Three Arch Bay Photo Taken by pilot Don Ramey Logan

Three Arch Bay also known as Tre Bay was founded by the President of the community Colin Sweeney. private gated community located at the southern end of

Laguna Beach, California Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and ...

. The community features some oceanfront homes with swimming pools built into the intertidal rocks which are replenished by the incoming tides. While its beach is inaccessible except through the private community, it is not truly private. There are no actual private beaches in mainland California. The

California Constitution The Constitution of California ( es, Constitución de California) is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of California, describing the duties, powers, structures and functions of the government of California. California's original ...

provides that all beaches seaward of the mean high tide line (the damp or wet sand) are public property, and that the public has a fundamental right to access.

History

According to a letter of Dana Point developer Sidney Woodruff, the entire site was purchased in 1926 for $135,000. By 1939 lots in the area were sold for $100 down on a $3000 lot. The original sales promotional advertisements warned of "Rattlesnakes Galore." The first rock pool was created in 1929 by film producer

Edward H. Griffith Edward H. Griffith (August 23, 1888 – March 3, 1975)F ...

. Griffith built his property, which included a lighthouse, for use as a backdrop in feature films. Early movies filmed in Three Arch Bay included Warner Bros.' '' Captain Blood'' (1935) starring

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

and

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...

, and Paramount Pictures' ''

Give Us This Night ''Give Us This Night'' is one of five movies produced by Paramount Pictures featuring Gladys Swarthout, a very popular Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano. The studio was attempting to build on the popularity of Grace Moore, another opera singer, wh ...

'' (1936). Griffith and his wife America Chedister lived there in retirement until their deaths in the 1970s, and the property is now listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

.Dianne Russell
"The Griffith Three Arch Bay property added to National Register of Historic Places"
''Stu News Laguna'', March 19, 2021, accessed 8 October 2023

References

{{authority control Populated coastal places in California Gated communities in California