Capitola Dogs - Capitola, California

30 Minute Community Clean Up
Commonly Asked Questions

The red spot near 2000 Wharf Road near the intersection of Clares St. and across from the Library, indicates where clean-up will take place. The pictures below are of the mansion itself which is located in the center of the green area in the center of the map above. The 17 acre Rispin property is an awesome symbol of Capitola's history and an architectural delight. The mansion itself is hidden behind a 12 foot cement wall with an arched wooden doorway, but you may catch a glimpse of it between the eucalyptus trees behind the fallen water tower. The mansion is owned and maintained by the City of Capitola.

The lot is open and used as a public by-way, park and as a place to walk dogs. The ocean end of the property is an meadow with acacia and eucalyptus trees where most dog walking is done along the median. This is where our clean-up will take place.

Although it is city property it is technically not a public park. It is located on the other side of the river across the pedsetrian bridge from Nob Hill and Peery Park. The grounds are used by many as a way to get across town. A few years ago, citizens were able to clear and plant some of the land where the mansion gardens used to exist. Current plans to put in a bed and breakfast have been stagnant due to locals who want to preserve the Monarch butterfly habitat provided by the looming eucalyptus trees.

A little history.....

Rispin Mansion located at the intersection of Wharf Road and Clares St. has been abandon for over 25 years. It was built around the turn of the century by Fredrick Hihn. When Capitola's owner F.A.Hihn died in 1913, his daughter, Katherine Cope Henderson, put the resort up for sale. H. Allen Rispin, a wealthy San Franciscan, bought it at the end of World War I. Although he had grand plans to develop "Capitola by-the-Sea," Rispin overextended himself and was broke by 1928. He lost his elaborate 22-room mansion and most of his holdings in 1930-31. This picture (below) was taken after the Rispin home had been sold to Burlingame millionnaire Robert Hays Smith. The Smith family ran into financial problems during The Great Depression and surrendered the mansion in 1939. It was then sold to the Catholic Church for use as a convent by the Order of Poor Clares. The nuns resided at the complex until 1957. The mansion has since been vacant of permanent residents, and is now owned by the City of Capitola. The mainsion and the history is widely written up. Dog walkers strolling through may be stopped by Bay Area tourists looking for the old mansion, our own Capitola modern day ruins....

Thank you Team!
Ed, Sandi, Capitola Jack, Molly, Nicole, Bob and Stephanie!

Successful C-DOG Capitola Clean-Ups Days!
Depot Hill -- Hoopers Beach -- Rispin Mansion

Tell them Capi sent you!
Capitola.com