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The water tower on 1 Anderson St.
seen in photos is a landmark. With a trained eye, you can actually spot
it on many flights arriving into Long Beach or Orange County airports.
Perched close to the sand on the Orange California, County coast, the
neighborhoods in which it sits are Sunset Beach and Surfside. Yet in one
of those strange quirks, it is zoned Seal Beach, which is located across
the Anaheim Bay and Seal Beach Channel to the Pacific Ocean.
When the water tower outlived its useful purpose several decades
ago, community activism kept it alive. It was going to be torn
down and the land would be redeveloped. Surrounding its base for
several years there has been a car lot where used cars are bought and
sold. The water tower, itself, has been for sale a number of times. In
the last listing, the price was several million dollars (around $5
million) as we recall. With hardly any land below, it would be
sold more as a second home or for those who don't mind high rise living.
The last family residing in it full time moved to something closer to
terra firma that their kids can enjoy. But they held onto the
house and rent it out as a weekly vacation home. At last glance, the
home rented for around $5000/week. *information is subject to change
The converted water tower house offers one of the finest views
anywhere. An elevator leads up to the approximate 4th story
living area of a luxury tri-level home with 2 master suites,
huge bar, fire pit lounge, outdoor jacuzzi and office in a view
room at the top.
Rising 87 feet into the air, 30 feet in
diameter on a 35 square foot lot was built in the late 1800s to
service the steam engines that ran from Los Angeles to San
Diego.
In 1945 water was pumped from an artesian well
from Bolsa Chica bluffs to the tower to service Sunset Beach and
Surfside. The tower was deactivated in 1974. In 2006 when a developer
sought to build homes on the land on Bolsa Chica bluffs where the water
tower once sat, the project faced an interesting challenge of finding a
water source to supply the houses. Believe it or not, there was no water
available and the City of Huntington Beach (home to the bluffs), and a
private water company were both considered for the project. Ultimately
Huntington Beach supplied the water but still, it's an irony that a
water tower was replaced with homes that had no water.
The water tower how was purchased
and renovated beginning in 1980. Restoration of the redwood tower was
the first task. The tank portion was lowered to ground level and
made into a home which was then lifted by crane back into position on 21
wooden legs reinforced with steel at
the joints. The owner finally moved into the one-of-a-kind
house in 1985 but sold the house. It offers the best views on this portion of the coast. From
one direction you can see the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. Other
views include Newport Beach, Long Beach, Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro,
San Bernardino Mountains and on a clear day, you can see L.A.
A few doors down on Pacific Coast
Highway there's a couple diners that capture the old-time California
atmosphere with their simple cafe booths and counter seats. Wander on
over to
Harbor House Cafe if you're visiting and looking for breakfast,
lunch or dinner. Across the street you can take your sweetie for a
ride on the
Sunset Gondola.
Then finish off the perfect day with a treasured piece of art or
sculpture from
Bill Anderson's Gallery.
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