Newport Harbor Yacht Club prepares to replace 97-year-old clubhouse
Newport Beach’s oldest yacht club plans to break ground in January on a new clubhouse to replace its current 97-year-old building, which floods during high tides and has fallen into disrepair.
The Newport Harbor Yacht Club will demolish the existing clubhouse to make way for a 23,163-square-foot, two-story building overlooking the harbor at 720 W. Bay Ave.
The new building, modeled in the same coastal style as its nearly century-old predecessor, has been more than a decade in the making for the 770-member yacht club, said Staff Commodore Tim Collins.
“This really is the culmination of a 12-year process,” he said. “The membership is very excited about this next phase and planning for the next 100 years.”
Club members were very clear during the project’s initial phases that they wanted a design in keeping with the club’s traditions, the Balboa Peninsula and the surrounding neighborhood, Collins said.
The Newport Harbor Yacht Club was established in 1916, when the city and Orange County were planning to dredge the harbor’s sandbars and improve its entrance to create a recreational harbor.
The club moved to its current building in 1919. Though it has been remodeled and enlarged, the clubhouse has never been replaced.
The club has grappled for years with how to restore the aging structure.
In 2012, it approached the city with plans for the new clubhouse. It asked the city to allow it to build the structure as tall as 36 feet. The city typically limits waterfront buildings to 31 feet.
Ultimately, the club’s plan was approved by the Planning Commission and the City Council. In March, the project cleared its final hurdle when it won approval from the California Coastal Commission.
Jeff Larsen, principal at MVE Architects and lead designer on the project, said he wanted to build a clubhouse inspired by the housing designs on Peninsula Point and Balboa Island.
He also wanted the building to fit the personalities of the members who would use it, and he made an effort to make it elegant and functional without being ostentatious, he said.
The street entrance to the building will lead to a small lobby area with chairs and a front desk. To the left, the grand hallway, featuring wood floors, will lead to the dining room area overlooking Newport Harbor, renderings show.
The formal dining room will feature recessed lighting and floor-to-ceiling glass doors that slide to access the harbor. Across the grand hallway, the Pirates Den Bar — a more casual space — will have a wood bar and stone fireplace.
The building also will feature a boardroom and a space for junior sailing members.
The second floor of the clubhouse will feature an expansive room for guests to congregate before functions, a members living room with a fireplace and another events area with harbor views that can be sectioned off with panels. The second floor also will have an expansive deck where members can watch regattas and other harbor events.
The foundation of the building will be raised several feet above sea level in an effort to prevent flooding during “king tides.” The current clubhouse often floods when storms and tides overwhelm the Balboa Peninsula.
Incorporating the old building’s charm and character in the new clubhouse was a key element of the design, Larsen said.
“The history of the place is so strong, so the new building is reminiscent and has some similar elements of the old building,” he said. “So many people have grown up going to this yacht club. It made me realize it’s not about the style of the building and the exterior. Instead, it’s a vessel for the yachting family there and the community, a place that holds these relationships and memories.”
Construction is expected to last about 18 months. In the meantime, members will be able to congregate on a charter vessel at the east dock. The vessel will host the club’s food and beverage service, Collins said.
“We want to keep members coming to the club even though we won’t have the capacity for private parties,” he said. “We want to give them a reason to come down and see the progress on the new building.”
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
