| 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 | |
 
| |
| Nearest city | Encinitas, California |
| Coordinates | 33°02′35″N 117°17′43″W / 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 |
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]
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 $2,193,478 in 2023) to purchase the buildings and the apartments behind it.[4]
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]
