Quick Take
One of the brightly colored beachside homes in Capitola’s Venetian Court is officially on the market, as the complex celebrates its 100th year as one of Santa Cruz County’s most recognizable landmarks as well as “California’s first vacation home complex.” The two-level, 1,926-square-foot property, currently divided into two units, is listed as a single-family home and asking $5.45 million.
Among all of the historic, vibrant locations in Santa Cruz County, one of the most recognizable looks like it’s straight out of another coastal city on the other side of the world: Venice, Italy. Capitola’s Venetian Court, the two rows of 24 multicolored pastel townhouses sitting beachside between the Stockton Avenue Bridge and the Capitola Wharf at 1500 Wharf Rd., have been a county fixture since 1924 — exactly 100 years. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Now, for the first time in 50 years, one of those colorful homes is on the market. Unit 12, the sky blue unit directly adjacent to the Stockton Avenue Bridge, was listed last week for a whopping $5.45 million. The two-level residence features a private balcony directly above the part of Soquel Creek that meets the Pacific Ocean, and is situated just a short walk away from the Capitola Esplanade and beach. The property sports low walls surrounding its deck, flat roofs with sparse decorative tiling, and even some bolder charms like dolphin statues and smiling gargoyles.
According to the National Register of Historic Places, the Venetian Court began when Henry Allen Rispin purchased the land in 1919 and dreamt of a second Venice. That’s the same name connected to the historic Rispin Mansion, which is currently undergoing a restoration of some of the estate’s amenities and the riparian land around it.
Within five years, the Spanish Colonial Revival-style homes were complete, and marked Capitola’s transformation from a mostly quiet fishing town to a bustling tourist area. It is one of the first motel and condo developments in California.
“It’s probably most accurate to describe the Venetian Court as California’s first vacation home complex, which is also celebrating its centennial anniversary this year,” said listing agent Jerid Kiedrowski, a realtor with Aptos-based Allen Property Group.
Listed as a single-family house, it is 1,926 square feet in total, and operates as two units — one on top of the other. The top unit has two bedrooms and one bathroom, and the bottom unit has three bedrooms and one bathroom. Each has its own kitchen. With that square footage, the asking price amounts to about $2,830 per foot.
The National Register of Historic Places also says that Unit 12, along with the other connected properties, “retains a high degree of its original appearance,” aside from occasional paint jobs and interior updates and renovations like new doorways and windows. Kiedrowski said the National Historic Registry designation “prohibits changes to the building’s exterior, other than color.”
Kiedrowski told Lookout that the same family, which wishes not to be named, has owned Unit 12 since 1976, and that family also owns the 17-unit Capitola Venetian hotel right next door. He added that many of the other units have been under the same ownership for years as well: “Many of the adjacent owners are families that have owned their homes for decades, passed down from one generation to the next.”
And while the owners of the property and hotel have managed Unit 12 through its rental program for some time now, the purchase of the home would change that.
“Unit 12 was never intended to be part of the adjacent hotel and vacation rental complex,” he said. “The owners have decided to offer it back as a single-family home, as it was originally intended.”
Along with the high listing price, any prospective buyer will have to be wary of the home’s proximity to the shoreline, where wave action can get intense. In late December 2023, huge swells battered Capitola Village, damaging restaurants and closing the Esplanade for the second time in less than a year after the torrent of atmospheric rivers in early 2023. Two women staying at the Venetian hotel required rescuing, but escaped unharmed. Kiedrowski said the properties are no stranger to the elements, and have “been dealing with storms for the past century.”
“Most of the units carry flood insurance, which is readily available,” he said. “There are also grant programs available to help cover the cost of flood insurance for historic properties.”
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