OPPOSITE PAGE , TOP : MARIELENA VERDUGO ; BOTTOM RIGHT : COURTESY OF LAGUNA BEACH HISTORICAL SOCIETY ; THIS PAGE :, BOTTOM : PHILLIP FARAONE
Left : “ Laguna Beach ” by Joe Goode , which was on exhibit at The Honarkar Foundation for Art & Culture ’ s new gallery
Above : An installation of the late artist Tony DeLap ’ s works , displayed at the gallery ; left : an opera performance by nonprofit group Pacific Vocal Series at the venue
Mohammad “ Mo ” Honarkar along with his daughters , Nikki Honarkar Bostwick and Hasty Honarkar , established the foundation in 2019 to support local cultural organizations and nonprofits . That year , Mo Honarkar was also invited for an exclusive tour of the Buck art collection in the building at 298 Broadway St . Seeing its potential , the foundation decided to buy the structure when it went up for sale in 2023 .
“ We laid the groundwork for the foundation back in 2019 , so we are incredibly excited to witness our vision materialize in this iconic building ,” Honarkar Bostwick says . “ Our goal is to establish an inviting and all-encompassing environment where art serves as a bridge for conversation , discovery and community involvement . Having grown up in Laguna and now raising my own family here , this endeavor is our heartfelt gesture of gratitude to the community we hold dear and testament to the legacy we aspire to leave behind .”
But before its latest iteration , if you peel back the layers of its past , the property had an extensive history .
A RICH HISTORY The Mediterranean revival-style building with tiled gable roof was used as a post office starting in the early 1940s . The structure changed ownership several times after being disbanded by the U . S . Postal Service in the mid-1950s .
The property saw many businesses go through its doors in the following years . In the 1980s , a Jewish Community Center was among the many organizations to grace the space . In the early 2000s , the structure was purchased by art collector Gerald Buck and then converted into a gallery known as Buck Fine Arts .
“ It is a very strongly constructed building that essentially served as a vault for storage of a portion of the Buck art collection ,” says Laguna Beach Historical Society board member Eric Jessen . “ You ’ ll notice the steps up to the front door . That ’ s by design to situate the building above the prevailing downtown flood plain .”
Following Buck ’ s death in 2013 , his estate ’ s trust donated the Buck art collection — more than 3,200 pieces of art — to UC
LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE 51