Jim Reding was a long-time advocate of preserving the Capitola Village charm. The 1960’s and ‘70s brought about pressure to change the historic charm of the Village that Jim fought to preserve. He purchased a building that had been red tagged for demolition: the historic Hihn building in downtown Capitola. With extensive restoration and research, it was declared a California Historical Landmark and a National Historic Landmark as the office for Hihn, purveyor of Camp Capitola – the first official beach resort in California. As part of the celebration, he conceived the idea of the Wharf to Wharf footrace. Over the years he restored more historic property in Capitola and was constantly working on committees to improve the Village, wanting to make Capitola a more pedestrian friendly place. He was an advocate of re-routing the heavy commute traffic through the Village and experimenting with closing the Esplanade to cars.
Our Village is a much better place because of Jim and his caring.