Lawn Way, Capitola, California

Lawn Way is signed street located in Capitola of Santa Cruz County, California. Despite being a signed street within Capitola the right-of-way of Lawn Way is accessible only to pedestrians and is lined with a grassy surface. Lawn Way is lined by signature colorfully painted cottages which have been part of Capitola since 1911. Lawn Way is an east/west street located between San Jose Avenue and Monterey Avenue to the immediate north of Capitola Beach.

The history of Lawn Way

What is now Capitola was known as Soquel Landing during the 1850s. Soquel Landing was located at a wharf which had been positioned at the mouth of Soquel Creek at Monterey Bay. During the 1860s the site of Soquel Landing was the site of an unsuccessful whaling station.

During 1869 Frederick Hihn the property owner of Soquel Landing reached an agreement with Samuel Hall to build a seaside resort. Hall's seaside resort initially opened as a series of seaside tents on July 4, 1874, as Camp Capitola. During the following decades the resort community of Capitola would begin to develop from Camp Capitola.

On July 29, 1911, Lawn Way and the Lawn Way Cottages were dedicated. Lawn Way is thought to be the location of the original tents which comprised the resort at Camp Capitola. Lawn Way was originally adorned with palm trees, olive trees and gas lanterns which were back dropped by uniquely colored cottages. The eastern end of Lawn Way served at the entrance to Frederick Hihn's Grand Hotel Capitola. When Capitola incorporated as a city on January 11, 1949, the first city hall was located at 104 Lawn Way.

The view below faces south from San Jose Avenue at the Lawn Way Street blade.

Facing east towards Monterey Avenue reveals a view of the Lawn Way Cottages and grassy surface of Lawn Way.

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