The Cove House Lifeguard Administrative building has been around since the late 1950s, but it was no match for the huge swells this week—courtesy Hurricane Marie—that have delighted surfers while causing all sorts of destruction up and down the coast. The building has now fully collapsed, reports the LA Times. "This thing was bulletproof. It had seen it all," the California State Parks' Angeles District superintendent says. But yesterday the Malibu Times noted that the Cove House had been so damaged by pounding waves that cracks were starting to crop up around the doors.
The building is usually protected from the waves by 12 to 16 feet of sand, but that had "disappeared" and the waves were directly hitting the pilings and the structure was starting to lift away from its foundation. Surveying the damage, it became clear "It wasn't just a matter of if, but a matter of when it would go," the superintendent says, so officials were able to get things out of the building before it was completely destroyed, but an important and highly-recognizable feature of the park (it's been in many film and TV shows) is now lost.
lifetime memory washed away >>>>> http://t.co/fdQiZd8OjX #bigwaves #sycamorecove #home #venturacounty #califas pic.twitter.com/rcD6LFnXiT
— Shaunna (@shaunna2) August 28, 2014
· Historic California lifeguard building destroyed by huge waves [LAT]
· High Surf Conditions Damage Structures, Force State Park Closures [MT]
Loading comments...