ENCINITAS, Calif. — The historic Encinitas Boathouses on Third Street are facing structural and financial issues. Historians in the area are sounding the alarm for help.
Ruth Moore’s trip from the other side of the country included a visit to the SS Moonlight and the SS Encinitas.
"We're visiting from Pennsylvania and my friends daughter mentioned these house boats and we were really curious and had to come see them,” Ruth started. “I think they're awesome!"
JT Knowles is a historic contractor and sits on the board of directors for The Encinitas Preservation Association. Knowles says a local builder and his son used lumber from a dance hall on Moonlight Beach that was torn down during the prohibition era to build the boathouses.
It’s Knowles' job to keep the house boats up and running.
"These wouldn't float. They've never been in the water. And they didn’t move here. They were built in place and now that structure that's been here for all these years is failing," Knowles explained.
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The Encinitas Preservation Association bought the boats in 2008. A family with two kids grew up in this home. Now that they're off to college, the family has moved away and now the two houseboats need some TLC.
"As you can see these posts are starting to fail. One boat is collapsing the other is falling over, literally," Knowles shared.
A lot of the damage is weather related from moisture. Knowles also says the boats sustained even more water damage from last year’s hurricane turned tropical storm Hillary.
"We just need funding,” Knowles started. “We don't have any funding. And the rent that we're losing from this place was keeping maintenance alive and we don't have that anymore."
Knowles says they have some bracing holding this from falling over, but one is collapsing.
The house boats are nearly 100 years old and received national historic designation in 2019. Knowles says with about $700,000, at a rate of $350,000 a piece, these houseboats can be fully restored. Knowles hopes the houses can last another 100 years.
Moore, a school teacher in Pennsylvania, says she hopes San Diegans can rally around the project and help.
"It's quite important to support things like this because you want to preserve the history so if you can, help!" Moore exclaimed.
Knowles says the Encinitas Preservation Association could also use help from more volunteers to help preserve local history.
If you’d like to help support the House Boats or the Encinitas Preservation Association, donations can be sent to:
Encinitas Preservation Association
- C/O Encinitas 101 Mainstreet
- 818 S. Coast Hwy 101
- Encinitas, CA 92024
- (760) 943 1950
- suncoastgeneral@gmail.com
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