
About the La Jolla Historical Society
Our Story
The La Jolla Historical Society is a 501c3 nonprofit public benefit corporation whose mission is to inspire and empower the community to make La Jolla’s diverse past a relevant part of contemporary life, encouraging exploration of the past in ways that inform the present and shape the future. The Society preserves and shares La Jolla’s distinctive sense of place, and serves as a community resource and gathering place where residents and visitors explore history, art, ideas and culture.
Unique in its role as a historic house museum, the Society develops projects that engage disciplinary boundaries and explore the relationship of culture to society, collaborating with guest curators, artists, architects, and other cultural producers. Programs include exhibitions, presentations, symposia, discussions, interviews, architecture tours, youth education, and annual community events such as the Secret Garden Tour of La Jolla and the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance & Motor Car Classic. The Society consults with the City of San Diego regarding landmark designation of properties located in La Jolla.
The Society operates a campus of three historic buildings it owns and maintains within the Scripps/Gill cultural zone. The 1904 Wisteria Cottage, gifted to the Society in 2008 by Ellen Revelle, has been restored and rehabilitated with expanded, museum-standard gallery space for changing exhibitions and educational programs. The Society also operates a 1909 cottage as offices and providing public research space, and a 1916 carriage house retrofitted for state-of-the-art storage of the Society’s archival collection, which includes historic photographs, public records, private documents, and newspaper archives.
Board of Directors
Meg Davis, President
Laura DuCharme Conboy, AIA, Vice President
Mark Muñoz, Treasurer
Marouane Abdaoui, Secretary
Matthew Mangano, PE, Immediate Past President
Nick Agelidis
Meredith Baratz
Johnny "Bear" Contreras
Alicia Calhoon
Ann Craig
George Coles
Jahlel Hunter
Cari Massaad
Molly McClain, Ph.D.
Trang Pham
Susie Piegza
Roger Sammon
Melanie Showalter
Staff
Lauren Lockhart, Executive Director
Dana Hicks, PhD, Deputy Director and Collections Manager
McKenna Clifford Yahyai, Education and Public Engagement Manager
Karla Cook, Office and Events Manager
Carol Olten, Historian
EIN: 95-6116290