Victoria Beach

by Kasia Bitner

Title

Victoria Beach

Artist

Kasia Bitner

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Thank you for viewing my artwork!

Victoria Beach is a long white sandy beach south of Victoria Drive in Laguna Beach. The majority of this southwest-facing beach lies in front of the private gated Lagunita housing development with many of the uber mansions built right to beach level. The public beach access isn’t easy to see, but it’s right next to address 2713 Victoria Drive. This is a long stairway that eventually gets down to the far north end of the beach. There is also an emergency vehicle beach access ramp and public walkway at the end of Dumond Drive that is an easier walk from Coast Highway 1.

The structure, known as “La Tour” (french for tower), is a 60-foot castle-inspired tower. It was built at the same time as the house at the top of the bluff, in 1926, and was used as a way to get from the house down to the beach below, which is a beautiful stretch of sand called Victoria Beach. The beach tower is made of poured concrete with an ocean stone foundation and cone-shaped roof made of shingles. Several narrow window openings in the tower wall allow light to pass through to the wooden spiral stairway inside.

The house, known as the “Norman House” due it’s Norman-style architecture, is itself a landmark of Laguna Beach. It was built for California State Senator William Edward Brown and his family and used during summers and holidays as a retreat from their Beverly Hills home.

The inspiration for the design of the house and the tower can be traced to the time Mr. Brown and his wife, Mary Eleanor, spent in France at the end of World War I, where they were part of the war relief effort. In fact, many Americans that spent time in France during WWI were inspired by the chateaus and castles of the region, and upon returning home to the United States, built homes during the 1920s that emulated this style. The Norman House is one of the few remaining examples of this on the oceanfront of Southern California.

Another mysterious structure that sits just to the south of the tower is the partially buried cement wall that once formed a circular pool. While the pool has partially filled up with sand, water still collects here when the tide is high enough for waves to crash in on it. It is believed that Mr. Brown is also responsible for building this structure.

Note: If an image has the FAA watermark in the lower right hand corner it will NOT appear on any print you purchase.

All artworks are originals by the artist and as such are protected by Us and International Copyright Laws.All rights reserved.

FEATURED in the following groups:
~ ART - It Is Good For You
~ Arts Fantastic World
~ Polish Photographers Platform
~ Images That Excite You
~ Art from the Past
~ Lady Photographers and Artists
~ The Best 30000 Artworks
~ Pictures for present
~ Out West - 13 States
~ Cloud Formations—Sky Activity—and Eternal Horizons

Uploaded

June 12th, 2017

Statistics

Viewed 955 Times  -  Last Visitor from Santa Fe, TX on 04/19/2024 at 4:01 AM

Colors

Embed

Share

Sales Sheet

Tags