By Mike Glenn | bio | email
Tue, Sep 30th, 2014 | 3:30PM
Do you know the cool story about how Balboa Island got the Grand Canal?
What do you think? Would you prefer Collin’s vision, or the way it is today?
The story might be cooler than the canal itself!
An excerpt from the book “Newport Beach’s Balboa and Balboa Island“ by Jeff Delaney:
“The Grand Canal between Balboa Island and the Little Island is 1,500 feet long and 100 feet wide. It was originally meant to be Moonstone Avenue, but W.S. Collins wanted to create a Monte Carlo-like resort on the Little Island with gondoliers transporting visitors across the Grand Canal. Concerned harbor boosters stopped Collin’s resort idea, resulting in the island’s current configuration (photo courtesy of Balboa Island Historical Society)”
