Encinitas Boathouses

For the schooner that sank in Lake Superior, see Moonlight (ship).

S.S. Encinitas and S.S. Moonlight, designated by the National Register of Historic Places as the Encinitas Boathouses, are two houses made to look like a boat in Encinitas, California. Despite their appearance, they have never been to sea and are purely novelty architecture. The dwellings were added to the register on October 21, 2019. North Coast Current claims that they are the most photographed buildings in the city.^[1]

S.S. Encinitas and S.S. Moonlight
General information
Status	Completed
Address	726-32 3rd St, Encinitas, CA 92024
Year(s) built	1929
Completed	1929
Owner	Encinitas Preservation Association
Height	15 ft (4.6 m)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Miles Minor Kellogg
Encinitas Boathouses
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Encinitas, California
Coordinates	33.04294°N 117.29541°W / 33.04294; -117.29541
Area	1,100 sq ft (100 m2)
NRHP reference No.	100004530
Added to NRHP	October 21, 2019

History

The boats were constructed by Miles Minor Kellogg^[2] in 1929, salvaging wood from the closed-down Moonlight Beach Dance Parlor and Encinitas Hotel. The dance parlor had closed due to the Prohibition. Kellogg was a maritime engineer from Benton Harbor, Michigan^[3] whose father was a sea captain. Inspired by the city's ocean setting, and without any plans, he also built the four-unit apartment complex behind the boats.^[4]

The houses are currently owned by the Encinitas Preservation Association, which purchased it in 2008. It plans to convert it into a museum once it pays off its loan, as the boathouses are currently being rented as private residences.^[5] The association had to pay $1.55 million (equivalent to $2,263,671 in 2024) to purchase the buildings and the apartments behind it.^[4]

Architecture and interior

Both houses are 15 ft (4.6 m) tall and 20 ft (6.1 m) long, with an area of about 1,100 sq ft (100 m²). Each also has 19 portholes, a galley, a steering wheel, a chart desk, and rudders.^[5][4] The bow also can be used as a patio.^[2] Each boat has two floors.^[6]