Country Club Heights
The Country Club Heights District is distinctly marked by its steep hillsides, views of the lake and the City, and is a key part of Lake Elsinore's history. The issues mentioned above have presented development constraints for Country Club Heights since its historic beginnings dating back to 1912. The area was the target of an elaborate land scheme promoted in Los Angeles. The Mutual Benefit and Loan Society of Los Angeles acquired two pieces of dry, "hill-land" within a few miles north of "town-land" that the Press claimed was not worth ten cents an acre. The Mutual Benefit and Loan Society offered to give a 25x100-foot lot to anyone who asked; however, the person receiving the lot had to pay ten dollars for a membership in the society, and one dollar per month dues for five years. In 1923, the Clevelin Realty Corporation, headed by Henry Schultz, began selling additional lots in Country Club Heights and launched an unprecedented for its size real estate sales promotion in the area. Later, in 1925, W.R. Covington and Associates of Santa Monica purchased 650 feet of lake frontage and three blocks of slightly improved land across Poe Street from Warm Springs Park. A clubhouse, swimming pool, and other facilities projected to cost $200,000 were built on this property. No records have been found to provide the date when a fire destroyed the clubhouse, but remnants of the burned structure and surrounding trees examined in 1942 indicate that the fire must have occurred soon after the building was constructed. Noteworthy sites in the Country Club Heights District include the Bredlau Castle, built on a hilltop of Country Club Heights in 1926 by Henry Schultz, who had originated the Clevelin development. The beautiful building overlooking the lake was the site for many social gatherings. The Castle is over 9,000 square feet, including a hidden room with a sliding bookcase door that was used during Prohibition. In October 1928, Aimee Semple McPherson, a renowned, noted evangelist, built a palatial home in Country Club Heights, which has since won fame as "Aimee's Castle." Aimee's Castle served as the evangelist's part-time home until 1939 when it passed to new ownership. Since then it has changed hands many times and is rumored to be owned by actor Johnny Depp.
Read more about this topic: Lake Elsinore, California, Geography, Districts
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