John Vilelle Stereo Transparencies

Paul Wormser, 2019

Sherman Library and Gardens

614 Dahlia Ave.

Corona del Mar, California 92625

(949) 673-1880

library@slgardens.org

http://www.slgardens.org/

2019

Descriptive Summary

Title: John Vilelle Stereo Transparencies

Dates: 1954-1987

Collection Number: 2019-005

Creator/Collector: Vilelle, John (1897-1981)

Extent: 34 Kodachrome stereo transparencies

Repository: Sherman Library and Gardens

Corona del Mar, California 92625

Abstract: This collection consists of Kodachrome stereo transparencies of The Arches Café, John Vilelle in his garden, and the Mariner's Mile section of Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach.

Language of Material: English

Access

This collection is open for research. The collection includes a set of reference prints made from the transparencies

Publication Rights

Property rights to the physical object belong to the Sherman Library. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The Sherman Library do not hold the copyright.

Preferred Citation

John Vilelle Stereo Transparencies. Sherman Library and Gardens

Biography/Administrative History

John Vielle (1897-1981) was born in Santa Ana in 1897. His family moved to Newport Beach about 1906. Vielle worked in a sugar mill and in the oil fields until 1926, when he and a business partner opened a gasoline and service station. The station was named The Arches after its distinctive architectures. Located on land purchased by John Vilelle's father, the service station was on the corner of the newly opened Coast Highway and Balboa Avenue in Newport Beach. Vilelle's business partner left after a brief time. Vilelle eventually added a restaurant next to the service station, which became a popular spot for both locales and Hollywood actors visiting Newport Beach. In 1955, Vilelle sold The Arches restaurant to Bob Batchelor.

Scope and Content of Collection

This collection consists of Kodachrome stereo transparencies of The Arches Café, John Vilelle in his garden and the Mariner's Mile section of Pacific Coast Highway. The collection includes fifteen images of The Arches Café, which Vilelle founded in 1926 and sold in 1955. A single image is dated 1954. The other transparencies of The Arches Restaurant are undated exterior shots of the building during a remodeling, ca. 1956. Most images of the Mariner's Mile section of Pacific Coast Highway were taken from Vilelle's home at 230 Ocean View Ave., which overlooked Pacific Coast Highway. Two of the images show buildings along Pacific Coast Highway burning on the night of January 11, 1975. Several other images taken later show the damage wrought by the fire, which was the largest fire in the city of Newport Beach up to that time.

Indexing Terms

Newport Beach (Calif.) – Restaurants - The Arches

Disasters – Fires John Vilelle

Newport Beach (Calif.)

stereo transparencies

Box Box 1 of 1

Vilelle-001 The façade of The Arches restaurant being removed. ca. 1956

Vilelle-002 The Arches Restaurant being remodeled. Photograph was taken from across Coast Highway with cars in the foreground. ca. 1956

Vilelle-003 The Arches Restaurant being remodeled. Photograph was taken from across Coast Highway. ca. 1956

Vilelle-004 The Arches Restaurant being remodeled. ca. 1956

Vilelle-005 Two men posing in front of The Arches Restaurant under construction. ca. 1956

Vilelle-006 Five men in front of The Arches Restaurant under construction. The Arches service station is in the background. ca. 1956

Vilelle-007 Construction materials in the parking lot of The Arches Restaurant. The Arches sign is to the right. ca. 1956

Vilelle-008 The Arches Restaurant being remodeled. ca. 1956

Vilelle-009 The Arches service station. ca. 1956

Vilelle-010 The entrance to The Arches restaurant. A workman paints the door as two other workmen stand in the parking lot. ca. 1956

Vilelle-011 The Arches restaurant being remodeled. Photograph taken across Coast Highway. ca. 1956

Vilelle-012 The Arches restaurant following remodel. ca. 1956

Vilelle-013 The Arches restaurant following remodel. A man poses at the entrance. ca. 1956

Vilelle-014 The Arches restaurant following remodel. ca. 1956

Vilelle-015 The Arches restaurant following remodel. ca. 1956

Vilelle-016 View from John Vilelle's home at 230 Ocean View Ave., Newport Beach looking across the Mariner's Mile section of Coast Highway, with Newport Harbor and Lido Village in the background. April 1954

Vilelle-017 View from John Vilelle's home at 230 Ocean View Ave., Newport Beach looking across the Mariner's Mile section of Coast Highway, with Newport Harbor and Lido Village in the background. May 1961

Vilelle-018 View from John Vilelle's home at 230 Ocean View Ave., Newport Beach looking across the Mariner's Mile section of Coast Highway, with Newport Harbor and Lido Village in the background. May 1961

Vilelle-019 View from John Vilelle's home at 230 Ocean View Ave., Newport Beach looking across the Mariner's Mile section of Coast Highway, with Newport Harbor and Lido Village in the background. September 1962

Vilelle-020 John Vilelle outside his home. May 1966

Vilelle-021 Buildings on fire between 2600 and 2712 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. January 11, 1975

Vilelle-022 Buildings on fire between 2600 and 2712 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. January 11, 1975

Vilelle-023 Remnants of buildings destroyed by fire on January 11, 1975, Newport Beach. January 1975

Vilelle-024 Remnants of buildings destroyed by fire on January 11, 1975, Newport Beach. January 1975

Vilelle-025 Remnants of buildings destroyed by fire on January 11, 1975, Newport Beach. January 1975

Vilelle-026 Remnants of buildings destroyed by fire on January 11, 1975, Newport Beach. January 1975

Vilelle-027 Remnants of buildings destroyed by fire on January 11, 1975, Newport Beach. January 1975

Vilelle-028 View from 230 Ocean View Ave., Newport Beach looking across the Mariner's Mile section of Coast Highway, with Newport Harbor and Lido Village in the background. January 1975

Vilelle-029 View from 230 Ocean View Ave., Newport Beach showing buildings destroyed in a fire on January 11, 1975. January 1975

Vilelle-030 View from 230 Ocean View Ave., Newport Beach showing buildings destroyed in a fire on January 11, 1975. January 1975

Vilelle-031 View from 230 Ocean View Ave., Newport Beach looking across the Mariner's Mile section of Coast Highway, with Newport Harbor and Lido Village in the background. n.d.

Vilelle-032 John Vilelle sitting with a dog in his garden. n.d.

Vilelle-033 The Arches restaurant and service station "from viaduct." 1954

Vilelle-034 John Vilelle standing among flowering rose bushes in his yard. 1987