Annenberg Community Beach House Opens With a Big Splash

(Photo by current events via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)

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Yesterday, the Annenberg Community Beach House opened to the public for the first time. Run by the City of Santa Monica, the public club-like beach and recreational facility sits on property once purchased for movie star Marion Davies by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Although only the guest cottages and pool remain from the original structures (sadly the 110-room Julia Morgan-designed manse was demolished decades ago), a ten-year restoration and re-purposing plan is finally done, and now everyone can enjoy use of the beach, the tennis and volleyball courts, the rec rooms, and the marble-tiled pool all on a beachfront property that was once the playground of the stars.

LAist Featured Photos pool contributor current events was on hand during Saturday's grand opening event and shared these images with us. The Beach House is open to the public now, although the pool doesn't open up until this weekend. Fees to park and use the pool range from $3-$10.