History Pages: 58 - The 1890s Santa Cruz beachfront
For a table of contents, see History pages.
The 1890s Santa Cruz beachfront had become the county's major tourist destination, even before Fred Swanton began to create the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. At that time, however, the tourism zone began at the Railroad wharf with the Sea Foam hotel (photo at right). Beyond and above the roof of the Sea Foam can be seen the zone's biggest draw - the expansive Sea Beach Hotel. To the right of the Sea Foam, streetcar and railroad tracks can be seen curving around the base of Beach Hill. Between tracks and beach is the original boardwalk - when it was actually made of boards. Furthest right is the beginning of the railroad wharf, where a rail car can be seen.
Between the Sea Foam and Sea Beach were a pair of older resorts - Seaside Home and Liddell House. Liddell House included the long white bathhouse seen down the hill at streetcar/boardwalk level.
To the right of the Sea Beach was the Natatorium (photo right), a huge indoor sea-water swimming pool built by a partnership between two bathhouse competitors, Miller, C. F. and the Leibbrandt brothers. Farther along the beachfront to the right of the Natatorium (just visible in the photo) were the two older bathhouses of Miller (Neptune) and Leibbrandt (Dolphin).
Notes
- For more on the Sea Foam and Sea Beach, see Panorama 4: Steinegger Bird's Eye View of Santa Cruz, 1888-89
- For a better photo of the Sea Beach Hotel and another view of the Natatorium, see History Pages: 50 - Beach Hill: 1870-99
- For a photo of the Dolphin, see History Pages: 29 - How the trains came to Santa Cruz (part 3)
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