Spring 2024

150 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 4 say they left in sorrow after their niece Alida Ghirardelli—a talented art student of Jorgensen’s—tragically drowned nearby. Alida was visiting Carmel during the summer of 1909, staying at the Pine Inn, as her aunt and uncle were away. She was known to be an excellent swimmer, swim- ming daily in the bay, but her swim on August 16 was to be her last. Newspapers hinted at suicide because her betrothed had cast her aside, but the waters were rough that day and even the boat of the men who attempted her rescue capsized. Another rumored explanation for the Jorgensens’ departure from Carmel was their wish to escape “Carmel Society,” as they were tired of their freeloading friends and neighbors tak- ing advantage of their hospitality, drinking their wine to excess and gorging on their food.While the Jorgensens deserted Carmel, they did not leave the peninsula, but built another home just a stone’s throw away, directly across from the Lodge at Pebble Beach (on the lot that now hous- es the post office). In 1915, the couple leased La Playa to Agnes “Alice” D. Signor, who began running a boarding house there called “The Strand.” A woman with a troubled past, Signor was on her own in Carmel after separating from her husband, a felon who had served time in San Quentin for forg- ing the checks of a Monterey million- aire. Signor relied on the help of her nephews, Fred and Harrison Godwin, to help run her Carmel business. In 1917, the Jorgensens sold Signor La Playa for only $10. Signor continued (Above) The La Playa Hotel in 1926, rebuilt after the 1924 fire. (Below) A view of La Playa today. There are intimate spots throughout the grounds, this tile feature was added during the Spanish Revival renovation in the 1950s. An illustration of Alida Ghirardelli’s watery end, published in the San Francisco Call and Post. Photos: Chris Mottalini, Courtesy of La Playa Hotel Photo: Werner Segarra, Courtesy of La Playa Hotel Photo: La Playa Hotel Archives