The “Mushroom House,” an architectural oddity and a social media marvel at La Jolla’s Black’s Beach, has been the subject of several cleanups in the past few months. And now a local working group is focusing on future uses for it.
Two of the group’s members — Patrick Ahern of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Joe Vecchio, a friend of current Mushroom House owner Buzz Woolley — attended the La Jolla Shores Association’s meeting June 17 to talk about the efforts.
In addition to Ahern — who has been active in various La Jolla community groups — and Vecchio, the working group consists of Pancho Dewhurst and Heath Akers of GDC Construction and Michael Morton of Marengo Morton Architects.
Vecchio said Woolley wants the vacant house — nicknamed for its shape, which has made it a tourist attraction thanks to a bevy of social media posts — to become “a community asset with multipurpose usage.”
Though discussions of how to do that began in December 2024, Vecchio said “we’re [still] at the very beginning.”
The Mushroom House, also known as “Bell’s Pavilion,” was designed and built by architect Dale Naegle in the 1960s as a guesthouse for Sam Bell, an heir to the General Mills fortune. It is on the beach and down the bluff from the main house at 9044 La Jolla Shores Lane.
The “Mushroom House” is pictured at Black’s Beach in La Jolla on March 17. (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Shores Association board members pointed out a couple of potential roadblocks to converting the property.
Mary Coakley Munk said opening it for any public use could result in “a huge problem with [disabled] accessibility.”
Mike McCormack said any bluff collapse could threaten the building. Also, maintaining it could be “a management nightmare” for whoever is responsible for it, he added.
“I’m assuming the owner wants to rid themselves of this,” McCormack said. “If they can’t fix it, they can’t fix it. And it would be millions to remove it.”
The city of San Diego found the Mushroom House in violation of the Municipal Code over observations made Jan. 13, Feb. 25 and March 25. To avoid administrative penalties, the city said the property owner must maintain the structure’s security, post signs warning the public of a potential hazard, keep the property clean and graffiti-free and monitor it weekly to remove any trespassers.
Beyond that, the report states, ongoing vandalism at the site “may require a long-term solution.”
Vecchio told the La Jolla Light that any determination on the house’s future is a couple of years away.
Conditions at the seaside landmark worsened after a bluff failure in 2020 sent more than 100 cubic yards of material down around the house and damaged the tram system that connects it to the main home above. It since has become the target of extensive graffiti and vandalism.
Earlier this year, Woolley tapped La Jolla-based GDC Construction to clean up the growing problem.
With a threat of further damage to the house and surrounding area, the California Coastal Commission authorized GDC to do emergency work to further secure the property and prevent injury to the public, according to Joshua Smith, a spokesman for the Coastal Commission.
The emergency authorization allowed GDC to re-weld hinges at the front gate, re-anchor the front entry door using concrete slabs, board up an opening in a back wall and add security cameras with motion activation.
Other LJSA news
La Jolla Skyshow: The Fourth of July La Jolla Skyshow is approaching quickly, and organizers are looking to bring their fundraising for it to the finish line.
The fourth annual drone show — renamed this year — is planned to celebrate Independence Day at 8:45 p.m. Saturday, July 4, with 500 drones creating patriotic and La Jolla-themed images, synchronized to music, with viewing from La Jolla Shores and surrounding areas.
A dolphin made of drones dives from the sky above La Jolla Shores during La Jolla’s Fourth of July show in 2025. (Noah Lyons)
To do so, organizers say they need $60,000. So far, they’ve brought in about $44,000, show representative Jim McInerney told the Shores Association on June 17.
All donations are processed through the nonprofit LJ STEAM Foundation and are tax-deductible. Donations can be made at ljsteam.org.
A new website, lajollaskyshow.com, offers details about the show, and a livestream will be available at youtube.com/@lajollaskyshow.
Next meeting: The La Jolla Shores Association next meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Martin Johnson House, 8840 Biological Grade. Learn more at lajollashoresassociation.org. ♦