The Olivenhain Meeting Hall is more than 100 years old, but it still serves the same purpose today as it did back then—offering a place for residents to come together.

It’s no surprise that Olivenhain has changed considerably since the first colonists made their way out here in 1884. Now sprawling homes line Rancho Santa Fe Road and cars motor up and down to try and get more quickly to El Camino Real or out to La Costa and San Elijo Hills. Locals can eat at the Original Pancake House or pop into Rite Aid on errands, both businesses part of the busy hub at Rancho Santa Fe Road and Encinitas Boulevard. But just a short jaunt north from that intersection is a part of Olivenhain that hasn’t changed much at all—in more ways than one—since those olden days.

The Olivenhain Meeting Hall stands on a dirt lot facing Rancho Santa Fe Road. Improvements and additions have been made throughout the years, but the fact that the 1890s-era building looks remarkably well-kept for its age is a tribute to the efforts of the community. The restoration work on the meeting hall culminated in 1993, when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. But the meeting hall isn’t just a quaint relic of a bygone era, meant to be looked at but never used. Again, thanks to the efforts of the community, the meeting hall still serves the same function for residents today as it did for the colonists of the past: It is the gathering place—the heart—of Olivenhain.

“The meeting hall is the central part of the community,” says Twink Bumann, a 40-year Olivenhain resident who heads the Town Council’s Building and Grounds Committee, which is responsible for the building’s upkeep. “It’s so unique. When you think about it, there are very few communities that were blessed with having grounds and a building set aside for their use. It’s really, really appreciated by the community.”

Then...
The meeting hall opened for business March 22, 1895, according to records from the Town Council. The hall had one room, 28 feet by 36 feet, eight windows, two doors, a stage, a potbelly stove and a counter along a wall. Events of all kind were held there: Meetings, picnics, dances and Fourth of July parties. When the younger residents of Olivenhain formed the Owl Club in 1903, they held dances there as well. The club later made improvements to the hall with the addition of dressing rooms and a hallway (and later electric lights to replace the kerosene ones). The club’s dances peaked in popularity in 1944–45.

But by the mid ’50s, the Owl Club dissolved and the meeting hall lay dormant. As property taxes increased in the 1960s, residents realized they needed to raise money to cover the tax bill. This led to two important developments—the nonprofit Olivenhain Town Council was formed to oversee the hall and fundraising events were held that not only raised money for the hall, but also brought residents together—helping to foster Olivenhain’s unique community spirit.

The Town Council guided improvements that included turning the dressing rooms into a kitchen and bathrooms, and thanks to a state grant, replacing rotting foundation boards and clearing out the bats that had taken up residence in the meeting hall. In addition to its spot on the National Register of Historic Places, the hall is also a State of California Point of Historical Interest.

And Now...
For locals, of course, their interest in the meeting hall goes beyond the historical. The building is cleaned weekly and the grounds are maintained for free by a local landscaping company, Bumann says. About once a year, a group of volunteers will work on maintenance projects, most recently replacing the back steps.

About a dozen groups or individuals rent the meeting hall each month, including 4-H, the Boy Scouts and the Racy Ladies running club, says James Lee, the Town Council member in charge of scheduling events at the hall. It’s also available for weddings and birthday parties. Rentals are open to Olivenhain residents and fees are based on attendance.

And then there are the community wide events. The last Sunday in April brings the Bratwurst and Beer Festival, which evolved from a fundraising picnic that used to raise money for the property taxes, says Pat Klaus, president of the Town Council. There is also an Oktoberfest party in early October, a craft fair in November and a holiday wine tasting party in December. Perhaps the most-loved event of all is the annual Independence Day celebration, which carries on the tradition started by the colony’s founders. “It’s an old-fashioned Fourth of July,” Klaus says. “People can grill in the fire pit and everybody brings a dish to share. We have games like the egg toss, a watermelon seed-spitting contest and relay races. Everybody has a really good time.”

And that’s good for the community—and the meeting hall itself, says Bumann, whose husband, Richard, a descendant of an original settler, wrote the book on the area, Colony Olivenhain (see box). “I think a building that’s not used falls into disrepair,” she says. “When a building is used it flourishes and it seems to prolong its life.”

The meeting hall isn’t the only historical building on the grounds. A small shanty building, an original 1885 homestead used by bachelor Charles Lickert, is also there; the one-room house had already been moved once from its original location west of Rancho Santa Fe Road before it was relocated to the meeting hall grounds in 1979. It was followed, in 1982, by the Germania Hotel.

The 1885 hotel was built for one of the colony’s original settlers, Herman Baecht, and his 12-person family—the hotel part of the name is owed to the fact that the family eventually took in boarders. After its move from Seventh Street to the meeting hall property, the building was vandalized and had to be boarded up. But Olivenhain’s Town Council is working on restoring the hotel—new windows have recently been installed and the council has several other goals, such as installing electricity and water hookups in the future, says Pat Klaus, adding that the building could perhaps be used as an alternate meeting site or a mini-museum.

To help raise money for the Germania Hotel renovation, two books—Colony Olivenhain and Colony Olivenhain Cookbook—are being sold, with all the proceeds earmarked for the hotel. For more information, go to www.olivenhain.org and click on “Gift Ideas & Books.” •