A one-of-a-kind home located adjacent to the iconic 50-acre Sunset Cliffs Natural
Park is now on the market for the first time. Priced at $3,200,000, 705 Cornish Drive offers an
unprecedented opportunity to purchase a piece of Point Loma history. The original owners of the
property, Roy and Katie Klumpp, played a pivotal role in the conservation of the parkland and Point Loma
community.
In the mid-1960s, the Klumpps bought the lot with a vision to build a unique family home where their
children could enjoy the “forever views” and vast, coastal land just beyond their new backyard. During
construction, Katie Klumpp, a passionate advocate for equality in education who would later be named
San Diego’s Woman of the Year in 1988 for her efforts, spent significant time meticulously selecting
materials that would flow with the home’s natural landscape. Her husband Roy Klumpp – a Korean War
veteran with a Ph.D. in psychoacoustics – worked closely with the contractor and Del Mar-based
architecture firm Jung & Cloyes on the finest of details. Roy Klumpp personally sanded all the ceiling
beams in the house so they were perfectly smooth. The architects’ vision for the house was that all but
four angles would be 60 or 120 degrees, and they placed the home on the lot in such a way to capture
the incredible views, which were echoed by the wood-burning fireplace, (which Katie Klumpp had the
builders rehang to get it just right). The den/family room was inspired by removing all the wasted
hallway walls to make a wonderful area for the children to play.
When construction was completed in 1967, the Klumpps had strategically helped craft a coastal, mid
century modern home as artistic as it was aesthetic, with soaring wood-beam ceilings, a floating
staircase and an interior stone accent wall in the living room. Roy Klumpp used the garage as his personal
workshop where he created custom pieces for the home, including contemporary chandeliers and
windows. Katie Klumpp continued her social justice work, and was inspired by the panoramic, Pacific
Ocean-lined view and natural surroundings she lived in every day to learn more about the historic
significance of the land outside her front door.
During the late 19th century, the area now known as Sunset Cliffs Natural Park was covered with fruit
trees and vegetables, a place where cattle roamed the cliffside terrain. During World War II, the Army
used the land and then it became utilized by several universities until it was sold to the City of San Diego
as one of the few remaining stretches of undeveloped coastal land in the area. When talk arose to
develop the land, the Klumpps played an active role in the Sunset Cliffs Natural Park conservation project
and in 1983, the Hillside Section of the park was formally dedicated by the City of San Diego. Recognizing
the land’s importance, the city designated the Hillside Section as a Multiple Habitat Preservation Area
(MHPA). It has been a beloved staple of the community ever since.
705 Cornish Drive is listed by longtime Point Loma resident Rosamaria Acuña, an award-winning
REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties who is also the corresponding
secretary of Sunset Cliffs Natural Park and spearheads the annual Spring Festival of Flowers in addition to
several other beloved community events. Like Katie Klumpp, Acuña is a strong advocate for women,
equality and diversity andis deeply committed to conserving and enhancing the Point Loma community
in which she lives.
“I can see why they selected this lot,” Acuña says about the property. “It’s just like a beacon. When you
look out, nature and the ocean surround you in every direction.”
Acuña says it’s the very same scene she witnessed as a child when she first visited Point Loma from her
hometown of Calexico, California, deciding she’d one day call this place home. “That was when I first
noticed how magnificent the Pacific Ocean was,” she recalls. “It makes sense that the Klumpps were so
engaged from start to finish in the process of completing this special home for their family, and I’m
honored to play a part in 705 Cornish Drive’s next chapter as a new generation discovers its magnificence
all over again.”
Discussion about this post