The China House Lives on in CdM

Tucked away in the back of China Cove, you can still find a piece of the historic China House.  Long-time China Cove resident, John Hamilton, had the foresight to work out a deal to keep pieces of the historic structure when it was torn down by Jim & Martha Beauchamp and Ernie & Donna Schroeder to make room for their two rather unremarkable ‘luxury’ homes in 1987.  Hamilton told the LA Times that he was storing the pieces in a warehouse and that they would “someday, somewhere, some way” reappear as a reminder of the house that was.

The pieces of the roof ended up being used on a little building just above his garage on Way Ln, about 50 yards from where the original China House stood. Underneath, a painted ceramic tile plaque reads, ‘This is the original roof of the China House, restored in memory of Barbara ‘B’ Renard (1914-1996). She was China Cove.’ From a quick search, it looks like Barbara lived at 2708 Cove St., which means that from the front lawn of her home, the little building with the China House roof would have been visible. Can anyone share more about ‘B’?

We're working on a longer post in the future about the fight to save China House, the people on each side of the issue, the condition of house in the 80’s, and where the different parties are today. From initial research, it looks like several of the neighbors who fought to save China House are still living in China Cove while Beauchamp and Schroeder may have each stayed for a few years before cashing out in the early 2000’s. If you remember that time period and have any opinions, memories, or photos, please feel free to share here or email us at [email protected].