Draft:Promontory Point

Promontory Point is a harborside community in Newport Beach, California, accessible via Pacific Coast Highway and Bayside Dr.

History

On ocean side of Pacific Coast Highway, stands a little rise of land, charmingly named by the folks at the Irvine Company as Promontory Point. It isn't so vast, just about half a mile of flatness at the top, except for the side that takes a swift nosedive towards the Balboa yacht basin and the ever-so-sophisticated Balboa Island.

The grand maestro behind this spectacle was none other than Ray Watson, a man of vision, who, with a flick of his managerial wand, appointed William Watt as the overseer of this peculiar project. Watt, a fellow with a degree in the mystical arts of civil engineering from the hallowed grounds of Stanford, had navigated the unpredictable seas of Navy projects before finding himself in the magical realm of the Irvine Company. He'd joined after sending Watson a letter that included some arcane drawings.

Having survived Newport Center and Fashion Island, Watt set his sights on the daunting task of Promontory Point. This community was envisioned to host a whopping 536 living abodes on a scant 30 acres. Trouble, however, brewed like a storm on the horizon, especially from the inhabitants of Balboa Island, who, upon glimpsing the impending changes, weren't just upset – they organized!

A legion of 300 to 400 island dwellers, along with some from the nearby Irvine Terrace, descended upon the city planning commission like a wrathful wave on December 3, 1970. The Daily Pilot reported that the audience was not exactly sending love letters to the Irvine Company officials; heckling was the tune of the day. There were so many people that some had to resort to peering through windows from the outside.

The hearing was an epic saga, stretching five hours long. Not a whisper of support for the project echoed through the hall, and the commissioners, with a keen sense of foresight, rejected the plan a month later in a 4-2 vote. The City Council, sensing the tempest, followed suit a month after that.

After five months of magical revisions, including a reduction in the number of abodes, the Irvine Company finally got the nod from the planning commission in June. Surprisingly, the city council, in a 6-1 vote, also gave their enchanted approval two months later. However, this came with a laundry list of conditions, one of which insisted on creating a "window to the bay" between the buildings. Watt, feeling a bit like Don Quixote, wanted to tilt at windmills but was told by Watson to let it be.

Another perplexity for Watt was the demand for a public walkway on top of the bluff along Pacific Coast Highway. Once again, Watt sought counsel from Watson, and once again, Watson quashed his objections, stating, "... no one would use it and it's not the end of the world." Looking back after almost half a century, Watt grudgingly admitted, "Ray was absolutely right."

To navigate the treacherous waters of the narrow bluff, Watt called upon the skills of the wizard architect Joe Escherick. Escherick, known for his prowess in shaping private residences and conjuring up homes at Sea Ranch, took on the challenge. Promontory Point, however, was the antithesis of Sea Ranch, snaking along the narrow bluff, defying the landscape with its bold presence.

Escherick, in his wizardly way, envisioned a stair-stepping arrangement for the apartments down the bluff facing Balboa Island. The Irvine Company, in its infinite wisdom, had decided on a wood frame for the project, limiting the construction to three stories. No elevators were allowed, compelling Escherick to design a plan where tenants wouldn't have to climb more than a single flight from carport to castle.

While Escherick pondered, Watt grappled with another puzzle – a large, flat area at the base of the bluff on the Balboa Island side. Enter Jack Raub, the consulting civil engineer, with a practical and profitable solution – reroute Bayside Drive, cut a deep-water channel, and voila! Property for houses with boat slips.

With a new property line and a parting of ways with Escherick, Watt brought in Fisher Friedman Architects.Two months later, they proposed a dazzling solution – large buildings on seven levels but appearing as if only three. The façade was shaved off at a 45-degree angle, creating the illusion of cascading apartments.

Construction began, and after a few hiccups (the framing company went belly up, but Irvine Company swooped in), the project was completed just over the $20 million budget. With bright stucco walls and red tile roofs, the apartments stood proudly, or rather starkly, along Pacific Coast Highway, causing some to raise an objection.

As the rainy season rolled in, runoff presented itself as the final challenge, pooling on the decks and roofs of many apartments. Watt and his construction team, being no strangers to adversity, figured out the problem and crafted a solution. While this solution was never executed at a broad scale, the community would eventually go on to win architectural awards.

The initial dreams for Promontory Point by William Pereira included a mix of commercial and residential wonders, including hotels, a concept that never quite materialized on that enchanted spot.

2022 Fire

On September 11, 2022, a four-alarm fire ravaged four units at the Promontory Point apartment complex. Newport Beach Fire Department officials, led by Natalie May, disclosed that the fire, initiated at 10:30 a.m. on a somber Sunday, metamorphosed into a perilous ordeal. By 11:44 a.m., with the fire's relentless ascent exacerbated by high temperatures from Tropical Storm Kay, the incident burgeoned into a four-alarm conflagration. As firefighters valiantly combated the flames until 12:16 p.m., the inferno exacted its toll, injuring two of the bravest.

Amidst the aftermath, a tenant recounted the tragic saga of her apartment, consumed by an electrical fire that commenced in her kitchen. A tale of delayed alarms and the absence of overhead fire suppression sprinklers unfolded, leaving her dwelling defenseless against the fiery onslaught. Another neighbor deeply affected by the calamity, shared her ordeal, revealing the disconcerting absence of fire alarms in her building. The echoes of distress from residents, coupled with external calls for aid, underscored the alarming vulnerability of the complex. Meanwhile, the revelation that Promontory Point's building permits harkened back to the 1970s, exempting it from modern sprinkler mandates, raised questions about the adequacy of fire safety measures.== References ==