As founder Jacob Taylor was forming his new town, acquaintances Ella Loop and Georgiana Weed were reading the poem “The Fight of Paso Del Mar by Bayard Taylor.” They suggested the name Del Mar to Jacob Taylor, and he used it to file his plat map with the County Recorder in 1885. His plan was geometric, with straight streets evenly placed, First Street to Twenty-second Street.
His grid layout in the 1880s echoed similar plans that had been used to convert flat Midwest farmland into cities. Little attention was paid to the local slopes and graduation of the land. Taylor designed 100-foot-wide streets, large lots, allowing generous space between homes with views of the ocean, and he added wooden sidewalks, gas streetlamps, and trees.
Over the years the beauty of Del Mar has attracted people from the worlds of science and technology, and from the business and art communities. Soon the graceful spaces of early Del Mar were filled in. Lots were split, adding houses and, more recently, auxiliary dwelling units have cropped up in small spaces. As land values increase trees are sacrificed and ocean views are compromised diminishing the original charm of the town. Perhaps that is “The Fight of Paso Del Mar” in our time.
If you have photographs, stories, or even books to share, please the Del Mar Historical Society at [email protected].
