Encinitas: Our History and People

THE DANFORTH
BUILDING
The Danforth Building has been an anchor in
Encinitas since 1918. For over 100 years a twostory
multiple use building has stood on the
corner of First St and E St. Most of the time, 80
years, belonging to the Danforth family.
The construction history of the building
shows it was completed in 2 stages. The first
stage was built in 1918. In 1937 when (First St)
Highway 101 was widened in anticipation of the
Del Mar Racetrack traffic, 20-feet was removed
from the front of the building. The state paid the
owners, the Wenz family, who then added the
second phase of the building in 1937, the south
side, as it remains today.
It was purchased by Jane Danforth’s mother,
Eckka Robinson Rowe in 1940. Eckka and her
husband George resided upstairs in apartment
#2. Eckka managed the entire building for the
next 20 years to pay off the mortgages used to
purchase the property. The Danforth family still
own and treasures this building today.
Before Interstate 5, the building was once
part of the heart of downtown. It was a time
in the past when people would meet one
another at the post office, collect their mail,
and buy a 3-cent stamp. The southbound
Greyhound bus stop was in front of the building
and tickets were purchased in the building’s gift
shop. Downtown Encinitas was predominately
between the La Paloma Theater and F Street. It
included all businesses needed for everyday life.
The Market was open to the street, with a
fruit and vegetable stand across the front, where
you could buy a glass jar of milk and a loaf of
bread for about 10-cents.
Over the years other building tenants have
included Lou’s Records, Reder Insurance, a yoga
studio, and a laundromat. Current occupants are
Station Salon, Better Buzz Coffee, and Flashbacks.
The Danforth Building remains a dominant
landmark structure on Old Highway 101. There
are three commercial units downstairs and
apartments above providing downtown
residential living for over 100 years. It is now
adorned by two murals placed there by the
Downtown Encinitas Merchant Association as
part of the alley improvement project. It is also
a reminder of where the Encinitas center of
town once was before the Interstate was built
and locals would come together as they went
about their daily activities.
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