HISTORY OF 210 MARINE AVE. | Balboa Island Museum

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HISTORY OF 210 MARINE AVE

210 MARINE AVE.

1927-1936

In 1927, Angus Richardson, a Hollywood resident, purchased two lots on Marine Avenue: 210 & 212 Marine. He built a large building across both properties in the same year and, with his partner George Dromgold, operated “Richardson and Dromgold”. The business functioned as a yacht brokerage and marine supplies store. It also doubled as the Balboa Island Fire Station until 1931, when the combined fire and police substation was completed at 323 Marine Avenue. Richardson and Dromgold continued to operate their business at 210 Marine Avenue until about 1937, when they closed the business and Richardson shifted his attention fully to the anchorage he had constructed on Lower Palisades road (now Bayside Drive) opposite Balboa Island.

1938-1948

In 1938, the building was taken over by California Vitamins Inc. and managed by a chemist named C. F. Rehnborg. By 1940, California Vitamins Inc. and C. F. Rehnborg are gone and the building has been divided into at least two, likely three, storefronts with one storefront addressed as “212 Marine” and the other two as “210 Marine”. One storefront is occupied by Conrad Shook, a general contractor and builder who rented the storefront marked as 212 Marine Avenue. Al Pine had the second occupied storefront and ran a hardware from that location. The final storefront does not appear occupied until 1942, when J. Harold Caldwell opened his fishing supply store, Rod & Reel, in the building.

1952-1980

By 1952, Bay District Hardware had been replaced by Island Hardware and Conrad Shook had left, with Kim of California, a sportswear shop, taking over the 212 Marine space. By 1955, Island Hardware had left. By 1958, Frizzelle Nolan had taken over for Kim of California. In 1963, Cantrells came into the building, joining Rod & Reel and Frizzelle Nolan. Rod and Reel was replaced by Island Sporting Goods in 1964, which moved from 222 Marine Avenue into the 210 Marine space. In 1965, Eagelsons took over for Cantrells and in 1966, Frizzelle Nolan was replaced for one year by Dr. R Salsky, an optometrist, before Exotica took over the space in 1967. Island Sporting Goods, Eagelsons, and Exotica consistently rented the spaces through 1974 but by 1980, all three had left.

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1980-1998

In 1980, the building was split between two occupants, Island Hardware and Newport Surf & Sport, with 212 Marine having no listed occupant. It remained this way until 1984, when Balboa Beach Company took over Newport Surf & Sport and and Beach Enterprises Inc took over two of the spaces. By 1985, only Balboa Beach Company and Beach Enterprises Inc were left in the building. In 1989, Beach Enterprises left and Balboa Beach Company took over the entire building until 1998.

1998-2018

In 1998, the building was divided into three segments, with Art for the Soul opening in the right storefront known as “Suite D” and Balboa Beach Company retaining the middle storefront. Suite A, the far left storefront previously known as 212 Marine Avenue, was occupied by The Chic Shack. Balboa Beach Company closed in 2002, vacating the middle storefront which Art for the Soul took over for the remaining 15 years it was in business. In 2008 Olive Oil & Beyond took over Suite D, six years after Art for the Soul moved into the middle suite. In 2011, Waterpoint Reality took over Suite A, but later left. Several businesses rotated through Suite A, but Suite B and D remained Art for the Soul and Olive Oil & Beyond. Eventually, in 2018, Art for the Soul closed and the Balboa island Museum took over the middle storefront.

2018

Grand Opening: BALBOA ISLAND MUSEUM NEWPORT BEACH. More than 250,000 visitors were welcomed to the museum between December 2018 and May 2023.

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