weber, Ruth: correspondence 1978-1979

box 2, folder 44

Weegar, Freda and Ted: correspondence and clippings 1978-1990

box 2, folder 45

Willinger, Amelia and Al: correspondence, photographs, and budgets 1974-1996, undated

 

Residents' meetings

box 2, folder 46

Financial report 1979

box 2, folder 47

Garage and cottage repairs: minutes, maintenance procedure sheet, and audio cassette 1984

 

General

box 2, folder 48

Audiocassettes 1978-1979

box 2, folder 49

Membership notice, proposed resolutions, and correspondence 1995

box 2, folder 50

Notice, notes, and correspondence 1978-1996

box 2, folder 51

Notes 1982

box 2, folder 52

Relocation: correspondence, relocation forms, and other materials 1977-1980

 

Resource files

box 2, folder 53

Birds: newsletters, pamphlet, and other materials 1978-1980

box 2, folder 54

Marine Shells of Southern California 1969

box 2, folder 55

Save Crystal Cove Committee: announcements, questionnaire, and articles of incorporation 1995

box 2, folder 56

Save the Cove powerpoint presentation undated

box 2, folder 57

Stationary undated

box 2, folder 58

Yacht Club: invitations and fliers 1985-1993

 

Subject files Series 2. 1923-2002, bulk 1977-2001

Physical Description: 3.2 Linear Feet
General Physical Description note: no content

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains topical files related to Crystal Cove maintained by Shirley. It includes drafts and research materials for an unrealized book on Crystal Cove. Of special interest are early leases for the cottages as well as documentation of leaseholders' interactions with the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Arrangement

This series is arranged alphabetically by subject or material type.
box 2, folder 59

Alliance to Rescue Crystal Cove correspondence and flier 1999-2000

 

Articles

box 2, folder 60

"A Guide to Historic Preservation for the California Practioner" 1981

box 2, folder 61

"Preservation and the Tax Reform Act of 1976" 1977

 

Artists at Crystal Cove

box 2, folder 62

General: correspondence, brochures, and other materials 1979-1983, 1992

box 2, folder 63

Gregory, Bonnie: correspondence and pamphlet 1978-1983

box 2, folder 64

Milton, David: advertisements and clipping 1990

box 2, folder 65

Badham, Robert E.: correspondence, clippings, and report 1980-1984

box 3, folder 1

Beaches filming notification 1988

 

Book on Crystal Cove (unpublished)

box 3, folder 2

Advertisement, photocopies, and other materials 2002

box 3, folder 3-4

Drafts and research materials 1962, 1978-1988

 

California Coastal Commission

box 3, folder 5

Preliminary review of Irvine Coast general plan 1978

box 3, folder 6

Presentation, correspondence, and other materials 1978-1982

box 3, folder 7

Public hearing notices 1982-1999

box 3, folder 8

California Highway Commission: Pacific Coast Highway Relocation Study memorandum and report 1973

box 3, folder 9

California Historical Society meeting program and correspondence 1983

box 3, folder 10

California Legislature Senate Committee on Finance -- special meeting on Irvine Coast Project: agenda and supplemental analysis 1980

box 3, folder 11

California Regional Water Quality Control Board cease and desist orders, correspondence, and other materials 2000-2001

box 3, folder 12

California State Coastal Conservancy agenda and correspondence 2001

box 3, folder 13

California State Historical Building Code 1981

box 3, folder 14

Card file notes regarding Crystal Cove cottages undated

box 3, folder 15

Carpenter, Dennis (Senator): correspondence, newsletter, and other materials 1973

 

Correspondence

box 3, folder 16-17

General 1973-2001

box 3, folder 18

Wood, Elizabeth 1978

Scope and Contents note

Elizabeth Wood is credited with naming Crystal Cove.
box 3, folder 19

County of Orange Pelican Hill Road Environmental Impact Report: agenda, notice of preparation, and report 1986

box 3, folder 20

Crystal Cove Community Trust correspondence 2001

box 3, folder 21

Crystal Cove Conservancy proposal and correspondence 1979-1980, 1990-1992

 

Crystal Cove Historic District Preservation Association

box 3, folder 22

Bylaws and related materials 1960-1961, 1978-1979

box 3, folder 23

Project application and permit 1984-1986

box 3, folder 24-25

Crystal Cove Interpretive Association newsletters, correspondence, and other materials 1983-1991

box 3, folder 26

Crystal Cove Preservation Society correspondence and plan 1991

 

Crystal Cove State Park

box 3, folder 27

Analysis 1980

box 3, folder 28

Meeting agendas, invitations, and other materials 1981-1984

box 3, folder 29

Planning team: correspondence, questionnaires, and other materials 1978-1980

box 3, folder 30

Department of General Services Real Estate Services Division correspondence and clipping 1978-1988

 

Department of Parks and Recreation

box 3, folder 31

Crystal Cove State Park Relocation Plan, booklet, and correspondence 1980

box 3, folder 32-33

Correspondence 1978-2001

box 3, folder 34

Hearing notice 1984

box 3, folder 35

Lease agreement amendments and related correspondence 1986-1987

box 3, folder 36

Lease agreement draft 1983

box 3, folder 37-42

Leases, correspondence, and notes 1967, 1983-1984, 1994-1999

box 3, folder 43

Meeting agenda 1982

box 3, folder 44

Negative Declaration for Irvine Coast 1978

box 3, folder 45

Notices of termination 1993

box 3, folder 46

Rental agreement 1982

box 3, folder 47-48

A Report to the Legislature on Museum Collections Management undated

box 4, folder 1

Requests for quitclaim deed 1995

box 4, folder 2

Sources of Historic Preservation Funds circa 1978

box 4, folder 3

El Morro Community Group reports and lease 1978-1981

box 4, folder 4

Eviction notices 1982

 

Friends of the Irvine Coast

box 4, folder 5

Legal papers, correspondence, and clipping 1981

box 4, folder 6

Newsletters, correspondence, and other materials 1978-1991

box 4, folder 7

Garages: correspondence, lease, and map 1985-1986

box 4, folder 8

Gate to upper road announcements and bulletin 1980, 1990

box 4, folder 9

Greenpeace fact sheets, correspondence, and ephemera 1978-1979

box 4, folder 10

Handbook: Historic Preservation in California and related materials 1982

 

Histories and summaries 2002

box 4, folder 11

Bibliography undated

box 4, folder 12

Conclusion/Historic District: notes, clippings, and other materials 1978

box 4, folder 13-15

Early history: correspondence, notes, and other materials 1923, 1969-1979-1984

box 4, folder 16-17

Early resident questionnaires 1978, 2002

box 4, folder 18

Geographical features: correspondence, summaries, and other materials 1966, 1977-1980

box 4, folder 19

International popularity: correspondence and summary 1976

box 4, folder 20

Lifestyle and celebrations: summary, correspondence, and notes 1978

box 4, folder 21

Natural disasters: notes and clippings 1978

box 4, folder 22

World War II: correspondence, notes, and other materials 1938-1945, 1978-1980

box 4, folder 23

Insurance policies and correspondence 1984-1987

box 4, folder 24

Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. correspondence, brochures, and other materials 1978-1991

box 4, folder 25-26

Leases, correspondence, and other materials 1940-1973

 

Magazines featuring articles on Crystal Cove

box FB-065, folder 5

Coaster Magazine 1995

box 4, folder 27

Los Angeles Times Magazine 1990

box 4, folder 28-29

New Worlds 1973-1978

box 4, folder 30, box FB-065, folder 5

Maps circa 1970-1983, 1994

box 4, folder 31

McClure, Vicki: clippings, announcements, and other materials 1984

box 4, folder 32

Naming of lessees: announcements and correspondence 1983

box 4, folder 33

National Audubon Society Laguna Hills Chapter newsletters 1976-1989

 

National Register of Historic Places 1978-1981, undated

box 4, folder 34

Historic summaries drafts 1977

box 4, folder 35-37

Nomination forms, correspondence, and other materials 1978-1979, undated

box 4, folder 38

Plaque order form, nomination forms, and other materials

box 4, folder 39-40

National Trust for Historic Preservation fact sheets and related materials 1978, 1997

box 4, folder 41

Nature Conservancy membership packet 1980

 

Newsletters

box 4, folder 42

Californians for Preservation Action Newsletter 1976

box 4, folder 43

Coastal News 1982

box 4, folder 44

Crystal Cove Historic District 2001-2002

box 4, folder 45

Crystal Cove State Park: Park Planning Newsletter 1980-1982

box 5, folder 1

Laguna Beach Community Historical Society 1978-1981

box 5, folder 2

Orange County Historical Society County Courier 1985

box 5, folder 3

United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service Irvine Coast/Laguna New Area Study Newsletter undated

box 5, folder 4

Notes 1977-1984, 1991-1996, undated

box 5, folder 5

Orange Coast National Park correspondence and minutes 1979

box 5, folder 6

Orange County historical organizations roster 1975

 

Orange County Planning Commission

box 5, folder 7

Environmental Management Agency Report -- Final Environmental Impact Report for the Irvine Coast: report and correspondence 1978

box 5, folder 8

Public hearing notice and agenda 1976

box 5, folder 9

Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly 1987

box 5, folder 10

Pacific Coast Highway relocation study 1973

box 5, folder 11

Pamphlets 1975-1982, 1990, undated

 

Parking

box 5, folder 12

Pass announcements 1981-1986

box 5, folder 13

Rules and notice 1996-1997

box 5, folder 14

Petition to Governor Jerry Brown and related materials 1982

box 5, folder 15

Photographs circa 1930, undated

Scope and Contents note

4 black-and-white and 2 color photographic prints. Includes aerial shots of Crystal Cove, photographs of the cottages and beach, and one photograph of early residents posed in front of cottages.
box 5, folder 16-17

Political contacts: correspondence, brochures, and other materials 1977-1983

box 5, folder 18

Real estate appraisal 1983

box 5, folder 19

Relocation Assistance in California packet and relocation notice 1981

box 5, folder 20

Relocation needs booklet and survey 1978

 

Rental records

box 5, folder 21

Cottage 23: budget and notes 1990, undated

 

Cottage 26

box 5, folder 22

Bulletins, correspondence, and other materials 1973-1978

box 5, folder 23

Correspondence, legal papers, and other materials 1982-1986

box 6, folder 1-3

Correspondence, receipts, and other materials 1978-1999

 

Reports

box 6, folder 4

County of Orange Local Coastal Program Irvine Coast: Commission Staff Summary and Recommendation 1978

box 6, folder 5

Crystal Cove cottage rehabilitation geotechnical investigation 1994

box 6, folder 6

Crystal Cove State Park Interpretive Plan appendix D undated

box 6, folder 7

Open Space and Recreation Plan for the Proposed Wilderness Park and Resource Conservation Area 1978

box 6, folder 8

The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Historic Preservation Projects undated

box 6, folder 9

Shipwreck Reef Project proposal 1995

box 6, folder 10

Slides 1974-1977

Scope and Contents note

2 color photographic slides of Crystal Cove's beach and cottages.
box 6, folder 11

Television channels available at Crystal Cove: correspondence 1984

box 6, folder 12

Trails: clippings, correspondence, and other materials 1979-1989

 

Clippings Series 3. 1959-2002, bulk 1968-1996

Physical Description: 2 Linear Feet
General Physical Description note: no content

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series comprises extensive clippings files on Crystal Cove collected by Shirley.

Arrangement

This series is organized chronologically.
box 7

Clippings 1959-1981, undated

box 8

Clippings 1980-2002