HISTORY OF CARMEL'S DEVELOPMENT-PART THREE

GRETEL 1925 HANSEL 1924 Two adorable Hugh Comstock fairy tale cottages epitomize Carmel's development. Excerpted from my book: OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL-AMAZON.COM Over the years, builders such as Hugh Comstock in the 1920s, constructed quaint cottages that came to symbolize Carmel’s special character; and special it really is! Paving the streets was a hotly debated development issue opposed by many as an act of “boosterism” that catered to commercial interests. Neon signs were banned, and even today, Carmel’s bars are not allowed to have live entertainment because they would attract the “wrong crowd.” But changes in lifestyle, over time, can erode even the strongest will to resist altering what was once accepted and honored. Holding on to the past while resisting the power of money and change is impossible. The Carmel artistic colony today strives hard to retain its former charm. The city clings to its unique traditions such as no mail delivery and no stop lights, and promotes the arts to an extraordinary level considering its small size. But one also gets the sense that paying homage to quaint traditions also has something to do with presenting an attractive image; an image that caters to what visitors have come to expect. Keeping Carmel somewhat like “earlier Carmel,” is what the visitor is mostly looking for; but not necessarily what residents today want for themselves. Tourism has won the battle that was fought between earlier Carmelites, some of whom sought to preserve the idea of an artistic enclave, and others who wanted to modernize and develop. The city planning document of 1929 had an extraordinary mission statement, especially considering the rampant commercialism of the time: "The city of Carmel-by-the-Sea is hereby determined to be primarily, essentially and predominantly a residential city wherein business and commerce have in the past, are now, and are proposed to be in the future, subordinated to its residential character." Today, property interests, meaning the all-encompassing real estate sector, dominate Carmel-by-the-Sea’s commerce. Housing is so expensive only the elite can afford to own a home. The days of the underpaid artist, poet, or writer starting out in life with little but their inspiration, seeking the solitude of Carmel to nurture their talent among kindred souls, has long ago left the scene. Carmel is delightful and entertaining. The inhabitants are successful, culturally sensitive, and intelligent. Their lifestyle is like few places in the world. But Carmel-by-the-Sea is no longer a small town village or a unique place of artistic inspiration.

THE STORY OF CARMEL'S DEVELOPMENT - PART TWO

FOREST THEATER WHICH WILL CELEBRATE ITS 100 ANNIVERSARY IN 2010 MARY AUSTIN, JACK LONDON, GEORGE STERLING, JIMMIE HOOPER ON CARMEL BEACH DURING THE EARLY BOHEMIAN PERIOD. Excerpt from my book OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL: AMAZON.COM It was during the time at the beginning of the century that San Francisco became a lure for playwrights, poets, authors, actors and actresses, which altogether comprised a bohemian society. Frank Powers, who was Devendorf's partner in the Carmel Development Company, and who was well-known to that bohemian circle, and espousing the virtues of his newly founded “Walden,” certainly attracted artists to experience the tranquil, forested, raw-natured seaside of, Carmel. Avant-garde artists about that time were seeking a refuge where they could indulge in the current idea that artists should lead simple lives thereby sharpening their artistic sensitivities. In Carmel they could farm and graze what food they needed, harvest the abundant abalone, take fish from the rivers, and hunt in the woods. Frequent abalone feasts on the beach became the norm and spontaneous outpourings of poetic verse were common. Leading this artistic movement to Carmel was the poet, George Sterling. He came to Carmel to be with “just one woman,” his wife, and to leave the drinking and the womanizing life of San Francisco behind. He was thirty-six in 1905. His “following” followed him. Jack London and Mary Austin; later Upton Sinclair and a young Sinclair Lewis. Painters followed, awed by Carmel’s natural but wild seacoast, exquisite light, ocean and surf, mountains and sea. It was a special time for all of them. They lived like children in a rarified warp of time. They had picnics on the beach at sundown, toiled during the day to eke out a living on the land, and at night gathered together for wine and talk, all the while encouraging each other’s talent and creativity. Bohemian enclaves are heady wine for the young, the naïve, and the self-sufficient. They do not outlast life’s reality. Jack London died of kidney disease in 1916. Sterling’s wife did not find matrimonial solace in escaping to the woods of Carmel and the promise of “just one woman.” She took her life by cyanide a few years after London’s passing. A decade later Sterling killed himself by the same means. This episode in Carmel’s history is covered in excellent detail by Franklin Walker in The Seacoast of Bohemia. Many of the early bohemians drifted away. Yet, a core few remained, becoming the seed of Carmel’s cultural future. The word was out. Carmel held a special promise for those seeking solitude, those who wanted to create, those who dared to think and act differently. It was out of those early years from which today’s Forest Theater sprung, as well as the Golden Bough Theater, the many renowned art and music festivals, and the profusion of artists, actors, playwrights and others with a creative aptitude who continue to live here today and, although in a very different commercial climate make Carmel today a special place.

THE STORY OF CARMEL'S DEVELOPMENT-PART ONE

THE PINE INN AFTER RELOCATION. MIGHT EVEN BE DEVENDORF'S BUGGY. THE PINE INN TODAY EXPANDED BUT IN THE SAME LOCATION. EXCERPT FROM MY BOOK: OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL, AMAZON.COM The square mile incorporated city of Carmel-by-the-Sea, in addition to the 120 galleries and art studios, also claims two stage theaters, the internationally acclaimed Bach Festival, the equally renowned Shakespeare Festival, a music society, and an annual art festival among its more prominent cultural events. This focus on the arts is not a recent Chamber of Commerce effort to boost tourism. Unlike other California real estate developments around the turn of the 19th Century, from the onset Carmel was a settlement of artists. The original inspiration for developing Carmel came from the neighboring town of Pacific Grove. In that small seaside community during the 1880’s, a group of people representing the Methodist Church established a summer retreat. A retreat that attracted adherents to the Chautauqua Movement, a turn-of-the century Christian based, cultural-enlightenment and self-improvement program. The original developer of present day Carmel thought that, because of the Carmel Mission’s proximity, (the Serra Mission incidentally was in the process of restoration,) the developer could emulate Pacific Grove’s Methodist oriented success with, in this case, a retreat for Roman Catholics. His idea did not succeed for several reasons. First, Carmel was difficult to get to. The developer’s promise (hope) that the railroad from Monterey would be extended to reach the Carmel Mission never happened. Additionally, in the early 1890s, the national economy entered into a recession, causing the bloom to fade on California tourism and discretionary spending for second homes. Adding to these woes was the reality that Carmel was very isolated when compared to Pacific Grove, discouraging even the wealthiest and most enlightened Catholics. The original Carmel developer, Santiago Duckworth, in an attempt to redirect his marketing plan away from duplicating the religious theme of Pacific Grove, had the town renamed “Carmel-by-the-Sea.” He built a bathhouse on the beach and a small hotel to accommodate buyers who remained overnight as they pondered the purchase of a lot in Carmel. Duckworth’s efforts could not overcome the geographic disadvantages, and he was rapidly running out of money and personal enthusiasm. Enter Frank Devendorf. Devendorf, when visiting the Monterey area several years earlier, had seen Carmel beach and was enthralled by the scenery and landscape. He was an experienced realtor, having been instrumental in the development of such communities as Morgan Hill and Santa Cruz in the San Francisco bay area. When Duckworth came to him, looking for a way out of his Carmel project, it did not take long for Devendorf, who was already captivated by Carmel, to swap real estate he owned in the Stockton area for Duckworth’s Carmel holdings. The forty-six-year-old Devendorf then teamed with Frank Powers, a successful San Francisco attorney, heir to a family fortune from the gold rush days, and an energetic and far sighted outdoorsman. Together, they made an unbeatable team, being perfectly matched for the development of Carmel. Each man had his own vision beyond just making Carmel a financial success. Devendorf had always prided himself on building enduring communities, not simply exploiting California’s real estate boom and bust cycle. He had a populist background, influenced by Teddy Roosevelt’s politics and a Jeffersonian heritage. Powers was a driven man, interested in the restoration of the Carmel Mission and exploring the wild coast south of Carmel. They each shared an interest in preserving the landscape, not an interest generally ascribed to by developers during their time. Powers also brought financial resources and legal and business connections to the partnership; Devendorf, the on-site management savvy for real estate development. They formed the Carmel Development Company in 1902, and the rest is history. Devendorf traveled by horse and buggy every Monday from his home in Berkeley to his office in Carmel, where he would spend the remainder of the week. He was the partner who showed the land, set the terms of sale, and encouraged growth. Weary by Friday, he made the long trip back to Berkeley. He was creative. He used log rollers to move the hotel that Duckworth had built to a more central location in the middle of Carmel, renaming it the Pine Inn. Greatly expanded, the Pine Inn is in the same location today, a landmark Carmel hotel. Relocating the hotel was not an easy feat. Ocean Avenue, at the time, was no more than a steep, rutted and pitted grade cursedly named the Devil’s Staircase. During heavy rain, it became an uncontrolled rivulet instead of a main street. From these humble beginnings, just over one-hundred years ago Carmel began to grow from an inaccessable wilderness, and in so doing attracted a different sort of resident; one that would put its stamp on the character of the place, forever.