Guide to the Martha Padve Papers on the Crystal Cove Historic District
Processed by Audrey Pearson; machine-readable finding aid created by Audrey Pearson
Special Collections and Archives
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, California 92623-9557
Phone: (949) 824-3947
Fax: (949) 824-2472
Email: spcoll@uci.edu
URL: http://special.lib.uci.edu
© 2007
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Martha Padve papers on the Crystal Cove Historic District
Date: 1940-2003,
Date (bulk): bulk 1978-1983
Collection Number: MS-R091
Creator:
Padve, Martha
Extent:
1.4 linear feet
(2 boxes)
Languages: The collection is in English.
Repository:
University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.
Irvine, California 92623-9557
Abstract: This collection comprises the personal papers of Martha Padve, a former resident of Crystal Cove, California and member of
the Crystal Cove Residents' Association Executive Committee. The collection includes correspondence, reports and proposals,
leases, financial records, newsletters, memoranda, clippings, photographs, maps, questionnaires, and other materials related
to Crystal Cove. The collection also includes records from the Crystal Cove Residents' Association and reflects Padve's involvement
in the Association's efforts to build a case 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. Of particular interest are the questionnaires
Padve circulated that describe the residents of Crystal Cove and the leaseholder history of many of the cottages.
Important Information for Researchers
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
Martha Padve papers on the Crystal Cove Historic District. MS-R091. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries,
Irvine, California.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Martha Padve, 2002-2004.
Processing History
Processed by Audrey Pearson, 2007.
Historical Background
Martha Padve was a weekend resident of Crystal Cove, California from 1957 until the 1990s and a longtime activist for preserving
its 46 rustic cottages and the surrounding natural environment. Born on February 22, 1917 in Scobey, Montana as Martha Bertonneau,
she later moved to Pasadena, California and married Jacob (Jack) Padve. Together they bought the lease for Crystal Cove cottage
#16 in 1957 from Mrs. Helen Pharaoh following the death of Mr. Gerald Pharaoh. Padve retained sole ownership of the lease
after her divorce in November 1980.
Padve was a member of the executive council of the Crystal Cove Residents' Association. Worried that the Irvine Company would
sell the Cove to a developer who would destroy the cottages and natural ecology of the surrounding area, Padve successfully
pursued measures to add Crystal Cove to the National Register of Historic Places. She was guided in these efforts by the
experience she gained as chair of the Pasadena Planning Commission from 1973 to 1981. Together with another member of the
Crystal Cove Residents' Association, Christine Shirley, Padve gathered information about the local history and leaseholder
history of the cottages from the residents. Padve also briefly pursued an unrealized plan with Chancellor Daniel Aldrich
of the University of California, Irvine, to have UCI purchase Crystal Cove for use as a biological study center and faculty
housing. After the Irvine Company sold Crystal Cove to the State of California in 1979, Padve 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, but the State finally evicted all residents in 2001.
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 I 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, during
this era, all of the cottages had palm-thatched roofs. 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.
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. Additional restoration will occur as funds are raised.
Beginning in 2001, the Crystal Cove Alliance, a non-profit organization formed in 1999 to preserve and protect the Crystal
Cove State Historic District, became the concessionaire for the district.
Biography/Organization History
Chronology
| 1954 |
Martha Bertonneau married Jack Padve. |
| 1957 |
Martha and Jack Padve purchased lease to Cottage 16 from Helen Pharaoh. |
| 1979 June 16 |
Crystal Cove Historic District placed on National Register of Historic Places. |
| 1979 December |
State of California purchased 1,898 acres of Crystal Cove State Park from the Irvine Company for $32,600,000. |
| 1981-1983 |
First
Development and Public Use Plan was created. Crystal Cove Residents' Association took action against the State of California to win the right to remain in
their cottages.
|
| 1982 April 14 |
Crystal Cove residents were given notice to vacate by 1982 July 31. |
| 1983 |
Crystal Cove lease period was extended by ten years. |
| 1991-1994 |
Second
Development and Public Use Plan was created to establish some of the cottages as a hostel. The plan was blocked by legislation that required the California
Department of Parks and Recreation to prepare a legislative report on alternative uses for the Historic District.
|
| 1993-1995 |
Tenant leases were extended two years. |
| 1994-2001 |
Third
Development and Public Use Plan was created which planned to build a seaside resort on the Historic District. Implementation of the plan was cancelled by
the California Department of Parks and Recreation following public concern about the project.
|
| 1995 December 29 |
Crystal Cove Residents' Association filed lawsuit against the State of California, Parks and Recreation to prevent eviction. |
| 1996 |
Crystal Cove Preservation Partners was selected concessionaire of the Historic District. |
| 1996-2001 |
Tenant leases were 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 was cancelled. |
| 2001 February 9 |
The California Department of Parks and Recreation issued 30-day eviction notice to residents. Residents filed lawsuit claiming
non-compliance of agreement.
|
| 2001 July 8 |
Crystal Cove residents vacated their properties. |
| 2001-2006 |
State of California Department of Parks and Recreation began to renovate cottages and implement fourth
Plan for Public Use and Preservation.
|
| 2006 June |
Crystal Cove cottages were made available for public use. |
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection comprises the personal papers of Martha Padve, a former resident of Crystal Cove, California and member of
the Crystal Cove Residents' Association Executive Committee. The collection includes correspondence, reports and proposals,
leases, financial records, newsletters, memoranda, clippings, photographs, maps, questionnaires, and other materials related
to Crystal Cove. The collection also includes records from the Crystal Cove Residents' Association and reflects Padve's involvement
in the Association's efforts to build a case 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. Of particular interest are the questionnaires
Padve circulated that describe the residents of Crystal Cove and the leaseholder history of many of the cottages.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged in alphabetical order by type of material.
Separation Note
The following publication was removed from this collection and integrated into the Special Collections and Archives' holdings:
-
Coaster Magazine 2, no. 15 (June 19, 1993).
Related Collections
Related papers of Martha Padve's involvement with the Pasadena Art Museum and the Southern California art community can be
found in the following collection: Martha Padve Papers (Collection 1584). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young
Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Padve, Martha -- Archives.
Historic buildings -- California -- Crystal Cove State Park.
Cottages -- California -- Crystal Cove State Park.
Crystal Cove Historic District (Calif.).
Genres and Formats of Materials
Letters -- California -- Orange County -- 20th century.
Photographic prints -- California -- Orange County -- 20th century.
Newsletters -- California -- Orange County -- 20th century.
Legal documents -- 20th century.
Proposals -- 20th century.
Clippings -- 20th century.
Contributors
Crystal Cove Residents' Association.
California. Dept. of Parks and Recreation.
Titles
Crystal Cove State Park general plan.
Collection Contents
Box : Folder 1 : 1
California Coastal Commission agendas, reports, and other materials
1978-1982
Box : Folder 1 : 4
Clippings
circa 1978-2001
Box : Folder 1 : 5-9
Incoming
1968-2003
undated
Box : Folder 1 : 10-16
Outgoing
1968
1978-2002
undated
Crystal Cove Residents' Association
Box : Folder 1 : 17-20
Correspondence
1960
1978-1984
1993-1998
undated
Box : Folder 1 : 21
Histories and summaries
1977-1980
undated
Box : Folder 1 : 22-23
Housing and demographic questionnaires
1978
Box : Folder 1 : 24-27
Legal documents
1981-1982
1996
Box : Folder 1 : 28-35
Newsletters, memoranda, and other materials
1978-1996
undated
Scope and Content Note
Arranged chronologically.
Box : Folder 1 : 36
Settlement agreement with the State of California
1994-1996
Department of Parks and Recreation
Box : Folder 1 : 40
Reports, invitations, and other materials
1980-1986
2001
undated
Box : Folder 1 : 41
Financial records of cottage expenses
1970-1984
1997
Box : Folder 1 : 42
Invitations, postcards, and greeting cards
1975-1979
2001-2002
undated
Box : Folder 1 : 43
Landmark District bylaws and ordinances
1977
undated
Box : Folder 1 : 44-45
Leases for Crystal Cove cottages
1940-1966
1979-1994
Box : Folder 1 : 46
Maps of Crystal Cove State Park and Crystal Cove Historic District
undated
National Register of Historic Places
Box : Folder 1 : 47
Application materials, correspondence, and other materials
1978-1980
Box : Folder 2 : 3
Crystal Cove Historic District
2001
Box : Folder 2 : 4
Crystal Cove State Park
1981-1982
Box : Folder 2 : 5
Friends of the Irvine Coast
1980-1982
Box : Folder 2 : 6
Laguna Greenbelt, Inc.
1979
Box : Folder 2 : 8
Pamphlets
1977-1979
undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes pamphlets regarding management of historic districts, an exhibition at the Laguna Beach Museum of Art, Crystal Cove
State Park, the California Coastal Act of 1976, and relocation assistance.
Box : Folder 2 : 9
Photocopies of Crystal Cove photographs
undated
Box : Folder 2 : 10
Photographs of Crystal Cove
1980
2001
undated
Scope and Content Note
Contains 10 photographs, including aerial shots of Crystal Cove Historic District circa 1920s-1930s that show palm-thatched
roofs and beach tents, various shots of the coastline from circa 1920-1985, and a photograph of Martha Padve with Laura Davick
from 2001.
Box : Folder FRAG-2
Five negatives of prints described above
undated
Access Information
Access to negatives is restricted.
Box : Folder 2 : 11-12
Crystal Cove Historic District
1994
Box : Folder 2 : 13-14
Crystal Cove Historic District Preservation and Public Use Plan
2002
Box : Folder 2 : 15
Preliminary estimate of improvements for Crystal Cove cottages
1982
Box : Folder 2 : 16-17
The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Historic Preservation Projects
1979
Box : Folder 2 : 18
Study of Alternatives: New Area; Irvine Coast/Laguna, California
1979
