When we moved to our Barber Tract home in 1987, we saw Heritage Place every day – one of the many pleasures of living in the neighborhood. Even now, every time I see these endearing homes, they have the uncanny capacity to make me smile.
 
The late La Jolla resident, author and noted San Diego preservationist Patricia Schaelchlin, along with her husband Bob, came up with the idea for Heritage Place – La Jolla in the 1970s. The concept was modeled after Heritage Park in Old Town, where endangered Victorian homes were moved to prevent their demolition. Determined to preserve some of La Jolla’s endangered homes, the Schaelchlins purchased a property at 7210 La Jolla Blvd., a property designated historical in 1978. The designation meant they could move several endangered cottages to the 1/3-acre lot that spans a block in the Barber Tract. Today, Heritage Place comprises three early La Jolla homes: The Rhoads Cottage, The Galusha Grow Cottage and The Martha Corey House. At one time, La Jolla was filled with many similar homes, but as the years went by, most of these were demolished to make way for new development. Today, only a handful remain in our community. The Rhoads House was moved to the La Jolla Boulevard location from 1044-46 Wall St. in 1928 by its owner, Horace Rhoads. Originally designated a duplex, it was already on the La Jolla Boulevard site when the Schaelchlins purchased the property, After Rhoads moved the structure to the site, he made it into his residence. Rhoads was a newspaperman and the vice president and general manager of the West Coast “penny papers.” The 1895 landmark, Galusha B. Grow Cottage, was moved to Heritage Place in 1979 from 7831 Ivanhoe Ave. This cheerful Victorian Vernacular home is recognized throughout La Jolla as The Yellow Cottage. Galusha Grow was well known in San Diego banking circles and was also a fire commissioner. The last home moved to Heritage Place was the home of La Jolla’s first female doctor, Martha Corey. The Corey House is a Victorian bungalow built in the early 1900s. Corey lived in and ran her medical practice from the home. During its lifetime, the home had been moved to several locations in La Jolla before finding a home at Heritage Place in 2003. The Schaelchlins sold Heritage Place in 2001, but it remains a lasting tribute to the couple’s tireless preservation efforts. The new owners have accommodated their vision and worked with local architects and planners to design a unique historic compound that serves as a living preserve for these rare cottages. Surrounding these picturesque homes are professionally landscaped grounds and gardens that include a collection of old-growth palm trees. Beautifully and sensitively restored, the homes now offer the best of old La Jolla charm seamlessly merged with modern conveniences. Offered for sale, Heritage Place has the Mills Act property tax benefit in place. The Mills Act will convey to the new owner and represents a substantial savings, with property taxes at $8,500 a year. This one-of-a-kind property offers the opportunity to own a piece of La Jolla history and presents a range of creative use options and the priceless capacity to make you smile! For more information, contact Linda Marrone, a Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage historical and architectural specialist, at (858) 735-4173, or see HeritagePlaceLaJolla.com.