The Gerlach Wave Motor at the end of the Capitola Wharf, 1895. Image: Adapted from the original from the Capitola Historical Museum

Around the turn of the last century, many forward-thinking folks in California tried to figure out how to harness power from the ocean. Several wave and tidal energy projects were conducted to attempt to generate electricity from ocean tides. Some were in San Francisco near the Cliff House, and one was at the end of the Capitola Wharf.

The Capitola Wharf, 1895. Photo: Capitola Historical Museum

A Santa Cruz area businessman, F. A. Hihn, wanted a source of electricity for the Capitola resort, so he hired Emil Gerlach to make it so. Gerlach constructed a huge paddle board supported by two 22-foot iron towers. The 30-ton contraption was so big and heavy that the ocean swells could barely budge it, so no electricity was ever generated. Gerlach was in good company though, because none of the other projects ever generated electricity either. It was simply an idea ahead of its time.

You can see where the wave motor would be if it were at the end of the present-day Capitola Wharf. Photo: David Sawyer CC BY-SA 2.0

However, the one successful wave energy venture from the era was nearby. In Santa Cruz, the Armstrong brother’s Wave Motor was designed to merely pump water. For 12 years, it reliably pumped ocean water up 120 feet into a large storage tank on a high platform for the benefit of the City of Santa Cruz.

Old postcard showing the Armstrong brother’s wave motor circa 1906. Photo: Courtesy of Frank Perry

For more photos and information about the Gerlach Wave Motor, as well as the Capitola Wharf, visit the Capitola Historical Museum at 410 Capitola Avenue, next to City Hall. The museum is open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, noon – 4:00 pm. Or call 831.464.0322 for an appointment with the curator.

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the Capitola Art and Historic Sites Tour made possible by the Capitola Art and Cultural Commission. Download the free app with many tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond.

1. Sources

   • Personal communication with volunteers at the Capitola Art and Cultural Commission.
   • The Wave Motor: Still Pumping. Mobile Ranger website.

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The Averon-Lodge House, Castro Mansion, 919 Capitola Avenue. Photo. Courtesy of Capitola Historical Museum

Maria Averon built the Averon House in 1877 near the Soquel River and present-day Bay Avenue and Porter Street ramp off Highway 1, in Capitola, California. The house was built on land granted to Martina Castro in the 1830s and ‘40s by Governor José Figueroa through a Mexican land grant. In 1850, after her husband passed away, she divided the more than 35,000 acres among herself and her eight children. One of those heirs was her daughter Maria Guadalupe Averon, who cared for Martina until her death in the Averon home in 1890.

The Averon House today is between the Capitola Mansion Apartments and Highway 1.

In 1884, the Averon House was moved to where it sits today. Although it is behind the Capitola Mansion Apartments, it remains partially visible from the street. It was rescued from demolition in the mid-1970s through the efforts of local historical societies in Soquel, Capitola, and Santa Cruz.

The Averon House is now the building for rental inquiries for the surrounding apartments.

The neighboring Averon Carriage House was constructed circa 1890 and was used until 2015 as the The Quail and Thistle Tea Room. The carriage house has been home to a long line of restaurants and tea houses since Donna Des Jarlais opened the first tea house here in the 1890s.

Today’s Camellia Tea House is about 200 feet south of the Averon House.

Visit the Museum

For more information about Maria Averon, Martina Castro, and other original grantees of most of the lands surrounding Capitola, visit the Capitola Historical Museum at 410 Capitola Avenue, next to City Hall. The Museum is open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 12:00- 4:00 PM, or you can call 831-464-0322 for an appointment with the curator.

Capitola Historical Museum.

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the Capitola Art and Historic Sites Tour made possible by volunteers of the Capitola Art and Cultural Commission. Download the free app with many self-guided walking tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond at mobileranger.com.