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Historical Notes

IIn the 1920s and 30s, a number of fancy beach clubs were built along Santa Monica beach including the aptly named Santa Monica Athletic Club, the Beach Club, the Santa Monica Swimming Club, the Deauville, the Wavecrest, the Edgewater, and the Breakers. There was also the Gables Beach Club, a grand Tudor-style building (seen above) constructed in 1926.

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The Gables Beach Club, seen on the beach in the foreground, was completed in 1926 and flourished until it burned in a fire in 1930. It reopened a few years later as the Sorrento Beach Club.

The 21-story Gables Hotel began construction in 1926 also but only reached the third story before the project was halted by the Great Depression. The hotel was never completed, and the three-story structure was later used as a parking facility for the Sorrento Beach Club located across the street until 1962. The building was demolished in the 1970s, except for the foundation, which is still visible today and now serves as a retaining wall. It is now known as the Sorrento Ruins.

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The grand Tudor-style Gables Beach Club was constructed in 1926. It was a popular filming location. After a fire partially destroyed it in 1930, the club was rebuilt and reopened as the Sorrento Beach Club in 1932.

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William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey became a cultural icon of the 1920s.  He held the World Heavyweight Championship from 1919 to 1926, and his aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first million-dollar gate.*^

Historical Notes

The Deauville Club was located north of the Santa Monica Pier. It opened to the public in 1927 and was built on the site of the old North Beach House. It was modeled after a casino in Deauville, France, and considered to be one of the most beautiful beach clubs.

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In 1930, the Los Angeles Athletic Club bought the Deauville Club and, in 1933, a breakwater built in the bay expanded the sandy beaches, creating more oceanfront space for the multitude of visitors to the area.^^#

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The Deauville offered guest rooms, a gymnasium, a saltwater plunge, lockers and showers, lounge rooms, game rooms, private dining rooms, and a restaurant.^^#

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The club hosted bands, beauty contestants, dances, high school proms and banquets. It had several owners over the course of its nearly 40 year life. It was ultimately demolished in the mid-1960s following a devastating fire on April 5th, 1964.

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A breakwater was built just off the Santa Monica Pier in 1933, creating a harbor for boat anchorage. Upon completion it stood 37-feet high and more than 100-feet wide at its base. It had the added effect of redistributing sand along the shore, creating the wide swath of beach north of the pier.*^*^

The harbor was home to a collection of yachts, fishing boats and a cruise liner to Catalina. It was also the home base for a shuttle service to offshore gambling operations run by mobster Tony Cornero until 1939 when then-Attorney General Earl Warren led a legal crusade to shut them down.

The last to go was Cornero’s flagship, the “Rex”, which was raided in 1939 during what came to be known as “The Battle of Santa Monica Bay”. After a three day standoff, Cornero surrendered because he “needed a haircut”. Government agents boarded the “Rex” and threw all of the gambling machines and tables overboard. Warren subsequently went on to become governor of California, and ultimately Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.^++

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In the 1930s, gambling entrepreneurs such as Tony Cornero discovered that ships docked more than three miles from shore fell outside Santa Monica's legal jurisdiction. Old ships were retrofitted as floating casinos serviced by water taxis from the Pier. One of the most famous was the "Rex," a gambling ship anchored in Santa Monica Bay in 1938.

California Attorney General Earl Warren mounted both a lengthy legal campaign to shut down the gambling ships as well as a series of sieges on the Rex, dubbed "The Battle of Santa Monica Bay" by the press. When the police raided the Rex on August 1 1939, they dumped slot machines into the ocean and burned the gambling tables from the ship.^

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The Spanish and French Renaissance style La Monica Ballroom was designed by T.H. Eslick; it opened on July 23, 1924 and was demolished in 1963.

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From 1939 to 1958, the Santa Monica Pier underwent several significant changes, including the sale and replacement of its iconic carousel, the conversion of the La Monica Ballroom into a roller skating rink, and shifts in ownership and management. These changes were indicative of broader social and economic trends and set the stage for future redevelopment efforts that would eventually restore the pier to its former glory.

Historical Notes

The 1940s were a transformative decade for the Santa Monica Pier, marked by significant events and changes. During World War II, the La Monica Ballroom was repurposed for military use, serving as a shelter and hosting dances for troops. Maintenance of the pier was minimal due to material and manpower shortages. Post-war, the pier experienced a revival in entertainment, notably with Spade Cooley's televised weekly show from the La Monica Ballroom in 1948, drawing renewed attention and visitors. Despite wartime challenges, the pier remained a popular leisure destination. Structural improvements included the Works Progress Administration (WPA) building a bridge over Pacific Coast Highway in 1940 and the erection of the iconic arched sign at the foot of Colorado Avenue.

Historical Notes

Parking at the end of the Santa Monica Pier ceased in 1975. This decision was part of broader efforts to preserve the pier and improve safety and accessibility for visitors. The cessation of parking on the pier itself marked a shift towards prioritizing pedestrian access and the overall visitor experience, which has continued to evolve over the years.

Historical Notes

The 1950s were a transitional period for the Santa Monica Pier, marked by significant changes and challenges. In 1953, the City of Santa Monica took over ownership of the Looff Pier, leasing it to a private operator. The La Monica Ballroom, showing signs of wear, was converted into a roller skating rink in 1958, reflecting shifting entertainment preferences. The pier arcade was revitalized by a new family, becoming a long-running attraction. Despite efforts to maintain the pier, it faced dilapidation and economic struggles, with declining popularity due to competition from other venues. However, the pier remained a beloved community hub and a site of historical significance, setting the stage for future preservation and redevelopment efforts.

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The access ramp to the Santa Monica Pier, constructed as part of the 1939 Colorado Grade Separation Project, was completed on June 12, 1940. This project aimed to improve traffic flow between the Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Monica streets by providing direct access from Colorado Avenue to the pier, replacing the old access route. To highlight the new route, the Santa Monica Pier Business Men’s Association unveiled a neon sign reading "Santa Monica Yacht Harbor – Sport Fishing – Boating – Cafes" on June 17, 1941.

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The bridge and entry gate to Santa Monica Pier were built in 1939 by the federal Works Project Administration, and replaced the former grade connection.

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In 1941 the famous neon sign at the top of the Pier ramp was installed by the Santa Monica Pier Businessmen’s Association to celebrate the opening of the newly-built ramp. It is an internationally-recognized tourist destination and a symbol of the Southern California lifestyle.

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The iconic Santa Monica Pier sign, commissioned by the Santa Monica Businessmen's Association in 1940, was designed by Fred Lehman in the Streamline Moderne style and unveiled in 1941. Originally intended to promote the Pier as a tourist destination, its neon lights were extinguished during World War II. Despite changes and repairs, including a relocation in the 1950s, the sign retains much of its original structure. In 2012, it was designated a historic landmark by the City of Santa Monica, ensuring its preservation.

Historical Notes

The Breakers Beach Club opened in 1926. The 8-story building had over 300 sleeping apartments and a full complement of amenities for guests. As ownership changed, it was also known as Club Lido. Eventually the club transitioned into a hotel, used to house military personnel during World War II. Later it was also known as the Chase Hotel.

The structure became an apartment building known as the Sea Castle Apartments in the 1960s. The building was completely destroyed by fire in 1996.

Historical Notes

Beach volleyball has deep roots in Santa Monica, often regarded as the birthplace of the sport. The origins of beach volleyball can be traced back to the 1920s when the city added new jetties, creating more space for public recreation. This led to the installation of public and private volleyball nets along the coast, setting the stage for the sport's evolution. In the 1930s, beach volleyball was primarily played by men.

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Volleyball became an official Olympic event at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. This marked the debut of both men's and women's volleyball competitions at the Games. The sport had previously been featured as a demonstration event at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, but it took another 40 years before it was officially included in the Olympic program.

Historical Notes

The Santa Monica Lifeguard Service was founded in the 1920’s under Captain George Watkins.  In 1934, it established a home on the Santa Monica Pier in the former Bowling and Billiards Building.  A year later they moved to the La Monica Ballroom and, while there, operated an aquarium.*

Historical Notes

In the early years of the lifeguard service, it attracted a following of Hollywood heavyweights and swimming champions. Duke Kahanamoku of Hawaii brought surfing to Santa Monica. Johnny Weismuller was made an honorary lifeguard, since so many of the team would stunt double for him in the Tarzan films. Gary Cooper was a fan, along with Marion Davies, Darryl Zanuck and Cary Grant, who kept houses by the beach.

The lifeguard service expanded along with the explosion of coastal real estate development in the early part of the 20th century. Abbot Kinney hired lifeguards to patrol the beach to help sell his beachfront properties. Kinney’s wife was responsible for raising funds to purchase the first lifeguard boat in Venice and organized lifeguards into a crew.

Back then, lifeguards would carry long metal cans – or rescue tubes (invented by a Santa Monica lifeguard) on rescues. Today, the tubes are made of plastic polymers, but the essentials of the job remain unchanged – vigilant eyes on the surf, anticipating problems and steering crowds away from dangerous behaviors, like drinking.^

In the mid-1930s the Santa Monica Lifeguard Headquarters was located in the La Monica Ballroom Building located on the pier.  In the late 1950s a New Headquarters Building would be built at 1642 Ocean Front Walk, which is still in use today.

Historical Notes

Muscle Beach is where the body was celebrated in its sunbaked glory as young men (and more than a few women) showed off their physical prowess by performing acrobatic and gymnastic routines. The original Muscle Beach disappeared in the late 1950s; the modern-day version is now located in Venice Beach.

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Beginning in 1934, the fantastic gymnastics shows held here made the site a major attraction and center of the international fitness movement led by Jack LaLanne, Steve Reeves and Joe Gold.

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Acrobats, gymnasts and bodybuilders performed before large crowds, which often included Jayne Mansfield and Mae West. Santa Monica's Muscle Beach reached the height of its popularity in the 1940s before moving to its current location in Venice Beach in 1959.

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The 1940 opening of the first of an eventual nationwide chain of weightlifting gyms by famed pioneer gym chain operator, Vic Tanny, only two city blocks from Muscle Beach in Santa Monica is commonly considered a key contributor to the increasing attraction of bodybuilders and strength lifters to Muscle Beach from across the nation. By the 1950s Muscle Beach established worldwide fame and helped to popularize and bring legitimacy to physical culture with acrobatics and bodybuilding and contribute to a nationwide health and fitness movement continuing into the 21st century.

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Male and female gymnasts regularly put on public shows, dazzling beachgoers with their displays of strength and balance.

Historical Notes

That building with the arched windows to the left of the blimp, was the old armory building that became an officers club during WWII and for a time after. By the late 50s, Synanon took it over. That was 'the Synanon house on the beach,' throughout the 60s, prior to their moving into Casa del Mar.

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When the Pacific Coast Highway was built in 1927, new concrete steps and a bridge over the highway were built to replace the wooden ones which allowed for continued beach access. In 1935, the bridge shown above replaced the one built in 1927.

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Today, Santa Monica has 4 pedestrian bridges that cross PCH with stairs that take you down to the beaches.

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The lifeguard facility was originally constructed in the late 1950’s and has been staffed by Los Angeles County since the 1970’s. The County Fire Department provides year-round lifeguard coverage for the beach seven days a week, as well as round the clock emergency response and paramedic support.*

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division is the largest professional lifeguard service in the world. In 2018, the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Service employed 177 year-round lifeguards (chiefs, captains and ocean lifeguard specialists) and over 650 seasonal lifeguards (recurrents). Operating out of four Sectional Headquarters, located in Hermosa, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey and Zuma beach. Each of these headquarters staffs a 24-hour response unit, and are part of the 911 system.

In addition to providing marine firefighting, LA County Lifeguards have specialized training for fire boat operations.

Prior to July 1, 1994, Los Angeles County Lifeguards were part of the Department of Beaches and Harbors.*^

Historical Notes

“Out of water, I am nothing.” — Duke Kahanamoku

“Surfing’s one of the few sports where you look ahead to see what’s behind.” — Laird Hamilton

“One of the greatest things about the sport of surfing is that you need only three things: your body, a surfboard, and a wave.” — Naima Green

Historical Notes

Muscle Beach Party (1964) is the second of seven beach party films produced by American International Pictures. It stars Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello and was directed by William Asher, who also directed four other films in this series.*^

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Ocean Avenue is a road in Santa Monica that starts at the residential Adelaide Drive on the north end of Santa Monica and ends at Pico Boulevard. Ocean Avenue is the westernmost street in Santa Monica, and for most of its course it runs parallel to Palisades Park, whose bluffs overlook Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Monica State Beach.*^

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Built in 1963, the 101 Ocean Ave condo complex is made up of 59 units in a 10-story building.

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The Criterion Theatre was built in 1924 and was part of the Fox West Coast Thetres ciruit. In 1983, the theatre was rebuilt to make way for a new 6-plex.***

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Mann Theatres took over the Criterion in 1991 and in 2001, remodeled the interior and exterior of the theater. The architectural firm Behr Browers Architects of Westlake CA were responsible for the remodel. It was one of the most successful theaters in the circuit.

The Criterion Theatre was closed on March 30, 2013 to make room for more retail stores.***

Historical Notes

Third Street Promenade has been a center of business in Santa Monica since the town's inception in the late 19th century. The Promenade's roots date back to the 1960s when three blocks of Third Street were converted into a pedestrian mall.*^

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“A 'pedestrians' paradise' is in the making in this Santa Monica Street. A three-block-long mall, free of vehicular traffic, is under construction in this area”. -  Herald Examiner - July 27, 1965.*

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It wasn’t called the 3rd Street Promenade until they revamped it in the late 80s. Before that it was called The Santa Monica Mall.

Historical Notes

Third Street Promenade's roots date back to the 1960s when three blocks of Third Street were converted into a pedestrian mall. Although successful, by the late 1970s, the Santa Monica Mall (as it was then called), was in need of modernization and a redesign. A new enclosed shopping center, Santa Monica Place (1980–2007), designed by Frank Gehry was added at the Promenade's southern end. A citywide bond measure was issued and architectural firm ROMA Design Group was hired to redesign Santa Monica Mall. The renamed Third Street Promenade opened on September 16, 1989. The project was part of a larger redevelopment effort, encompassing several blocks of Downtown Santa Monica. Santa Monica Place has since been renovated into a new open-air shopping and dining experience that re-opened on August 6, 2010.*^

Historical Notes

Known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Mother Road and the Main Street of America, the 2,450-mile-long Route 66 was originally built to connect Chicago to Los Angeles. Though the actual end of the legendary highway has been debated for decades, this replica of the long-lost End of the Trail Sign officially marks the Western terminus of the great highway.

Historical Notes

The California Incline was identified as structurally deficient in the early 1990s.  In 2007, the City of Santa Monica secured federal highway funds to replace the structure with one meeting current seismic standards.

Historical Notes

The California Incline was rebuilt between 2015 and 2016.  The new bridge consists of a pile-supported reinforced concrete slab structure with a width of 51 feet 8 inches, an increase of 5 feet 8 inches over the previous structure. The project cost $17 million, with 88.5% coming from federal funds and the balance from local funds. Construction began in April 2015 and took 17 months to complete. The roadway reopened to the public on September 1, 2016. The rebuilt structure includes wider sidewalks and bicycle lanes. *^

Click HERE to see early views of the California Incline (1905 +).

Historical Notes

A pair of Civil War seacoast cannons dating from 1861 were given to the City of Santa Monica on July 4, 1908, by the U.S Veteran’s Administration. Originally, each of the mounted guns had a pyramidal stack of iron cannonballs beside it, which are now gone. One cannon is located north of Colorado Boulevard near the entrance to the Santa Monica Pier. The other cannon, is located north of the Recreation center. They are ten-inch Rodman smoothbore seacoast guns. Each of the cannons is twelve-feet long and weighs about sixteen tons. They came to Palisades Park from Angel Island.

Santa Monica was never defended with cannons during times of war, although it is said that during the Spanish-American War, the city engineer mounted lengths of large pipes along the bluff to give the impression that the city was heavily fortified.#^#^

Historical Notes

In recognition of its value as a historic resource and cultural landscape, Palisades Park was designated as a Santa Monica landmark in 2007.

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