Leaving No Scone Unturned : Couple Pour It On to Follow Dream of Owning Teahouse in Historic Area

Bees are nesting in the chimney and plywood covers the shattered glass windows on the towering Victorian. Nearby, knee-high weeds are poised to swallow up a dusty, rust-colored shed whose warped floorboards are off-limits to visitors.

Allan and Claudia Niccola look at it all and sigh, picturing the day when the dilapidated buildings are transformed into their new home and a cottage teahouse in the Los Rios Historic District.

“People say to us, ‘You’re living everyone’s dream,’ and we really are,” Allan Niccola said.

A year ago, the Niccolas had a simple plan to buy the small, run-down cottage and renovate it into a teahouse. But from the start, the project has faced an uphill battle.

It was only after purchasing the cottage that the Niccolas discovered a little-known city requirement that aims to uphold strict historical standards and control development in the district: Business owners must live there as well.

The cottage was too small for a business and residence, so the Niccolas purchased an 80-ton, two-story Victorian and two weeks ago had it lifted off its foundation and transported to the cottage site. In all, the Niccolas expect to spend nearly $1 million on the project.

Their saga began more than a year ago, and can only be blamed on a love of tea. Claudia Niccola and her three daughters used every special occasion as an excuse to visit area teahouses and enjoy delicate finger foods.

“It’s a great thing to do, to sit for hours and gab and sip tea, and eat little sandwiches,” Claudia Niccola said. “I remember throwing tea parties when I was a little girl.”

The women decided to turn their favorite pastime into a livelihood. The trick was to get Allan Niccola, a music teacher at Lakeside Middle School in Irvine, involved. His response: “No way.”

But after much pleading and an afternoon spent at a bustling teahouse, Allan Niccola came to believe there was money to be made selling crumpets.

“I saw how many people were coming in and how big the bill was,” he recalled. The San Juan Capistrano residents decided the perfect spot for their new business would be the Los Rios Historic District, which had the charm to match their plans.

A narrow road absent a sidewalk, Los Rios Street is lined with shade trees, cactuses and restored and vacant cottages, some dating back more than a hundred years.

“Location is everything, and we decided we wouldn’t want to do it if we couldn’t do it here,” explained Claudia Niccola.

The Niccolas fell in love with one particular cottage, known as the Rodman Home, which was built in the 1920s. To their dismay, the cottage was on the verge of being sold. Allan Niccola called the real estate agent every week, checking on the sale’s progress.

On the day it fell through, the Niccolas made their offer.

“It was like a magic moment,” Allan Niccola said.

Then they discovered they needed to live in the district as well. “We didn’t know what we were going to do,” Claudia Niccola said.

Their real estate consultant suggested the Victorian, located at the time on Camino Del Avion.

Many preservationists are not thrilled with the Niccolas’ plans. They fear the new business will bring noise, traffic and parking problems. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, the Los Rios district is fiercely guarded by those determined to retain its old-style ambience.

David Belardes, a preservationist and member of the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission, said the Niccolas are the latest in a line of developers commercializing the quaint area.

“I understand that they have good intentions,” Belardes said. “But they come from outside the community and by them moving in, they’re creating more problems.”

The Niccolas have vowed to work with city officials to try to prevent problems before they start. The Niccolas also plan to salvage everything they can during renovations. Century-old bricks, for example, will be used for the walkways.

The teahouse is scheduled to open next summer. At times the project seems daunting, Claudia Niccola said.

The Niccolas now spend their spare time reading building magazines and watching home improvement shows. They’ve enrolled in restaurant management classes at UC Irvine and are busy trying scone recipes.

“We really need to keep the end in sight,” Claudia Niccola said. But they said they are still looking forward to living up to the responsibility of preserving this bit of California history.

“Someone else had a greater plan for us,” Allan Niccola said pointing skyward.