Santa Cruz’s Westside: Going in Circles Since 1890

Santa Cruz’s Westside: Going in Circles Since 1890

It is easy to wax poetic about a circle. Its importance can be found in the cosmos, mathematics, and in analogies to the cycles of life, death and rebirth. Circles are ubiquitous in design from architecture to fashion.

One place they are not common is as the design foundation for cities and urban streets. While examples can be found of circular cities ancient and futuristic, modern ones like the city of Nahalal in Israel are rare. Circular subdivisions and street plans like Sun City, Arizona also stand out as not the norm. Thus, it should not strike anybody as too surprising that Santa Cruz, California, known for its “keep it weird” culture, should be home to “The Circles” neighborhood.

If you live in Santa Cruz, or have visited, you’ve probably encountered The Circles. Located on the city’s Westside, they lay between the main thoroughfare and famous ocean features like Steamer Lane, Lighthouse Point and Natural Bridges State Beach. You can theoretically miss them, but if you veer of the straight and narrow for any reason, you are likely to get sucked into their vortex. It can take an appreciable amount of time to get out. You’re not lost exactly, you just do not move through them as efficiently as you might want; you go in circles!

Plan for Garfield Park and Circles, 1889.
Plan for Garfield Park and Circles, 1889.

The neighborhood’s origins date back to 1889 when three businessmen offered land to the Christian Church of California (Disciples of Christ) to build a tabernacle for their annual conventions. The idea was to have a large tabernacle surrounded by roads laid out in concentric circles. The large and imposing tabernacle was built and dedicated on Aug. 31, 1890. The surrounding lots were offered at auction within the tabernacle at $105 to $135 each. The tabernacle was the largest auditorium in town for many years. The development was named Garfield Park in honor of James Garfield, a preacher in the national Disciples of Christ church and also the recently assassinated 19th President of the United States. During an early convention, the official name was changed to “Christian Park,” but it didn’t stick. The tabernacle burned down in 1935 and the lot sat empty until the congregation built the Garfield Park Christian Church in 1958. Still going today, the church is often referred to as “The Circle Church.”

Christian Church Tabernacle circa 1900. Photo from the collection of Julia Gaudinski.
Christian Church Tabernacle circa 1900. Photo from the collection of Julia Gaudinski.

The Circles is largely considered a “marvelous planning disaster” by the architecturally minded. It was developed in a haphazard fashion. Tent homes made of plywood and canvas were common in the early years. The circle pattern also resulted in many odd and substandard-sized lots; many are between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet, while a standard city lot is 5,000 to 6,000. Today you will see many large houses with strange angles crammed into these tiny lots. That said, the neighborhood does have a more cohesive feel than many. It still has a local market and a distinctive laid back and friendly atmosphere; a good thing since it’s so easy to get turned around!

The Circles neighborhood in Santa Cruz, California. You can follow Woodrow (formerly Garfield) Avenue down to the ocean. Photo © 2014 www.MultiRotorCam.com.
The Circles neighborhood, Santa Cruz, California. Photo © 2014 MultiRotorCam.com
Nahalal, Israel viewed from the air in 2006. Picture by Aviad2001.
Nahalal, Israel viewed from the air in 2006. Picture by Aviad2001.
Sun City, Arizona viewed from the air 2014. Photo by  Kevin Igo.
Sun City, Arizona viewed from the air 2014. Photo by Kevin Igo.
The circles neighborhood, Santa Cruz California. Photo © 2014 www.MultiRotorCam.com.
The Circles neighborhood, Santa Cruz California. Photo © MultiRotorCam.com
  1. Sources Used

    • The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture. 2005. John Leighton Chase. Judith Stein (Ed). The Museum of Art and History. 2005
    • Garfield Park Tabernacle and Garfield Park Christian Church. Daniel McMahon. Santa Cruz Public Libraries Website. http://www.santacruzpl.org/history/articles/29/
    • "The Circles" Church Santa Cruz Neighborhood on the West Side. California Coastal Home Website. http://www.cacoastalhome.com/blog/the-circles-church-santa-cruz-neighborhood/
    • Institutions in Santa Cruz County 1850 - 1950. Susan Lehman. Santa Cruz Public Libraries Website. http://www.santacruzpl.org/history/articles/31/
    • James Garfield Letter 2/16/1858. Wall Builders Website. http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=53

About The Author

I really enjoy field trips. I love being in a cool place and having someone tell me about it. The problem is, you can’t always find a professor or park ranger-type to tell you all they know about the local rocks, plants, and history. So I decided to combine my love of things natural with mobile technology.

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4 Comments

  1. Patti Martin

    My husband grew up here and loved to tell the stories about the origin of The Circles. The streets were named after Reverend Errett, Reverend Wilkes, and Reverend Walk. Our property is two and a half tent lots. Fun trivia!

    Reply
  2. Steve Hartman

    And I lived with the Reverend Mildrum. They sure didn’t name a circle after him! LOL! But I do often wonder what happened to the family after everyone grew up.

    Reply

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