416 History

The San Dieguito American Legion aka American Legion Post 416 of Encinitas, California (AL Post 416) was established in 1931 by local World War I veterans seeking their own peacefully laid back coastal sanctuary away from the lingering trauma of combat.

The San Dieguito (“Little San Diego”) area spans along the coast from Carmel Valley through most of Carlsbad, and inland to Black Mountain.  This facility serves multiple generations of veterans, family members, and the community as a whole, through charitable donations and volunteer efforts, as seen in select past event posters below:

The AL Post 416 building we see now has been in use since 1935, having been expanded from a structure that was first moved to Encinitas in 1930 from Camp Kearny (now Kearny Mesa). As Prohibition ended, the now iconic AL Post 416 Bar section was added in the 1940s from a building in Camp Callan (now part of UC San Diego).

Eventually, after decades of use, and virtually no available funds, the AL Post 416 structure was in dire need of repair. In 2015, AL Post 416 launched a campaign to “Save Our Legion”. This resulted in raising both much-needed funds and membership numbers across all AL Post 416 groups. In turn, critical repairs and basic improvements were made to our aging, yet still much-beloved building.

Between 2019 to 2024, a separate & independent 510-c3 non-profit called the American Legion Post 416 Foundation aka Foundation 416 was established to fund the professional design & proposed future construction of a state-of-the-art two-story building (see video along w/ various proposed new building designs in carousel) that can serve larger numbers of AL Post 416 members and guests.

The City of Encinitas Planning Commission voted to approve in August 2024 the most updated plan commissioned by Foundation 416 from our next-door neighbor, DZN Architects (TheCoastNews). However, with ongoing economic conditions making construction costs still fairly prohibitive, Foundation 416 has chosen to conclude its own operations and fund-raising by the end of 2024.

AL Post 416 itself can opt to either implement or modify the City of Encinitas-approved design plan (fully paid for by the now defunct Foundation 416) through its own fund-raising efforts at a more economically feasible time in the future.

This Spring 2025, AL Post 416 is humbled and honored to be presented to the world as the beneficiary Project One of an emerging nationwide non-profit movement matching local businesses and talent to AL Posts in need of timely renovation help, Operation Restorations (https://operationrestorations.org).

Small businesses, artisans, and even conglomerates serving Encinitas have banded together to modernize the AL Post 416 Meeting Hall while still preserving our core building and its historic Bar area, at no cost to AL Post 416.

Truly, AL Post 416 continues to embrace its past, present, and future as a vibrant “Post By The Coast” hub for US military veterans, their families, and their many civilian friends and guests from literally all over the world.

Whether you know us through our open-to-the-public Live Band Concerts, Comedy Nights, Featured Cuisine Events, Wholesome Games & Tournaments, and/or are supporting our own AL Baseball Team United, our Boys’ State and Girls’ State delegates, hosting Scout troops, etc., AL Post 416 will always be here for you.