This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Starlet's Beachfront Estate Now Open as Community Beach House
Artist's rendering of the Annenberg Beach House (Image via City of Santa Monica)
Artist's rendering of the Annenberg Beach House (Image via City of Santa Monica)
Once upon a time it was the beachfront estate of silent movie starlet Marion Davies, built for her by her lover, the infamous newspaperman William Randolph Hearst. It was definitely a "party house" where a who's who of Hollywood's golden era would frolic in the pool and on the shore. On the 5-acre site was a mansion designed by renowned architect Julia Morgan, boasting 110 rooms. In 1945, the estate was sold and run as a hotel. "After that venture failed, the mansion was demolished and the property sold to the State of California in 1959. For the next 30 years, the site was a popular private beach facility called the Sand & Sea Club," according to the Annenberg Foundation. You may have even seen it play the Beverly Hills Beach Club on the original 90210. After the '94 Northridge Earthquake, though, it was shut down after being heavily damaged.
Wallis Annenberg remembered going to the Sand & Sea Club, which is what prompted her in 2004 to become involved in the City of Santa Monica's Reuse project for the property, which launched in 1999. This weekend, the Annenberg Community Beach House is open to the public, offering membership-free club-like access to the beach and the facilities.
"We don't want to call it a club. It's a community beach house," said Leonard Aube, managing director of the Annenberg Foundation, which provided $27.5 million of the nearly $35 million cost to build and finish the attraction. "We want to create a place that's unconditionally welcoming for everyone."
Everyone can enjoy the Beach House's volleyball and tennis courts, a cafe, meeting spaces, locker rooms, and use of the same marble-tiled pool in which Davies and her Hollywood friends swam--albeit a restored version heated using solar power. The guest houses on the property are the only other original structures besides the swimming pool, and were restored as part of the project. The Beach House is operated by the City of Santa Monica, and starting today, the Beach House is open to the public. The pool will be open on weekends beginning in May. Fees for pool use and parking range from $3-$10. [View a full set of photos here]
Annenberg Community Beach House
415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
