OUR LAGUNA: Former shack has pride of ‘place’

It’s just as well that the former owner of the Pottery Shack refused to sell the name along with the property.

“Shack” no longer fits the complex of shops, restaurant and parking facilities on the historic site at 1212 South Coast Highway.

Bette Anderson’s suggestion to name it The Old Pottery Place pays homage to the site, without being a misnomer.

The new buildings — even painted the same dark green of the conglomeration of shacks in recent years — have a sense of permanence that would have made a mockery of the old name.

“Wherever possible, we used the old materials,” property owner Joe Hanauer said Tuesday, touring the site.

This was particularly true of the exterior of the buildings that front on South Coast Highway. In many cases, window frames and sometimes the glass were original. Old siding was replaced in the same off-kilter slant they had on the shacks.

“What’s different is the foundations,” Hanauer said. “There were none. We lifted the walls to build them.”

Construction is nearing completion. Finishing touches are under way, with tenants making individual improvements

A scaled-down version of the Main Beach Lifeguard Tower was created for Jane Hanauer’s Laguna Beach Books store.

Without a smidgen of braggadocio, Joe Hanauer exudes pride in the project. He knows every inch of the project, designed by architect Morris Skenderian.

Pointing to the unadorned Heritage Walk wall, Hanauer visualizes for the visitor the porcelain panels that will tell the story of pottery in Laguna. A display case will contain examples of pottery created on the site and vintage pieces by other ceramic companies in the area.

A bronze casting of a long-lost Julia Bracken Wendt piece will hang in a place of pride. Hanauer had the bas-relief cast from a sadly deteriorated art mold purchased by Anne Frank at a garage sale. The mold was lovingly restored by sculptor Marv Johnson and authenticated by Wendt expert De Witt McCall, owner of De Rus Gallery.

The walk connects the new underground garage, which doubles the original parking on the site, out of sight, to the old brick courtyard. All of the original bricks were stored and laid again in the courtyard.

Emerging from the covered walk, John and Rebecca Barber’s art gallery is on the left — two white-washed, wood walls warming the bright white space.

“I probably will live here,” Rebecca said.

Barber will demonstrate his glassblowing in a courtyard booth

Sapphire Laguna restaurant is on the right side of the courtyard, coming out of the walk. The two-level dining patio just outside the restaurant is fenced with art — the project’s obligatory contribution to the city’s Art in Public Places — created by Sawdust President Marsh Scott and Sherry Bullard.