These two early entrepreneurs subsequently joined forces and built a bathhouse with an indoor seawater pool on the beachfront area. Miller opened the Neptune Baths on the shoreline in 1884, which was so successful that he added 50 additional rooms the next year. John Sr., the father, purchased 30 acres of land along the waterfront which years later eventually housed the casino and Casa del Rey.Ĭaptain C.F. The Santa Cruz Sentinel soon announced the presence of “a dwelling house for the accommodation of bathers on the beach.” There were actually two John Leibbrandts who were involved in the early development of what was to become Beach Street. Significant tourism began about 1868 when John Leibbrandt built “a bathhouse, swimming tank, and entertainment house” on the back beach. A wide sandy beach protected from the large waves during the summer months by the sheltering effect provided by Lighthouse Point, combined with generally good summer weather – morning overcast burning off by noon – made Main Beach a popular attraction.
Although West Cliff Drive has been the focus of considerable attention since the winter storm damage of last January, historically it has been the Santa Cruz Main Beach that was the attraction that brought visitors to the shoreline as early as the 1860s.
