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 The Graves House, c. 1887. Courtesy Coons Collection |
 The Graves House, c. 2002. Courtesy SOHO Collection |
 The house painted sky blue with a historic marker, date unknown. Courtesy SOHO Collection |
Henry Graves/Top Gun Cottage Saved!
By Alana Coons
May/June 2019
The oldest, and last significant Victorian beachfront cottage in Oceanside has been granted a new life! Featured in the 1986 movie Top Gun, it has been known ever since as the Top Gun Cottage—the movie home of Tom Cruise's flight instructor and love interest, played by Kelly McGillis. This Victorian era seaside cottage is one of the last survivors from Oceanside's founding during the great building boom of the 1880s.
Once on SOHO's Most Endangered List, SOHO and community partners John Daley and the Oceanside Historical Society were able to work with developer Jeremy Cohen of S.D. Malkin Properties, Inc. and the City of Oceanside to find a preservation solution. The exterior of the Henry Graves House will be restored and its interior adapted for a new use as the centerpiece of Oceanside's much anticipated new oceanfront resort.
The house was built in 1887 by Dr. Graves as a vacation home and represents Oceanside's origins and its development as a vacation and tourist destination. This seaside allure continues to this day with the new resort hotel.
The house has been temporarily relocated one block away for structural restoration. Afterwards, it will be moved to the north side of the resort on Pacific Street, for renovation, cosmetics, and final touches. The work will take approximately 18 months.
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