If La Jolla’s lanes (not alleys!) could talk, they could tell remarkable stories ranging from bank robber chases to the pranks of a beloved irascible village donkey. But the lane that would be, perhaps, the most fascinating is the now priceless bit of thoroughfare that connects Prospect Street to Ivanhoe Avenue and is known by the maiden’s name, Roslyn.
Roslyn Lane ” first named Waverly Lane ” was part of the original La Jolla Park subdivision map of 1887 and figured prominently in La Jolla’s early history as primarily a residential street with some very interesting and unusual cottages, not to mention animals and personages. The cottages had names such as Humpty Dumpty, Blarney Castle, Michiquita, Rauceby, the Chalet and Arbor Vitae. Most were built by their first owners, frequently single story but sometimes two, with decorative architectural appendages.
Several businesses were interspersed among them, including the landmark Brown Bear restaurant and several horse-drawn wagon operations. The latter included La Jolla’s Charley the Chinaman, who sold fruits and vegetables to the villagers, wore his shoes backwards every day and made sure his horse always wore a straw hat; also, a gardener named Dan, whose horse, too, wore a straw hat and whose wagon customarily carried a snarling Airedale.
In the early 20th century, Roslyn also had its share of vacant lots and trees for children to play in. Franklin D. Smith, who lived in one of the Roslyn Lane houses as a child starting in 1909, recorded the time in an essay for the La Jolla Historical Society written in 1989. Smith wrote: “Most of the lots on the north side of the lane were vacant. This was fun for kids for whatever it is that kids do for fun in vacant lots.” It included building treehouses in a large mulberry tree as well as observing the native wildlife: quail, squirrels, rabbits, skunks and gophers. Roslyn Lane in the early years furthermore had a wide range of domestic pets. Miss Rosa Harrison was known for a large collection of cats, pampered daily with fresh fish and liver. Smith’s family, itself, had a notoriously smart black cat named Toby, who opened the front door of their house with his paw and at night hunted mice and gophers, which he delivered onto his owners’ beds as a matter of practice.
Life on Roslyn Lane had a Tom Sawyer-Huckleberry Finn kind of pace for a small boy growing up. In his essay, Smith recalled playing pranks in the neighborhood, watching parades of gypsies pass by and absorption in a true small town atmosphere ” daily delivery of fresh milk at the doorstep from Rannell’s Dairy, cinnamon rolls from Fay’s Bakery, waiting for the paper boy to deliver news of Charles Lindbergh’s flight in 1927.
The lane began to change considerably in the mid-20th century, when apartment and commercial buildings began to replace the more quaint single-family houses. Several major architectural statements also were made, including the building of Robert Letts Jones’ glass wall commercial building at 1245 and Robert Stern’s mixed-use landmark at the corner of Roslyn and Prospect.
The lane continues its metamorphosis today. Jones’ building was recently sold and is undergoing a major renovation. And here and thereis a remnant of an old house reminiscent of Roslyn in the good old days.
La Jolla will have another new lane beginning Aug. 15, when an undesignated passageway between Eads and Draper avenues starting at Silver Street is named Mabel Bell Lane.
A ceremony at 1 p.m. with San Diego city officials will mark the designation in honor of the late Mabel Bell, one of La Jolla’s most venerated citizens of the black community. Mrs. Bell, widow of the late David A. Bell, moved to La Jolla in 1942 from Bryan, Texas. Her first home was at the site of the present La Jolla post office annex on Silver Street. Later, she and her husband became the first blacks to own property on the north side of Pearl Street on Draper Avenue. Mrs. Bell lived in the Draper home until her death in March, 2007.
A member of the Prince Chapel By the Sea AME Church here for 61 years, Mrs. Bell was known as a particularly friendly and generous person who would lend a helping hand to anyone in need. She shared fresh-cut flowers and off-the-tree oranges with neighbors and friends. For many years she worked at a private home for a prominent La Jolla family, which now assisted in the designation of the new Mabel Bell Lane.
” “Reflections” is a monthly column written for La Jolla Village News by the La Jolla Historical Society’s historian Carol Olten. The Society, dedicated to the preservation of La Jolla heritage, is located at 7846 Eads Ave. and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.