The La Jolla Shores home of late high-profile architect Dale Naegle, designer of the famed “Mushroom House,” is coming to market for the first time, and his grandson Nick Hendricks is heading its sale with his wife, Kristin.
The property at 2210 Avenida de la Playa, nicknamed “Shoppe Keeper,” is set to be listed Thursday, May 1, with an asking price of $4.1 million.
The 2,857-square-foot home, nestled among businesses and characterized by its “European feel,” has been part of Naegle’s family since he purchased the property in 1960.
“I grew up going there for all my holidays and I would spend the night,” Hendricks said. “We would watch USC football games on Saturdays and have so many special memories there. I’m just honored to have this listing and being part of the history.”
Shoppe Keeper, described as a “live-work space,” has 1,807 square feet of residential space and 1,050 square feet of commercial space. Naegle used it as his office and primary residence following a remodel in 1994 — for which he was the sole architect — until his death in November 2011 at age 83.
Naegle received a Merit Award for the property from the Pacific Coast Builders Conference in 1994. Hendricks said his grandfather’s vision was to make four Shoppe Keeper buildings but he was unable to finish the project.
The house was most recently occupied by Naegle’s wife, Myrna, who operated its bottom-floor clothing store, Shoppe at 2210, from 1994 to 2016. She remarried in May 2022 and died last July.
Naegle’s architectural legacy can be seen throughout much of La Jolla, including homes on Lowry Place, El Paseo Grande, Country Club Lane, Caminito Bello, Calle de la Garza and Torrey Pines Road, and across San Diego.
According to Modern San Diego, Naegle graduated from USC in 1954, during the height of Southern California’s modernist movement. After moving to San Diego for a project, he developed an affinity for La Jolla.
Among his more iconic local designs is the Mushroom House, also known as Bell’s Pavilion, a project built on Black’s Beach in the 1960s as a guesthouse for Sam Bell of Bell’s Potato Chips and General Mills.
Bell reportedly wanted a structure that could withstand waves, rockslides and earthquakes. The property has a private tramway to transport guests 300 feet almost straight down the bluff from the main house at 9044 La Jolla Shores Lane.
The now-abandoned Mushroom House is owned by an unidentified San Diego philanthropist, according to the city of San Diego. It has been plagued by graffiti in recent years.
Naegle also was responsible for the development of two buildings at UC San Diego — Tenaya and Tioga halls at John Muir College — as well as the Windemere development in the 1970s and Coast Walk in the ’80s.
Naegle’s daughter Caroline Hendricks described him as “a wonderful man” who was honest and humble.
Nick Hendricks recalled his grandfather’s character as he dealt with physical disabilities from a young age due to polio. Unable to do all he wanted physically, he leaned on his mental capabilities, Nick said.
“I really ired that he didn’t play victim or use his handicap as a crutch,” Nick said. “He didn’t want people to feel sorry for him. He just made the best with what life handed him.”
Putting Shoppe Keeper up for sale is bittersweet for Caroline, who said there is no particular reason for selling now besides feeling the time is right.
“It’s sad to see it go, but my father would be very happy that his grandson is being a steward for it and selling it for him,” she said.
Nick, a La Jolla High School graduate, and Kristin Hendricks live in Bird Rock and represent Team Hendricks Homes, along with Florence Poullard. ♦
