LuLu Carpenter’s on Pacific Avenue, 2015. Photo: Paul Babb

Named for a local business owner and seamstress from the early 20th century, Lulu Carpenter’s, is the oldest building on Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz. Built in 1866, it has also been known as the Compass Rose Building because of the rose-shaped compass that used to be embedded in the adjacent sidewalk.

The building that houses today’s Lulu Carpenter’s as it was circa 1892. Photo: Courtesy of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History

In the 1920s and 1930s, Mrs. Lulu Carpenter, a local dress designer, operated “Lulu Carpenter’s Dress Shoppe” in the building. Her shop featured dresses, sweaters, suits, and hats made from patterns that she designed.

The building burned in 1936, and it seemed that all traces of her shop were consumed in the fire. It wasn’t until 1977, during renovation for a new bar, that one relic of the dress shop came to light. Beneath the stucco and plywood face of the building, Lulu Carpenter’s storefront sign was found, preserved. The new bar, also called Lulu Carpenter’s, displayed the original sign behind the bar until the business was sold in 1986. The sign was given to the last remaining descendant of Lulu Carpenter.

After the bar closed, the building served as a stockbroker’s office and an art house until the structure was seriously damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.

Extensive damage on Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, California, after the Loma Prieta Earthquake, 1989. Photo: C. E. Meyer, US Geological Survey

In 1992, the building was the first to reopen for business after the quake, when it debuted as Lulu Carpenter’s coffeehouse. The original Lulu Carpenter’s sign was on display inside Lulu Carpenter’s until 2015, when it was returned to the Carpenter family again.

Lulu Carpenters in 2015. It is the last surviving building from the mid-19th century. Photo: © Linda Rosewood

The compass rose, which was once embedded in the sidewalk, was removed and framed. It was on display in the coffeeshop until the mid 2000s when it was removed to make room for a shelf. According to one of the current owners, the “very heavy” historic piece is in storage onsite, but they hope to put it back on display. The next time that you are on Pacific Avenue, stop in for a cup of coffee and maybe even impress a few customers by sharing a nugget of Lulu Carpenter’s history.

Updated August 9, 2016

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Del Mar Theater, located at 1120-1126 Pacific Avenue, was built in 1936.  Photo courtesy of the Santa Cruz Historical Commission.

Arguably “the crown jewel of Pacific Avenue” in downtown Santa Cruz, California, the Del Mar Theatre stands as the oldest theater in the city of Santa Cruz. Originally built as a vaudeville theater in 1936, the Del Mar is best known for its vibrant exterior lights, independent movies and Art Deco architectural design—both inside and out.

The architectural style of the theater is Zig-Zag Moderne (a style within Art Deco that used highly geometric shapes as ornamentation) and was built by architect J. Lloyd Conrich.  The façade, divided into three sections bordered by grooved piers, is focused on its tall sign and project marquee decorated with neon stars and seashells. Beneath the zig-zag, bas-relief border bare-breasted maidens can be seen. The interior of the Del Mar was designed by noted theater decorator William Chevalis.

Decorative interior lobby ceiling by noted theater designer William Chevalis. Photo courtesy of the Santa Cruz Historical Commission.

The Del Mar opened its doors as a cinema palace on August 14, 1936, with the world premiere showing of Warner Brothers China Clipper, starring Pat O’Brien. The movie experience was quite different in those days. At the opening, according to the Sentinel, “six usherettes, all blondes, in attractive red uniforms, and three ushers in white sports coats showed the guests to their seats.” Due to the overwhelming splendor of the newly built theater and its success, the nearby New Santa Cruz Theater dropped the “new” from its title in hopes that it would bring in more customers. Furthermore, another theater, called the Unique, closed down altogether.

Commemorative plaque next to the Del Mar theater. This plaque details how the Del Mar began and how the theater was saved from being sectioned off and made into shops and offices in the late 1990s.

As decades passed, movie-goers dwindled and the Del Mar closed in 1999. The following year it was purchased by the Santa Cruz Redevelopment Agency which leased it as a joint-venture between local developers George Ow Jr. and Barry Swenson Builders. The Nickelodeon, a local independent company, together with community support, restored the theater following a design by Lerner & Associates of San Francisco. The grand re-opening was held on March 2, 2001. Of special note are the restored refreshment stand, mezzanine ceiling, light fixtures and lady’s restroom.

On December, 15, 2015 the Del Mar was bought by Landmark Theaters, a large US-based company, dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent and foreign films. According to the previous owner, Landmark Theaters will keep all the existing staff and does not plan to make any changes.

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the Downtown Historic-Art Tour made possible Don Lauritson with the support of the Santa Cruz Historic Preservation Commission. Download the free app with many tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond.