Water and Power Associates Informing the Public about Critical Water and Energy Issues facing Los Angeles and California

By the early 1920s, Santa Monica had become one of the most visited stretches of coastline in Southern California. On summer weekends, thousands of people crowded the beach south of the pier, spreading across the sand beneath umbrellas, renting suits at the bathhouses, and promenading along the wide boardwalk between the water and the resort hotels. Pacific Electric streetcars brought visitors from across the Los Angeles region, and the sounds of the pier's roller coaster could often be heard above the surf.

The photographs on this page capture that world at its height — the crowded shorelines, amusement piers, grassy parks, bathhouses, and boardwalk concessions that helped define Santa Monica's growing beach culture. They also document a more complicated history: the narrow strip of shoreline near Pico Boulevard where African American beachgoers gathered during the era of segregation at a place known as the Ink Well, eventually turning the area into an important and lasting community gathering place.

Together, these images provide a cross-section of Santa Monica's waterfront during the 1920s, revealing both the excitement of Southern California's emerging resort culture and the social realities that existed alongside it.

General Beach and Pier Views

Ocean Park Beach

Ocean Park was the neighborhood immediately south of Santa Monica proper, developed beginning in the 1890s as a seaside resort district. By the 1920s its beachfront was lined with bathhouses, dance halls, and amusement piers, and its shoreline drew some of the largest beach crowds on the Southern California coast. Charles Lick purchased and rebuilt the area's main pier in 1925, operating it as Ocean Park Pier, with a ballroom, roller coaster, and other attractions that could be reached by Pacific Electric streetcar from across Los Angeles.

Ink Well Beach

Along the same stretch of shoreline where private beach clubs catered to white members-only clientele, African American beachgoers in Santa Monica were restricted to a narrow two-block strip of sand between Bay Street and Bicknell Street, near the foot of Pico Boulevard. This area became known as the Ink Well — a name first used as a racial slur by white residents and later reclaimed by the community as a point of pride and belonging.

The Ink Well emerged as a gathering place partly by exclusion and partly by choice. California law had provided for equal access to public beaches since the 1890s, but those laws were frequently disregarded, and African Americans who attempted to use other beaches often faced harassment and intimidation. Phillips Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, founded in 1905 as Santa Monica's first Black church and located near Fourth and Bay Streets, helped anchor the nearby African American community and gave the beach a social and geographic center.

In 1922, white homeowners and businessmen formed the Santa Monica Bay Protective League in an effort to remove African Americans from the shoreline entirely. Among its targets was the Ocean Frontage Syndicate, an investment group led by Norman O. Houston and Charles S. Darden, which had planned to build a first-class resort with beach access at the foot of Pico Boulevard — the site where Shutters on the Beach now stands. The league succeeded in blocking that development. By 1927, legal challenges by the NAACP had forced a reaffirmation of civil rights laws governing public beaches, but racial tensions along the Southern California coast persisted for decades. African Americans continued to gather at the Ink Well into the 1960s, long after formal restrictions had ended.

In 2008, the City of Santa Monica installed a landmark plaque at Bay Street and Ocean Front Walk bearing the words: "A Place of Celebration and Pain." The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019 as the Bay Street Beach Historic District.

Historical Notes

The Ink Well occupied a two-block stretch of beach between Bay Street and Bicknell Street, near the foot of Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica — an area where African American beachgoers could gather with less risk of harassment than at other beaches along the coast. The name was originally a racial slur, a derogatory reference to the skin color of beachgoers, but many in the Black community reclaimed it as a term of pride and belonging over the decades that followed.

California had laws guaranteeing equal access to public beaches dating to the 1890s, but those laws were routinely ignored. By 1927, legal action led by the NAACP had forced local authorities to acknowledge them, and formal racial restrictions on beach access began to fade. Even so, African Americans continued to return to the Ink Well into the 1960s because the beach had become an important community gathering place. Notable figures including Ralph Bunche, Louis Armstrong, and Hattie McDaniel were among those who visited during its peak decades. Nick Gabaldon, an African American surfer who learned to ride waves here in the 1940s, is recognized today as the first documented Black surfer in America. In 2019, the area became California's first African American coastal historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

South Santa Monica Beach Clubs

South of the pier, a stretch of Santa Monica beachfront was transformed during the mid-1920s by the construction of several large private beach clubs. Within only a few years, Club Casa Del Mar, the Edgewater Beach Club, and the Breakers Beach Club rose along the shoreline, offering members private beach access, dining rooms, ballrooms, and expansive oceanfront accommodations.

A small electric tram traveled along the boardwalk connecting the clubs to nearby parks and promenades, while the public beaches in front of the resorts remained crowded with thousands of non-member visitors each summer weekend.

Of the three major clubs, only Casa Del Mar survives today. The Edgewater Beach Club was demolished in 1964, and the Breakers Beach Club later evolved into the Grand Hotel before eventually becoming the Sea Castle Apartments.

Historical Notes

The roller coaster visible in the background was located on the Pleasure Pier, the privately-owned amusement section adjacent to the Santa Monica Municipal Pier. The two structures were separately owned until the 1950s, though they are commonly referred to today as the Santa Monica Pier. By 1926, the Whirlwind Dipper had replaced the earlier Blue Streak Racer as the pier's featured roller coaster.

Historical Notes

The Edgewater Beach Club at 1855 Promenade was one of three large private beach clubs built along the south Santa Monica shoreline during the mid-1920s. Like Casa Del Mar nearby, it offered members private beach access, dining facilities, ballrooms, and several stories of oceanfront accommodations overlooking the Pacific. The club encountered financial difficulties relatively quickly and was sold out of bankruptcy in 1928.

The Edgewater later passed through several ownership and name changes before being demolished in 1964. Its site is now occupied by Shutters on the Beach. Casa Del Mar, by contrast, survived and was eventually restored as the Hotel Casa del Mar, remaining one of the last major survivors of Santa Monica's great beachfront resort era.

Breakers Beach Club / Grand Hotel / Sea Castle Apartments

During the 1920s, the stretch of Santa Monica beachfront south of the pier developed into one of Southern California’s premier resort districts. Large private beach clubs, hotels, and recreational facilities lined the shoreline near Pico Boulevard, attracting vacationers, social clubs, swimmers, and Hollywood visitors drawn to the growing culture of oceanfront leisure along the Pacific coast.

Among the most prominent buildings along this section of shoreline was the structure that began in 1926 as the Breakers Beach Club. Over the following decades, the building underwent several transformations, becoming the Grand Hotel during the early 1930s, later operating under names including the Waverly Club and Hotel Monica, and eventually serving as the Sea Castle Apartments. Although the original structure no longer survives, the site remains closely associated with Santa Monica’s historic beachfront resort era.

The photographs below trace the evolution of the property and the surrounding shoreline across nearly seventy years, documenting the rise, decline, and redevelopment of one of Santa Monica’s best known oceanfront addresses.

Building Timeline

1926 — Breakers Beach Club opens
1931 — Property listed as the Grand Hotel in Santa Monica city directories
1932 — Los Angeles Times reports opening of the remodeled Grand Hotel
1940 — Property listed as the Waverly Club in city directories
1958–1960 — Property listed as Hotel Monica in city directories
1961 — Property becomes Sea Castle Apartments
1994 — Building severely damaged in Northridge Earthquake
1996 — Fire and demolition of original structure
1998–1999 — Present Sea Castle Apartments constructed on same site
2001 — Rebuilt Sea Castle Apartments open to residents

South Santa Monica’s Resort Coast

During the late 1920s and early 1930s, several major beach clubs rose along the shoreline south of the Santa Monica Pier. Together, they helped define the image of Santa Monica as one of the leading seaside resort destinations on the Southern California coast.

Historical Notes

The buildings visible in this photograph — the Grand Hotel, Edgewater Beach Club, and Casa Del Mar — were all part of a major wave of beachfront development that transformed south Santa Monica during the mid to late 1920s.

Casa Del Mar opened in 1926 at the foot of Pico Boulevard and remains standing today as a hotel. The Edgewater Beach Club, which opened during the same period, was later demolished. The Breakers Beach Club followed the most complex path of all, eventually becoming the Grand Hotel and, after several later name and ownership changes, the Sea Castle Apartments.

Historical Notes

A July 10, 1932 Los Angeles Times article described the opening of the Grand Hotel as one of the major early summer hospitality events in Santa Monica. The article noted that the former private beach club had been remodeled and redecorated to meet “the highest of hotel standards.”

The conversion from private beach club to hotel reflected broader economic changes taking place during the Depression years, when some of Santa Monica’s exclusive clubs shifted toward public hotel operations to remain financially viable.

Beach Clubs and Oceanfront Recreation

By the 1930s, south Santa Monica had become closely identified with beach culture, recreation, and oceanfront social life. Clubs and hotels lined the shore facing the Pacific Ocean, creating one of the most recognizable resort landscapes in Southern California.

The Edgewater Beach Club experienced several ownership and management changes following its opening during the 1920s and later served military purposes during World War II before eventually being demolished in 1964. Historical records show that the property operated under several different names during its lifetime.

The nearby Breakers Beach Club building also underwent multiple ownership and name changes before eventually becoming the Sea Castle Apartments.

Casa del Mar, visible at right, followed a very different course. Although it also experienced periods of changing ownership and alternate uses, the structure survived and was eventually restored as the present day Hotel Casa del Mar.

Together, these buildings formed one of the defining architectural groupings along the Santa Monica shoreline during the interwar years.

Olympic Swimmer Helene Madison

Santa Monica’s beach clubs and hotels regularly attracted athletes, entertainers, and nationally known public figures during the early twentieth century. Among the most celebrated visitors was Olympic swimmer Helene Madison, one of the most accomplished athletes of her era.

Historical Notes

Helene Madison became one of the breakout stars of the 1932 Summer Olympics, winning three gold medals in freestyle swimming events and emerging as one of the Games’ most successful athletes.

By the time this photograph was taken in 1933, Madison had become one of the country’s best known sports figures. Her appearance at the Grand Hotel reflects the close association between Santa Monica’s beachfront culture and competitive swimming during the early twentieth century.

Santa Monica beaches frequently hosted athletic exhibitions, swimming competitions, and public events connected to Southern California’s growing identity as a center for outdoor recreation.

From Breakers Beach Club to Sea Castle Apartments

As Santa Monica evolved following World War II, many of the city’s earlier beach clubs and resort hotels adapted to changing tourism patterns and increasing residential development along the coast.

Historical Notes

The property at 1725 Ocean Front Walk underwent several name and ownership changes across its lifetime. Originally opened in 1926 as the Breakers Beach Club, the property later operated as the Grand Hotel and subsequently appeared in Santa Monica city directories under names including the Waverly Club and Hotel Monica before becoming the Sea Castle Apartments.

By the early 1960s, the building had transitioned into residential use as the Sea Castle Apartments. Over time, many neighboring beach clubs disappeared as Santa Monica’s shoreline shifted away from private resort development toward apartments, hotels, and public recreational facilities.

The Sea Castle Apartments and the Northridge Earthquake

Although the original building survived for decades, the structure suffered severe damage during the 1994 Northridge Earthquake and was eventually demolished.

Historical Notes

The original building was red tagged following the Northridge Earthquake of January 17, 1994 and later condemned. A fire in February 1996 caused additional damage before the original structure was demolished later that year.

The present Sea Castle Apartments building was constructed on the same site between 1998 and 1999 and later opened to residents in 2001. Although entirely new construction, the design intentionally references elements of the original building’s Art Deco appearance.

Today, little remains of the original Breakers Beach Club structure beyond its location on the sand just south of the Santa Monica Pier. Yet the site continues to reflect nearly a century of beachfront history tied to Santa Monica’s changing coastal identity.

Club Casa del Mar

When Club Casa del Mar opened on May 1, 1926 at the foot of Pico Boulevard on the Santa Monica beachfront, it immediately became one of the most ambitious and recognizable resort developments on the Southern California coast. Designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style by Los Angeles architect Charles F. Plummer, the massive oceanfront structure combined Mediterranean inspired architecture with private beach access, formal dining rooms, ballrooms, recreational facilities, and sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.

In its early years, Club Casa del Mar became closely associated with Hollywood celebrities, wealthy business figures, and the glamorous beach culture that helped define Southern California during the 1920s.

Over the following decades, the building experienced a remarkable series of transformations. It survived the Depression years, wartime military use, long periods of decline, alternative institutional uses, and eventual restoration as a luxury hotel. Today, Hotel Casa del Mar remains one of the few surviving grand beach club structures from Santa Monica’s resort era and stands as one of the city’s best known oceanfront landmarks.

Building Timeline

1924 — Construction begins on Club Casa del Mar
February 1925 — Cornerstone laid
May 1, 1926 — Club Casa del Mar opens as a private beach club
1930s — Club undergoes major operational changes during the Depression
1941 — Building taken over by the U.S. Army Air Forces for wartime use
1960 — Building closes
1967 — Synanon Foundation occupies the property
1978 — Pritikin Longevity Center opens in the building
1997 — Property acquired for restoration and hotel conversion
November 1, 1999 — Hotel Casa del Mar reopens
2000 — Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Opening Day and the Club in Its Prime

Club Casa del Mar emerged during a period when Santa Monica’s south beach was rapidly transforming into one of Southern California’s premier resort districts. Large beach clubs, landscaped grounds, promenades, and recreational facilities lined the shoreline south of the pier, reshaping the area into a destination associated with leisure, prestige, and oceanfront recreation.

Historical Notes

Club Casa del Mar was developed by brothers E.A. “Jack” Harter and T.D. “Til” Harter through their H and H Holding Company. Construction began in August 1924 and the building officially opened on May 1, 1926 at a reported cost approaching two million dollars. The site at the foot of Pico Boulevard had previously been occupied by the Crystal Plunge, a popular public bathing facility.

Architect Charles F. Plummer designed the structure in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, featuring pale stucco walls, arched loggias, wrought iron balconies, a red tile roof, and a U shaped plan oriented toward the Pacific Ocean. Architectural Digest later praised the completed building as a masterpiece.

Plummer also proposed an elaborate private pier extending into the ocean from the club, including an observation tower and ornamental entrance structure. Although widely publicized during construction, the pier was never built.

In its early years, Club Casa del Mar attracted many prominent members of Hollywood and Los Angeles society, including entertainers, business leaders, and public figures drawn to the club’s exclusivity and oceanfront setting.

The Beachfront Setting

By the late 1920s, Santa Monica’s shoreline had become one of the busiest recreational destinations in Southern California. Expansive lawns, promenades, beach clubs, and parking areas reflected the growing influence of automobile tourism and the increasing popularity of organized beachfront recreation.

Club Casa del Mar originally lacked onsite parking facilities. Guests arriving by automobile used nearby parking lots while the club itself maintained a private underpass beneath Ocean Front Walk connecting the building to its beach facilities.

The electric passenger vehicle visible in this photograph illustrates the scale of beachfront activity occurring along Santa Monica’s promenade during the late 1920s, when large crowds regularly visited the shoreline from across the Los Angeles region.

This image also captures the relatively open character of Santa Monica’s south beach before the much denser coastal development that emerged after World War II.

Recreation and Lifeguards

Swimming and ocean recreation formed the heart of the Club Casa del Mar experience. From its earliest years, the club maintained organized lifeguard services and recreational programs centered on beach activity and water safety.

Historical Notes

As ocean bathing became increasingly popular during the early twentieth century, coastal communities throughout Southern California began developing organized lifeguard and rescue operations. Before later consolidation under Los Angeles County, individual municipalities including Santa Monica operated their own independent lifeguard services.

Private beach clubs such as Casa del Mar often maintained additional lifeguard personnel specifically for club members and guests. The presence of both male and female lifeguards in this photograph reflects the growing public role women played in organized aquatic recreation and beach safety programs during the 1920s.

Club Casa del Mar maintained fenced private beach areas, a swimming pool, recreational facilities, and direct controlled access to the shoreline through an underpass beneath Ocean Front Walk.

Wartime Use and Postwar Decline

The Great Depression and World War II dramatically altered the role of many private beach clubs along the Southern California coast. Club Casa del Mar gradually shifted away from its original exclusive membership model before ultimately entering military use during the war years.

Historical Notes

During the Depression years, Club Casa del Mar underwent major operational and financial changes as many exclusive beach clubs struggled economically. Membership policies were loosened and portions of the facility were adapted to attract broader patronage.

In 1941, the U.S. Army Air Forces assumed control of the building for wartime use. Like many large coastal hotels and clubs throughout Southern California, Casa del Mar was converted into a military rest and rehabilitation facility serving enlisted personnel during World War II. During this period, the property operated as Army Air Force Redistribution Station Number 3.

Following the war, the building briefly resumed beach club and hotel operations, although the exclusive resort culture that had defined Casa del Mar during the 1920s never fully returned. By 1960, the original club and hotel operations had ceased and the structure entered a long period of changing institutional uses and uncertain occupancy.

The Beach in the 1950s

Although the role of Club Casa del Mar had changed substantially by the 1950s, the surrounding beach remained one of the most popular recreational destinations in Southern California.

Historical Notes

By the early 1950s, Santa Monica’s beaches had become strongly associated with Southern California’s expanding car culture, tourism industry, and postwar recreational lifestyle.

The variety of umbrellas, towels, and beach activity visible in this photograph reflects the increasingly casual and highly popular public beach culture that emerged after World War II.

Although many of the exclusive beach clubs that once dominated Santa Monica’s south shore were already declining or changing ownership by this period, Casa del Mar remained one of the shoreline’s most visually prominent landmarks.

After closing in 1960, the building experienced several alternate uses. In 1967, Charles E. Dederich relocated Synanon’s headquarters to the property. Founded in 1958 as a drug rehabilitation organization in Santa Monica, Synanon later expanded into a much larger and increasingly controversial social movement.

In 1978, nutrition advocate Nathan Pritikin relocated the Pritikin Longevity Center to the property, where it operated until 1997.

Later that year, Edward Thomas Hospitality Corporation acquired the building and initiated a major restoration project estimated at approximately fifty million dollars. Architects and preservation teams worked to retain many of the structure’s original Italian Renaissance Revival features while modernizing the building for contemporary hotel operations.

Hotel Casa del Mar reopened on November 1, 1999 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places the following year.

The survival of Casa del Mar stands in contrast to many neighboring beach clubs and resort structures that disappeared during the twentieth century. Nearby facilities such as the Edgewater Club and Breakers Beach Club were eventually demolished or substantially replaced, while Casa del Mar endured through decades of changing ownership, wartime use, institutional occupancy, and restoration.

Today, the building remains one of the strongest surviving reminders of the grand beachfront resort district that once lined Santa Monica’s south shore during the 1920s and 1930s.

More early views of the Casa del Mar HERE.

Historical Notes

Palisades Park in Santa Monica during the 1920s was a vibrant and picturesque urban oasis overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1892, the park had evolved significantly by the 1920s, featuring a 1.6-mile stretch along Ocean Avenue with breathtaking views of both the ocean and coastal mountains.

Historical Notes

The steps and bridge seen in the above photo are at the same location as the original '99 Steps" built in 1875. When the Pacific Coast Highway was built in 1927, new concrete steps and a bridge over the highway were built to allow for continued beach access.

Click HERE to see more on the original 1875-built '99 Steps".

Historical Notes

Beach Road in Santa Monica became Roosevelt Highway in 1927. The road was then renamed Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in 1941.

Historical Notes

Built in 1927, the Spanish Colonial Revival style building was designed by architects Marsh, Smith & Powell.  Norman F. Marsh also planned the arcaded streets and canals of Venice.

Historical Notes

The Parkhurst Building was included in the National Register of Historic Places, California Register of Historic Places and designated as a Santa Monica landmark.

Historical Notes

Founded by Donald Wills Douglas Sr. in 1921, the Douglas Aircraft Company began in a small facility on Wilshire Boulevard at 25th Street in Santa Monica. Initially operating as the "Douglas Company," its early operations were modest, with the company even starting out in the back of a barbershop.

In 1922, as the company sought to expand, Douglas Aircraft leased the abandoned film studio buildings of the Herrman Film Corporation. This move provided the company with additional space and resources to grow its operations. The expanded facilities proved crucial as the company worked on one of its most significant early achievements: the production of the Douglas World Cruiser.

Historical Notes

In 1924, the Douglas World Cruiser became the first aircraft to successfully circumnavigate the globe, a feat that brought the company international recognition and established it as a major player in the aviation industry. Despite the success, the limitations of the Wilshire Boulevard and leased Herrman Film Corporation facilities soon became apparent as the company's military contracts and production demands grew.

By the late 1920s, the need for a larger and more strategically located facility led Douglas Aircraft to relocate to Clover Field in Santa Monica. This move allowed the company to expand its production capabilities and continue its trajectory of success, but the original plant remains a significant part of the company's early history, marking the humble beginnings of what would become a powerhouse in the aerospace industry.

Historical Notes

Douglas Park in Santa Monica has a rich history that reflects its transformation from an industrial site to a cherished public space. Originally, the land where Douglas Park is located was used as an aircraft factory for the Douglas Aircraft Company, founded by Donald Douglas. The site also served as a movie studio lot. However, due to the limitations posed by the surrounding trees, which affected aircraft takeoff, the factory operations were moved to Clover Field (now Santa Monica Airport) in 1927.

Following the relocation of the factory, the city of Santa Monica decided to repurpose the land into a public park. The park's design was entrusted to architect Ed Howard, and construction took place between 1931 and 1933. Initially named Padre Park, it was later renamed Douglas Park in honor of Donald Douglas.

Douglas Park spans 10.7 acres and features a variety of recreational facilities. These include two tennis courts, picnic areas, a children's playground, a clubhouse, and a lawn bowling green that hosts the Santa Monica Bowls Club. The park is also home to three reflecting pools and the largest municipal pond in Los Angeles County, supporting a diverse ecosystem of ducks, turtles, and fish.

Historical Notes

As early as 1917, aviators were landing on this grassy runway perched atop a mesa just southeast of Santa Monica.  It was surrounded by stalks of barley.

Soon the landing strip became a military airfield, and in 1922 the U.S. Army named it Clover Field in honor of Greayer Clover, a fighter pilot killed in France during the First World War. Since then the site has served many purposes. First it was the western headquarters of the Army’s reserve air corps, and later Douglas Aircraft produced its line of DC planes there.

Historical Notes

Douglas World Cruiser biplanes are the first aircraft to circumnavigate the globe in the weeks between April and September. The U.S. Army with Douglas World Cruisers, took off from Clover Field on St. Patrick’s day, March 17, 1924, and returned there after some 28,000 miles.

Historical Notes

Two planes made it back, after having covered 27,553 miles in 175 days, and were greeted on their return September 23, 1924 by a crowd of 200,000 (generously estimated).

Historical Notes

In August 1929, seventy women held a United States pilot’s license. Of those, twenty young female aviators assembled at Clover Field on the afternoon of August 18 to take part in the groundbreaking competition. Navigating the 2700-mile course with only road maps on their laps, the women flew from Santa Monica to Cleveland via stops in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. Along the way, there were continuous mishaps and a constant need for maintenance. Some competitors were forced to drop out of the race. Florence “Pancho” Barnes and Ruth Nichols crashed their aircraft. Margaret Perry contracted typhoid fever. Claire Fahy’s plane was found to have suspicious mechanical damage. Sadly, pilot Marvel Crosson, who had just set an altitude record at 23,996 feet the previous May, perished in a tragic crash. The race continued despite these perils, malfunctions and calamities. And at every stop, enthusiastic crowds gathered to meet the female flyers they had read about in the press.

At the Cleveland Municipal Airport, a throng estimated at 18,000 people greeted the pilots as they finished the race. Louise Thaden came in first, and she was followed by fourteen others: Amelia Earhart, Ruth Elder, Edith Foltz, Mary Hazlip, Jessie Keith-Miller, Opal Kunz, Blanche Noyes, Gladys O’Donnell, Phoebe Omlie, Neva Paris, Thea Rasche, Bobbi Trout (finished untimed because of two forced landings), Mary von Mach, and Vera Dawn Walker.

The Air Derby set the stage for other major air race competitions for women and supported the notion, highly suspect at the time, that women could be accomplished pilots. The race also strengthened the bonds between the participants and inspired them to organize. A few months later in 1929, most of these female aviators became founding members of The Ninety-Nines, an organization of licensed women pilots founded to promote and support women in aviation.

Historical Notes

On June 15, 1927 Santa Monica City Council changed the name of Clover Field to Santa Monica Airport (SMO).

In 1928, the City acquired an additional 60 acres to expand the Airport and to accommodate an expanding Douglas plant.

Historical Notes

Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. founded the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1921 with his first plant on Wilshire Boulevard. He built a plant in 1922 at Clover Field (Santa Monica Airport), which was in use for 46 years. In 1924, four Douglas-built planes took off from Clover Field to attempt the first aerial circumnavigation of the world. Two planes made it back, after having covered 27,553 miles in 175 days, and were greeted on their return September 23, 1924 by a crowd of 200,000 (generously estimated).

In 1929, Douglas enlarged its Santa Monica Airport operations, closed other facilities, and began to develop its early DC-2 and DC-3 airliners as well as other projects.

Historical Notes

Between 1941 and 1944 (During World War II), Douglas Aircraft becomes a major defense contractor, employing up to 44,000 workers who work three shifts, seven days a week. This economic engine transforms the city as thousands of new homes are built for the Douglas workers, creating Sunset Park and other neighborhoods.

Historical Notes

Douglas Aircraft Co. was a major player in the aircraft industry during World War II. Local historians note that World War II affected Santa Monica more than most places, as the Federal Government (for national security reasons) leased the Airport from the City to provide protection for Douglas Aircraft – then a major defense contractor located in Sunset Park. The government also participated in the expansion of the facility to accommodate the ever-growing production of military aircraft by Douglas Aircraft.

Historical Notes

Santa Monica CA- Along brilliantly lit assembly lines of Douglas Aircraft Company’s plant here, night crews are rushing production of DB-7B attackers bombers, recently acclaimed as night fighters in the defense of blacked out Britain. Equipped with heavy armament self-sealing fuel tanks and armor plating, these ships are proving swift and deadly in interception and downing Nazi raiders. R.A.F. early designated the DB-7 type the Boston and more recent the Havoc. Under a backlog in excess of $400,000,000 nearly 28,000 Douglas employees are working around the clock on attack ships, dive bombers and military transports for Americans and Britain.

Historical Notes

At its peak, Douglas Aircraft, and Santa Monica Airport grew in size to its present 227 acres, employing 40,000 individuals.

Historical Notes

During the war the airport area was cleverly disguised from the air with the construction of a false "town" (built with the help of Hollywood craftsman) suspended atop it.

Historical Notes

Clover Field (Santa Monica Airport) was once the site of the Army’s 40th Division Aviation, 115th Observation Squadron and became a Distribution Center after World War II.

Historical Notes

In later years, Douglas Aircraft merged with a rival to become McDonnell-Douglas Corporation (1967) and moved to Long Beach (1976).  The 5,000-foot runway at what was by then known as Santa Monica Airport was too short for the firm's growing jet production.  Two decades later, McDonnell-Douglas would be absorbed by yet another rival, Boeing Company.  When the corporation left town, Douglas' son, Donald Wills Douglas Jr, set up the Donald Douglas Museum and Library to commemorate his father's legacy.  Douglas Sr. died in 1981.  Nine years later, the nonprofit Museum of Flying, founded by golf course and real estate developer David Price, superseded the old museum as part of a $20-million airport overhaul.  Exhibits included vintage planes and an immense photo of when the airport and plant operated under cover of camouflage.

Historical Notes

On January 28, 2017, it was announced that Santa Monica City officials and the Federal Aviation Administration had reached an agreement to close the Santa Monica Airport on December 31, 2028 and return 227 acres of aviation land to the city for eventual redevelopment. It is anticipated that the airport land will be redeveloped into areas for parks, open space, recreation, education and/or cultural use.

In an attempt to reduce jet traffic, the city planned to shorten the runway from 4,973 feet to 3500 feet by repainting the runway and moving some navigational aids. The shortening has been formally completed as of 2017 December 23.

Historical Notes

LA Times Article dated June 30, 1929 reads:

For the first time in more than a century the general public was today given access to the scenic wonders of the famous Malibu Ranch when the last link in the Roosevelt Highway, extending from Canada to Mexico, was formally opened and dedicated by Gov. Young at ceremonies in Sycamore Canyon, near the Ventura-Los Angeles county line.

Historical Notes

A motor caravan of 1500 cars filled with representatives of various organizations which have labored long and hard that this highway might be built left the Chamber of Commerce at Santa Monica at 9:30 o’clock this morning. The procession wended its way north to the canyon, where an arch was constructed on the highway. - LA Times, June 30, 1929

Historical Notes

Gov. Young, after a short speech in which he related some of the handicaps overcome in construction of the road, gave the signal to the young lady representatives of Canada and Mexico, who applied lighted tapers to an explosive so placed that its explosion severed a barrier across the highway. - LA Times, June 30, 1929

Historical Notes

The coast highway was formally dedicated as the 'Theodore Roosevelt Highway' when it was completed in 1929 and was generally known as the 'Roosevelt Highway' or 'Coast Highway' in the 1930s. It was designated as US 101A (Alternate) in 1936. State legislative action in 1964 changed many highway numbers in California, and US 101A became CA 1. In the same year, the state legislature offically named CA 1 'Pacific Coast Highway' in Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.

Historical Notes

The section of Highway 1 from Santa Monica to Oxnard, via Malibu, went out to contract in 1925 as "Coast Boulevard" but was designated "Theodore Roosevelt Highway" when it was dedicated in 1929. The Highway 1 designation was first designated in 1939. Various portions of State Highway 1 have been posted and referred to by various names and numbers over the years. State construction of what became Highway 1 started after the state's third highway bond issue passed before 1910.*^

Historical Notes

This is a photograph of a Chris Siemer painting created for a display by the L.A. Chamber of Commerce.

Historical Notes

The 12-room motel, designed in 1930s by two prominent Los Angeles architects, Burton Alexander Schutt and A. Quincy Jones, was among the first to offer a full range of services--from restaurant to gas station to garage space--for Americans beginning their love affair with the car and the open road.^

Historical Notes

This motel was different--a streamlined V-shaped building, its two wings nestled snugly against the line of the bluffs where Potrero Canyon opens to the ocean. The public areas were close to the road, the sleeping rooms on a second story away from the traffic streaming by on what was then known as Roosevelt Highway. Motel guests, shielded from the cars' noise and fumes, could relax in the rear garden and look at the canyon beyond. Or they could gaze out the angled front windows of their rooms at a sweeping ocean vista.^

Historical Notes

Drive-in Restaurants flourished in Southern California during the 1930s and 40s. Click HERE to see more Early LA Drive-in Restaurants.

(1940s)^x^ – Looking over the roofline of Carl’s-by-the-Beach Drive-in towards the ocean.

Historical Notes

By the mid-1970s, the property at the foot of the Pacific Palisades bluffs had evolved into the Sunspot, a bar and mecca for the disco dance craze.

The Sunspot complex was closed in the 1980s and sat empty for nearly 10 years.  The Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department, which owned the property, hoped eventually to renovate and lease the building as a motel and restaurant.  However in 1994 a landslide crushed the westerly portion of the building—the part that would have been the restaurant.  Since then the City has demolished what was left of the buildings.^

Historical Notes

The beach is named after actor Will Rogers. In the 1920s, Rogers bought the land and developed a ranch along the coast. He owned 186 acres along the coast in what is now Pacific Palisades. Rogers died in a plane crash in 1935. Then when his widow, Betty, died in 1944, the ranch became a state park.

The Will Rogers State Beach lifeguard headquarters is the site of the former Port of Los Angeles Long Wharf, a California Historical Landmark, site number 881.^

Historical Notes

Will Rogers Beach was donated to the State of California by his widow, Betty, in 1944.  The County of Los Angeles has been operating the beach since 1975.^

Note the old tracks on Roosevelt Highway are still there in the above photo. The railroad tracks were removed when Roosevelt Highway was widened in 1934.

Historical Notes

In 1938, PCH was damaged by one of wettest seasons ever to hit Southern California.

Historical Notes

This section of Pacific Coast Highway was formally dedicated as the 'Theodore Roosevelt Highway' when it was completed in 1929 and was generally known as the 'Roosevelt Highway' or 'Coast Highway' in the 1930s. It was designated as US 101A (Alternate) in 1936. State legislative action in 1964 changed many highway numbers in California, and US 101A became CA 1. In the same year, the state legislature offically named CA 1 'Pacific Coast Highway' in Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.*

Gas station on left is still there. Got remodeled 15- 20 years ago. Click HERE for contemporary view.

Historical Notes

The Standard Oil Station pictured was owned by Clint Eastwood's father.

Historical Notes

William Randolph Hearst might have been the first media mogul of the 20th Century. In his day, Hearst owned 28 major newspapers and 18 magazines, as well as radio stations and movie companies. Santa Monica’s Gold Coast was so desirable that in the 1920s, Hearst, one of the richest and most powerful men in America, bought 4.91 acres of beachfront property so that he could build a mansion for his mistress, actress Marion Davies.

Historical Notes

During the 1930s and 1940s, Marion Davies' Beach House in Santa Monica became the epicenter of Hollywood's social scene, solidifying its place in entertainment history. Davies and William Randolph Hearst frequently hosted lavish parties and exclusive film screenings for the entertainment elite, making the estate a must-visit destination for celebrities and industry moguls. The property was a crown jewel of Santa Monica's prestigious "Gold Coast," a stretch of beachfront where numerous movie stars and influential figures owned homes. With its opulent design and extravagant amenities, the Beach House was widely regarded as one of the most lavish properties in the area, rivaling other famous residences of the time and cementing its status as a symbol of Hollywood's Golden Age glamour.

Historical Notes

After Marion Davies sold the estate in 1947 for $600,000, the property underwent significant changes. It was initially operated as a luxury hotel and limited-membership beach club, catering to an exclusive clientele. However, in 1956, despite opposition from neighbors, the main mansion was demolished, marking the end of an era for the iconic residence. The state of California then purchased the property in 1960, setting the stage for its future as a public space. Today, the site is known as the Annenberg Community Beach House, with only the original guest house and main pool surviving from Davies' time.

Historical Notes

The increased sand on Santa Monica Beach compared to 100 years ago is largely due to human intervention, particularly through beach nourishment projects. Over the past century, efforts have been made to widen and enhance the beach to boost tourism and recreation. Key factors include the artificial widening of the beach by adding approximately 30 million cubic yards of sand, sourced from infrastructure projects and dredging operations, and the desire to make Santa Monica Beach resemble wider, flatter East Coast beaches.

In 1947, for example, nearly 14 million cubic yards of sand were removed to make way for El Segundo's Hyperion power plant. They were deposited onto Santa Monica's beaches. Another million cubic yards came a couple years later, the sand this time recovered from dredging operations along a nearby breakwater. In all, some thirty million cubic yards of sand have been dumped onto the beaches of Santa Monica and Venice. 

Historical Notes

The railroad tracks will be removed in 1934 when Roosevelt Highway is widened to 4 lanes.

Historical Notes

The site of the former Marion Davies estate on Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica is now home to the Annenberg Community Beach House. The original property, designed by architect Julia Morgan for William Randolph Hearst and actress Marion Davies, featured a grand 110-room mansion known as "Ocean House" or "The Beach House." This luxurious retreat was popular among Hollywood celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s. Although the main mansion was demolished in the 1950s, the guest house and original swimming pool were preserved and are now part of the Annenberg Community Beach House, which serves as a public recreational facility.

Historical Notes

William Randolph Hearst commissioned William Edward Flannery to construct a grand beach house for his longtime companion, actress Marion Davies. In 1926, architect Julia Morgan (the architect of Hearst Castle) was hired to complete the design and oversee construction of the estate, which featured an ornate swimming pool, several houses, gardens and an opulent 110-room mansion. The beach house served as Davies’ primary residence from 1929 to 1942.

Historical Notes

Photo was taken shorty after railroad tracks were removed and Roosevelt Highway widened (1934).

Historical Notes

Julia Morgan created a three-story, 34-bedroom Georgian mansion on the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica. Called "Ocean House" or "The Beach House," it was the grandest property in the neighborhood. Rumor has it the cost was $7 million dollars.

Historical Notes

Marion Davies was born Marion Douras in Brooklyn, New York on January 3rd, 1897. She always wanted to be a star. When she met William Randolph Hearst, she had already made a name for herself on the Broadway stage. Rumor has it she wrote her first film, "Runaway Romany," directed by her brother-in-law, George Lederer. 1918’s "Cecilia of the Pink Roses" was her first film backed by Hearst. Then her marketing campaign began.

Over the next ten years, Davies filmed an average of almost three films a year. She was a tireless worker, always trying to live up to the relentless promotional campaigns launched by Hearst.

In the early twenties, she and Hearst relocated their movie company, Cosmopolitan Productions, to California to join forces with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. Once the Beach House was finished, Marion evolved into Hollywood's premiere hostess. Her parties attracted the day’s biggest stars, international dignitaries and business titans. Those who knew Davies say she never took herself seriously and was beloved by all who knew her for her gracious spirit and charitable tendencies.

Historical Notes

The three-story, 118-room, 34-bedroom, 55-bath Georgian mansion had 37 fireplaces, Tiffany chandeliers, a ballroom, a dining room from a Venetian palazzo, and a room that was coated in gold leaf. It was accompanied by three guesthouses, two swimming pools, tennis courts and dog kennels and was called “Ocean House."

Historical Notes

In 1947, Davies sold the estate and it was converted into the Oceanhouse Hotel and Sand & Sea Beach Club. The main mansion was demolished in 1956, and the property was sold to the State of California in 1959. The Sand & Sea Club remained popular with regulars all the way through until the 1990s.

In 2005, the Annenberg Foundation, at the recommendation of Wallis Annenberg, made a generous financial commitment to preserve the site for public use. The Annenberg Community Beach House at Santa Monica State Beach opened to the public on April 25, 2009, representing a unique partnership between the Annenberg Foundation, California State Parks and the City of Santa Monica. The total construction costs were roughly $30 million.

Historical Notes

The mansion's original pool was restored by the Annenberg Foundation and opened to the public on a fee for entry basis in 2009. The pool is trimmed in tile and has a marble deck. The mansion's original guest house also still exists and is used for events. New facilities include a pool house with changing areas and a second floor view deck, a new event house, a splash pad, gardens, beach volleyball/tennis courts, a children's play area, public restrooms, beach rentals, and a cafe.

Historical Notes

Filled with antiques and guests, the Lasky home became a magnet for stars, performers, and executives. From hosting lavish open air extravaganzas to spontaneous get-togethers, the beach house was where Hollywood culture maven Bess Lasky held court.

Historical Notes

"'Our Santa Monica beach house, 609 Ocean Front, was a two-story hacienda surrounding a garden with a fountain. It originally had twelve guest suites...[which] my father enlarged..still further. We became a kind of hotel for the famous...I can remember no time when we were not inundated with house guests.” – Jesse L. Lasky, Jr.

In 1930, Lasky traded Paramount shares and the beach house to Harry Warner for $250K.

Historical Notes

The Hollywood set and the uber-rich were drawn to Santa Monica’s beach in the 1920s & 30s. The opulent residences they constructed north of the Pier and fabulous parties they threw earned this stretch of sand the nickname of “Gold Coast”.

Many other Hollywood stars, producers and movie studio moguls also built homes on Santa Monica's beach in the 1920s.  Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were among the first to make the move.

Historical Notes

IIn the 1920s, “Promoters decided to create a fantastic club (Gables Beach Club) and hotel complex on the cliffs at the foot of Montana Avenue...Designed to emulate the grandest castle-like structures of Europe.....would be twenty-one stories high and would include the first new bridge to span the beach road." - (from the book) Santa Monica Beach by Ernest Marquez

Historical Notes

Originally designed to be 21 storys tall, only three stories were completed (1928) when the Great Depression hit. The smaller building would be used as a garage for Gables Beach Club across the street until a fire partially destroyed the club (1930). Within two years the club was rebuilt and reopened as the Sorrento Beach Club and the 3-story building continued to be used as a parking garage until 1962.

Click HERE to see a postcard illustration of the proposed 21-story Gables Hotel.

Historical Notes

The Sorrento Ruins were left standing until the 1970s and then demolished.  Today, part of the foundation is still visible and is being used as a retaining wall.

Historical Notes

Before the Incline existed, beachgoers reached the shore by footpaths such as the Sunset Trail or stairways like the 99 Steps. Around 1905, a rough dirt road called Linda Vista Drive was carved into the bluffs, giving automobiles a shortcut to the beach. It was later paved and renamed the California Incline, taking its name from the street it connected with at the top—California Avenue.

Historical Notes

During the late 1920s, the California Incline was widened and improved by the California Division of Highways as part of the coastal highway upgrade. Around the same time, the coast road was formally dedicated as the Theodore Roosevelt Highway, later known as the Pacific Coast Highway. These improvements modernized the Incline, doubling its width and turning it into a vital link between the expanding beach route and the city above.

Historical Notes

The widening of the Incline required reinforcing the soft sandstone cliffs that supported the road. Concrete retaining walls and surfacing were added to handle the growing number of vehicles using the route. The project transformed a narrow cliffside path into one of Santa Monica’s signature automobile approaches, reflecting the city’s rapid embrace of the motor age.

Historical Notes

By the 1930s, the California Incline was a fully paved concrete roadway carrying steady traffic between the Pacific Coast Highway and the bluff-top neighborhoods. The half-mile incline connected the growing coastal highway system to downtown Santa Monica and Palisades Park, making it an essential route for both residents and visitors.

Historical Notes

Scenes like this captured the spirit of the California Incline in its early decades—a place of sun, leisure, and local pride. The Incline linked Santa Monica’s beach life with its civic center, and became part of the city’s identity as a hub of recreation, lifeguard services, and coastal culture.

Historical Notes

By this era, the Incline’s concrete balustrades and graceful curve down the bluff had become instantly recognizable. Its design reflected both function and beauty—a practical link to the beach and a scenic drive that framed sweeping ocean views.

Historical Notes

This quiet moment from the late 1930s shows the Incline’s dual purpose—as a transportation route and as a scenic overlook. From the top of the bluff, Palisades Park offered panoramic views of the ocean, while the Incline provided a graceful descent to the beach and the Pacific Coast Highway below.

Historical Notes

Color postcards of this era often featured the Incline as a symbol of Santa Monica’s charm. The curving roadway, palm-lined park, and beach below captured the harmony between urban design and the natural coastline. The Incline was widely regarded as one of the most scenic gateways in Southern California.

Historical Notes

By the post-war years, the Incline had become a fixture of Santa Monica’s beach culture, linking the bluff-top city streets to the busy piers and amusement zones below. The Santa Monica Municipal Pier and the adjacent Yacht Harbor were central gathering places for fishing, boating, and entertainment—easily reached by way of the California Incline.

Historical Notes

During the 1940s, the beach and pier area flourished with dance halls, restaurants, and small cottages along the shore. The California Incline served as the main link between downtown Santa Monica and the thriving beachfront, making it one of the most photographed stretches of roadway on the coast.

Historical Notes

In 1957, Santa Monica built its first dedicated pedestrian bridge across the California Incline to improve safety for beachgoers and residents. Before this bridge, pedestrians had to share the roadway or descend steep stairways cut into the bluffs. The new overcrossing, officially known as the Idaho Avenue Pedestrian Overcrossing, linked Palisades Park and Ocean Avenue at the top with a stairway and walkway leading to the beach and Pacific Coast Highway below. Constructed of reinforced concrete with steel railings, it reflected the city’s postwar commitment to both recreation and public safety as beach traffic and tourism surged.

Historical Notes

This image reflects a quieter side of the Incline, showing it as part of everyday life for locals as well as tourists. For generations of residents, walking the Incline became a ritual—offering sea air, exercise, and one of the best views in town.

Historical Notes

By the 1970s, the road was officially known as the California Avenue Incline Bridge. It remained a vital connector but was beginning to show its age after decades of coastal erosion and increasing vehicle loads. Plans for eventual reconstruction were already being discussed by city engineers.

Historical Notes

By the early 1990s, engineers had determined that the original Incline bridge no longer met modern seismic standards. Funding for its replacement was secured in 2007, but construction did not begin until 2015. This photo shows the old roadway shortly before demolition, capturing the familiar curve that had carried cars and pedestrians for more than a century.

Historical Notes

Reopened with much celebration in 2016, the rebuilt California Incline was engineered to current seismic standards while preserving its classic appearance. The new structure is supported by deep concrete pilings and stabilized with more than a thousand soil anchors. Today the Incline serves as a multi-modal route—welcoming vehicles, cyclists, and walkers—and remains one of Santa Monica’s most iconic coastal landmarks.

Click HERE to see more Early Views of the California Incline (1905+).

Historical Notes

The original Idaho Avenue Pedestrian Overcrossing was completed in 1957, giving beachgoers a safe way to cross the California Incline from Palisades Park without mixing with automobile traffic. It connected directly to a second structure, the California Incline Pedestrian Overcrossing, which spanned Pacific Coast Highway and led to the beach below. Together, the two bridges formed a continuous pedestrian route from Ocean Avenue to the shoreline.

Both bridges were rebuilt in 2016 as part of the California Incline reconstruction project. The upper bridge was redesigned in a graceful curved form that follows the contour of the bluff, while the lower bridge over PCH was realigned and strengthened to meet modern seismic and accessibility standards. Today, the two crossings function as one continuous system linking Palisades Park with the beach, preserving the route’s historic purpose while enhancing its safety and visual appeal.

Historical Notes

The tunnel was conceived as a vital connection between Roosevelt Highway (later Pacific Coast Highway) and Colorado Avenue/Olympic Boulevard, leading to Lincoln Boulevard and Los Angeles beyond. At the time, Santa Monica was experiencing rapid growth in both automobile and rail traffic. The corridor served both modes—the auto tunnel for cars and Pacific Electric streetcars on tracks along the bluffs above—capturing a transition era as Southern California shifted from electric rail to the automobile.

This early phase in 1934 shows the foundations of a project that would soon become a signature entryway to Santa Monica’s beaches.

Historical Notes

This 1935 view shows construction of the Colorado Avenue and Ocean Avenue tunnel in Santa Monica, with its arched top taking shape. Pacific Electric streetcar tracks run across the foreground, while in the distance the Santa Monica Pier, Yacht Harbor, and breakwater are visible. Signs for local businesses such as “Whirlwind Auto Park,” “Albers Waffle Parlor,” and the “Overlook Hotel and Apartments” capture the commercial life of the era. The Looff Hippodrome with its dome and the La Monica Ballroom also appear, anchoring the scene in the city’s beachfront culture.

The Pacific Electric tracks seen here once carried passengers and freight into Santa Monica, but service declined after World War II as car travel grew. Passenger service ended in 1953, and the tracks above the tunnel were removed in the 1960s when the Santa Monica Freeway was extended to the coast and the tunnel was rebuilt for automobiles. Today, part of that old route has been revived by Metro’s E Line, which opened in 2016 and once again brings rail passengers to downtown Santa Monica near the pier.

Historical Notes

By late 1935, construction on the Roosevelt Highway Tunnel was in full swing. The project required cutting beneath Ocean Avenue to link the new Roosevelt Highway with downtown Santa Monica, a major engineering effort for its time. Visible in the background is one of the towers of the Deauville Club, a glamorous beach resort that symbolized Santa Monica’s popularity as both a local and tourist destination. The tunnel’s design used reinforced concrete with a flat-arch profile, allowing for four lanes of traffic and accommodating the Pacific Electric tracks that ran overhead.

This stage of construction set the scene for the tunnel’s formal dedication just two months later, when Santa Monica would celebrate its newest gateway with a parade and motor cavalcade.

Historical Notes

This photo shows the Roosevelt Highway Tunnel (later called the Olympic Tunnel, and today the McClure Tunnel) in its final stages of construction beneath Ocean Avenue. Reinforced concrete walls and the arching roof were being finished to create a modern four-lane roadway. Above the tunnel, Pacific Electric streetcar tracks still ran along the bluff, a reminder of the rail network that once carried commuters and beachgoers between Santa Monica and Los Angeles.

Taken just weeks before the tunnel’s February 1936 dedication, the image captures a pivotal moment when Santa Monica was re-engineering its landscape to balance cars, trains, and growing seaside crowds.

Historical Notes

On opening day, February 1, 1936, the “Olympic Tunnel” was formally dedicated. The Los Angeles Times described the celebration: “Through tunnel to coast at Santa Monica went a cavalcade of autos when the ribbon was cut February 1st. Flat-arch construction and four traffic lanes are features.” Though plans for a parade and barbecue in the tunnel were canceled due to poor weather, the event still drew a large crowd eager to see the city’s newest civic achievement.

The completion of the tunnel marked the beginning of a new era in Santa Monica’s transportation history, where automobiles and beach tourism would dominate, gradually pushing aside the Pacific Electric system that had once defined regional travel.

Historical Notes

Known initially as the Olympic Tunnel, the structure became the McClure Tunnel in 1969, honoring Robert E. McClure, longtime editor of the Santa Monica Evening Outlook and an advocate for the freeway system. The tunnel linked Roosevelt Highway with Olympic and Lincoln Boulevards, providing a direct conduit between downtown Santa Monica and the coast.

By the 1950s, Pacific Electric service had ended, and in the 1960s the tracks were removed as the Santa Monica Freeway was extended directly into the tunnel. The old streetcar right-of-way was erased, and the tunnel fully adapted for cars. Yet decades later, rail returned nearby with the opening of Metro’s E Line in 2016, once again delivering passengers to downtown Santa Monica just a few blocks from the pier.

Historical Notes

Automakers seized on the tunnel’s publicity value, using images like this to emphasize the freedom of modern motoring. In the background, the roofline of the Deauville Club looms, tying together Santa Monica’s glamorous beachfront reputation with its new transportation gateway.

Historical Notes

A night view shows the tunnel freshly completed, lit from the Olympic side and framed by palm trees and streetlamps. The structure quickly became a recognizable landmark for motorists, symbolizing Santa Monica’s identity as both a beach city and a node in Los Angeles’ expanding freeway network.

Historical Notes

Today, the McClure Tunnel serves as the transition point between the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) and Pacific Coast Highway. While modern traffic has far surpassed the expectations of its 1930s designers, the tunnel endures as both a bottleneck and a symbolic passageway — guiding travelers from urban Los Angeles to the open Pacific coast. The story of the tunnel mirrors the region’s broader transportation history: from rail to freeway, and now back to rail nearby with the revival of passenger service through Metro’s E Line to Downtown Santa Monica (4th & Colorado).

(1936)^**^ - Postcard view of the Santa Monica Pier and Beach looking from Palisades Park. Route 66, End of the Trail sign at lower right.

Historical Notes

In 1936, Route 66 was extended from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica, today the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard (a segment of State Route 1). Even though there is a plaque dedicating Route 66 as the Will Rogers Highway placed at the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard, the highway never terminated there.

Route 66 was unofficially named "The Will Rogers Highway" by the U.S. Highway 66 Association in 1952, although a sign along the road with that name appeared in the John Ford film, The Grapes of Wrath, which was released in 1940, twelve years before the association gave the road that name. A plaque dedicating the highway to Will Rogers is still located in Santa Monica (Ocean and Santa Monica Boulevards).*^

Historical Notes

The 18-ft. high Art Deco Sculpture for whom Santa Monica was named was sculpted in 1934 by Eugene Morahan as a Public Works of Art project and presented to the citizens of Santa Monica by the Federal Government.

Morahan and his wife (Grace) lived at the Tennis Club on Third Street in Santa Monica where the statue was caste in the backyard. It was to be installed during the celebration of Pioneer Day and as Morahan was under great pressure to complete his work by that deadline, he contacted his good friend and fellow sculptor, Gutzon Borglum to leave his work on Mount Rushmore and come down to help him finish his work on Saint Monica.+#

Historical Notes

The statue is located at the foot of Wilshire Boulevard just a block or so north of Santa Monica Boulevard.

Historical Notes

In the 1920s, Santa Monica was thriving both as a popular tourist destination and as home to a budding aviation industry and other businesses. Though Santa Monicans had long trekked to downtown Los Angeles for important shopping, Santa Monica’s downtown was at last coming into its own as a full-service retail center. Henshey’s Department Store, founded by Harry C. Henshey and his partners, was crucial to this change. *##^

Historical Notes

Henshey’s was Santa Monica’s first department store and, at four stories, one of the city’s tallest commercial buildings. The building itself was owned by Charles Tegner, one of Henshey’s partners. Tegner built many commercial structures in Santa Monica and was a key figure in the city’s business community at the time. The architect selected for the building was also well-known locally—Henry C. Hollwedel.  Hollwedel began his career as an architect in New York but relocated here and completed many important commissions in Santa Monica, including the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club and the Mayfair Theatre.

The Henshey’s store, as originally designed by Hollwedel, was a steel frame and brick structure in the Beaux Arts Classical Revival style, a grandiose style often used in public buildings of the time. The original store featured bays of paired windows embellished with terra cotta details, as well as an imposing cornice and a terra cotta frieze. Santa Monica’s Outlook newspaper reported at the time that Henshey’s was “one of the best advertisements Santa Monica has ever had…its imposing bulk, towering over the adjacent structures around it arouses interest and speculation.” Even more important, Henshey’s showed that “Santa Monica is no longer a village with village stores and standards. She has grown up and is now a big city.” *##^

Historical Notes

Constructed in 1928, the symmetrical Central Tower Building is designed in the Art Deco style. The irregular-shaped building is comprised of two-story store fronts along the west side of 4th Street with an eight-story central tower rising from the middle of the 4th Street facing volume.**#

Historical Notes

The beautiful Art-Deco style eight story commercial building was designed by Morien Eugene Durfee who was also the architect for the Georgian Hotel on Ocean Avenue.  It was constructed by C.L. Freeman and J. Wesley Forder and developed by the Central Tower Investment Company and A.P. Creel.

Historical Notes

Although Henshey’s was praised when first constructed in 1925, the building was altered significantly as the years passed and architectural fashions changed. In 1936 it underwent a major remodel as the ground floor and mezzanine were remade in the Streamline Moderne style so popular in the 30s. At the same time, a one-story extension (also Streamline Moderne) was annexed to the building along Fourth Street. By the 1960s this look too was outdated, and in 1962 both the original four-story building and the annex were entirely encased behind punched aluminum screens, changing their look dramatically.

Henshey’s Department Store occupied these buildings from 1925 until 1992 when recession and competition from other retailers led to the store’s closing. Then, in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the Henshey’s building and annex were damaged beyond repair and the landmark was demolished soon after. *##^

Historical Notes

John M. Cooper designed this movie theater, which includes both Neoclassical and Art Deco architectural elements. When it opened in 1931 for stage and film productions, the theater had seating for 1,500 all in one auditorium, however two auditoriums were created in 1977 under the ownership of Mann Theatres. In the early 1990’s, Landmark Theatres took over operations and changed its name to NuWilshire.

Historical Notes

Opened in 1938, the only part of the old El Miro Theatre that is left is the facade. The theater was razed in the late 80’s and the newer Cineplex Broadway 4 Theatre is located on that site now.***

Historical Notes

The El Miro Theatre was designed by Norman W. Alpaugh.

Historical Notes

From the 60’s thru the 80’s, the El Miro Theatre was part of many chains including Century, Loew’s, GCC, and Metropolitan Theatres (Metropolitan being the last). Loew’s redressed the house in the early 70’s with those purple and blue curtains of that era. That was the last time this theater received a makeover before it was closed and demolished.***

Historical Notes

The Clock Tower Building was built between 1929 and 1930 in Art Déco style. For around 40 years it held the record for the tallest building in the Santa Monica skyline. The skyscraper was commissioned by the Bay Cities Guaranty and Loan Association to the Californian architects Albert Raymond Walker and Percy Augustin Eisen, whose firm, Walker & Eisen, with a staff of more than 50 draughtsmen, was the most important leading practice in California in the 1920s. Among its many completed projects, the firm had recently designed the extraordinary skyscraper in the Romanesque Revival style known as the Fine Arts Building in Los Angeles (now owned by Sorgente Group of America), one of the most representative buildings in the city.^

Historical Notes

The Clock Tower Building, not far from the beaches washed by the ocean and with an unobstructed view of the nearby mountains, occupies a rectangular lot located at 225 Santa Monica Boulevard, in the heart of the city’s business district and close to the main thoroughfare Third Street Promenade. The ground floor of the skyscraper, in the form of a compact parallelepipedal block surmounted by a tower, is occupied by retail spaces, and the upper stories by offices.^

Historical Notes

Constructed in 1929 it was the first high-rise in Santa Monica. It was designed by Albert Walker and Percy Eisen in the Art Deco style. Walker and Eisen were responsible for numerous notable structures in Los Angeles, such as the home of the former United Artists Theatre in downtown Los Angeles now the Ace Hotel, the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills.*

Historical Notes

The twelve office floors are crowned by a crenellated border, where the most ornate decorations on the cladding are concentrated. The tapered, stepped tower on the top is also faced with white marble slabs, which form a zigzag pattern in relief on the sides and around the edge of the summit; it is visible from everywhere in the city and rendered instantly recognizable due to its rectangular clock with four black dials (one on each side of the tower), and whose shining hands mark the exact time and are an urban signal in the city.^

Historical Notes

Due to its height, its imposing volumes and the immediate recognizability of its architecture, the Clock Tower Building has possessed a powerful urban identity since it was built. This makes it a true landmark that acts as a compass and guide in the boundless Santa Monica cityscape.^

Historical Notes

The Georgian Hotel was established in 1931. Built during the peak of California's coastal expansion in the 1920s and 1930s, the historic hotel was the vision of Attorney and Judge, Harry J. Borde. Showcasing Romanesque Revival and Art Deco architecture, the hotel was among the first skyscrapers to call Ocean Avenue home.^

The Art Deco eight story Georgian Hotel was one of the first high rise hotels in Santa Monica. It sits on Ocean Avenue and looks out on the Pacific Ocean. The bar downstairs was frequented by Hollywood luminaries such as Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. The Georgian was also home base for the Kennedy clan with First Mother Rose Kennedy a fixture at the hotel while she entertained Hollywood royalty and journalists.^

Historical Notes

In the 1940s and 1950s, Santa Monica was taken by a technological and industrial boom, led by the Donald Douglas Aircraft Factory. Guests of Douglas Aircraft's would call The Georgian their temporary home while in LA. Those taking up residence included aircraft designers, servicemen during WWII, and gamblers who would take a motorboat offshore to spend an evening aboard the casino barges anchored a few miles offshore in Santa Monica Bay.

In the late 1960s, The Georgian reinvented itself as a modern upscale apartment residence, with unheard of amenities like a bathroom in every guest room.

Historical Notes

As Hollywood's elite flocked to the beach to escape the valley heat, The Georgian's popularity grew. It was nicknamed "The Lady" in honor of Mr. Borde's mother, Rosamond Borde, who was a modern woman who had opened a hotel called The Windermere on the adjacent lot.

Historical Notes

As time passed, the basement restaurant of the Georgian Hotel earned a great deal of attention. One of the last strongholds of the Prohibition Era, it was considered a true Speakeasy, which hosted the likes of "Bugsy" Siegel, Clark Gable, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Carole Lombard, and dozens of other film stars and industry moguls.

Historical Notes

The Georgian Hotel was designated a Santa Monica historical landmark on February 22, 1995.*

Please Support Our Cause

Water and Power Associates, Inc. is a non-profit, public service organization dedicated to preserving historical records and photos. 

Your generosity allows us to continue to disseminate knowledge of the rich and diverse multicultural history of the greater Los Angeles area; to serve as a resource of historical information; and to assist in the preservation of the city's historic records.