Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Transition tower

Scaffolding provides perch for lifeguards until new structure is built

Before the new tower is built, there is this...
Before the new tower is built, there is this...

Folks on Coast Highway 101, passing by Cardiff by the Sea’s San Elijo State Beach campground, often ask what’s up with the scaffolding on the bluff with the lifeguard tower on top.

The three levels of open support poles and platforms remind one of the smaller judges’ platforms seen on nearby beaches during surf contests. Except for the lifeguard tower, one might also be reminded of media-circus criminal trials, where every TV network has an elevated broadcast stand; or perhaps even the massive scaffolding for Rose Parade attendees.

The old tower

California State Parks has finally announced the replacement of the original lifeguard tower that was in danger of falling down due to decades of bluff erosion. Built in the mid-1960s when the campground opened, the original tower was torn down after major winter storms pounded the shoreline in 2010. Since then, while the small temporary tower is manned, there is no space for equipment or additional staff.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The original tower (and the ocean horizon behind it, looking south/southwest) has been featured on postcards and Cardiff souvenirs. San Diego’s local film studio, Stu Segall Productions, uses the image in its closing logo on many of the studio’s TV shows.

The tower’s bluff-top position allows lifeguards to monitor the entire three miles of state beach, from the southern tidepools and parking lot at Seaside reef, north to Swami’s.

State officials said at a recent community meeting that the proposed design is still open to changes. The state must first seek approval from the City of Encinitas and the California Coastal Commission before beginning its planned late-2015 replacement.

The new tower, to be built 43 feet back from the existing bluff line, will also serve a command center for the state’s two other North County jurisdictions, Torrey Pines and Carlsbad’s state beaches.

(corrected 11/28, 3:10 p.m.)

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Mid-range fleet scoring bluefin limits off Ensenada

Rockfish to open at all depths April 1st (no foolin’)
Next Article

Gilbert Castellanos, Buddha Trixie, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Shane Hall, Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival

Grand Socials, gigs, and record releases in Del Mar, City Heights, Solana Beach, Little Italy, and Ocean Beach
Before the new tower is built, there is this...
Before the new tower is built, there is this...

Folks on Coast Highway 101, passing by Cardiff by the Sea’s San Elijo State Beach campground, often ask what’s up with the scaffolding on the bluff with the lifeguard tower on top.

The three levels of open support poles and platforms remind one of the smaller judges’ platforms seen on nearby beaches during surf contests. Except for the lifeguard tower, one might also be reminded of media-circus criminal trials, where every TV network has an elevated broadcast stand; or perhaps even the massive scaffolding for Rose Parade attendees.

The old tower

California State Parks has finally announced the replacement of the original lifeguard tower that was in danger of falling down due to decades of bluff erosion. Built in the mid-1960s when the campground opened, the original tower was torn down after major winter storms pounded the shoreline in 2010. Since then, while the small temporary tower is manned, there is no space for equipment or additional staff.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The original tower (and the ocean horizon behind it, looking south/southwest) has been featured on postcards and Cardiff souvenirs. San Diego’s local film studio, Stu Segall Productions, uses the image in its closing logo on many of the studio’s TV shows.

The tower’s bluff-top position allows lifeguards to monitor the entire three miles of state beach, from the southern tidepools and parking lot at Seaside reef, north to Swami’s.

State officials said at a recent community meeting that the proposed design is still open to changes. The state must first seek approval from the City of Encinitas and the California Coastal Commission before beginning its planned late-2015 replacement.

The new tower, to be built 43 feet back from the existing bluff line, will also serve a command center for the state’s two other North County jurisdictions, Torrey Pines and Carlsbad’s state beaches.

(corrected 11/28, 3:10 p.m.)

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Tyler Farr, Blue Water Film Festival, Mustache Bash

Events March 21-March 23, 2024
Next Article

Looking back at race relations in Coronado

A former football player recalls the good and the bad
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.