Edward Griffith Pools
A Bygone Era
In the 1920s, Three Arch Bay was a remote outpost south of Laguna Beach. One of its first residents, Hollywood film producer/director Edward H. Griffith “Ned” and his wife, America Chedister, built one of the first homes there where they entertained many celebrities, such as Claudette Colbert and Lionel Barrymore. The property included a lighthouse, an ocean cave, and incredibly, a large saltwater pool built into the coastal rocks, filled daily by the tides.
Over the years, the pool has remained, albeit a bit battered and bruised by the pounding surf. And recently, it’s become a bit of a social media celebrity, with its photogenic setting and ‘beautiful decay’ aesthetic. It also has quite an interesting back story.
Because of its challenging location, the construction was planned around three consecutive minus, evening tides. Crews worked quickly throughout the nights, using fast-drying cement under bright Hollywood stage lights, with America feeding them her homemade, locally-sourced, oyster stew.
Construction of pool, 1928
To celebrate the pool’s completion, America added a creative touch by stocking it with dozens of Garibaldis and hosting an infamous gathering dubbed the “Shipwreck Party” where dozens of Hollywood mucky-mucks attended, dressed in castaway costumes. I’m sure it was quite a sight to behold.
Many of Ned’s and America’s Hollywood friends visited their home, and likely the pool. Top row: America Chedister, Edward H. Griffith. Middle row: Claudette Colbert, D.W. Griffith, Harry Carey. Bottom row: Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith.
A Different Era
This story is fascinating in that it harkens back to an era where things like this were conceived and executed, probably without much concern for the environment. Back then, the natural world was considered something to be tamed and utilized. An explosion of infrastructure throughout the country was taking place–power, transportation, agriculture–cutting a wide swath through valleys and plains.
Today, the thought of tearing out a coastal rock pool to build a private swimming pool seems crazy, but back then it was ingenious, and fact that Garibaldis were placed in it is incredible, which today would likely lead to an arrest.
Ned and America quietly lived out their lives in Three Arch Bay. Ned died in March of 1975 and America followed soon after November. Their legacy, the pool, lives on as an artifact of a bygone era that thought big, and also as a reminder that we should respect and care for our coastal ecosystem, not destroy it for personal benefit.
Garibaldi & Friends
The story inspired me in many ways–to learn more about Ned and America and about the Garibaldi of which I knew very little other than they were cool and orange. Their name originated from their color–after Italian general and hero, Giuseppe Garibaldi, who wore bright red-orange shirts, and inspired his followers to do the same. The garibaldi’s color comes from their diet of sponges and they’re also territorial, who will aggressively defend their habitats. They’re also curious and docile, when not threatened, and were adopted as our official California State Fish in 1995.
Top row: Garibaldi. Bottom row: The Battle of Calatafimi
In honor of the garibaldi in the Griffith pool we made four new shirts printed in ‘garibaldi red’, obviously. Two feature the Garibaldi and two others, their close friends–the Southern California Groundfish and the three California State marine amigos–the Leatherback Turtle (reptile), the Garibaldi (fish), and Gray Whale (mammal). I hope you enjoyed this sliver of the past as much as we did learning about it and sharing it with you. Feel free to pick up one of our tees if so inspired!
