Hearst Beach Property May Stage a Comeback
Along Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, the remains of a beachfront estate stand as an enduring testament to newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst’s devotion to his longtime paramour, actress Marion Davies.
Built by Hearst for Davies in the 1920s, the five-acre estate was once the site of lavish parties that were the talk of Hollywood. But its last vestiges, including a nearly 10,000-square-foot guesthouse and a swimming pool made of Italian marble, have languished for a decade.
That may soon change.
Santa Monica, which manages the state-owned property, has been courting grants and may consider fielding developers’ proposals for remaking the old Davies estate, which is also known by its address, 415 Pacific Coast Highway. The city, which cannot afford to develop the site alone, could lease part or all of the property, which is north of the Santa Monica Pier.
“Many people have had a relationship” with the property, said Barbara Stinchfield, director of community and cultural services for Santa Monica. “There are a lot of people locally who are very nostalgic about the site.”
During the Roaring ‘20s, Hearst developed the storied estate on the “Gold Coast,” a stretch of beach known for private palaces put up by Hollywood hotshots.
The property was sold and converted into a hotel and beach club in the 1940s. In the following decade, the estate’s enormous U-shaped mansion was demolished.
The state purchased the property in 1960 and left its management to the city of Santa Monica, which leased it to the Sand and Sea Club until 1990. That year, restaurateur Michael McCarty’s attempt to put a posh $65-million hotel and community center there was blocked by voters averse to growth, who also clamped down on the development of beachfront hotels and restaurants elsewhere in Santa Monica.
The property may be familiar to fans of the TV show “Beverly Hills 90210,” which used it as a location. The city rented out the site for weddings and parties until 1994, when damage from the Northridge earthquake closed the property to the public.
A public planning process that got underway in 1997 led to a proposal for a beach park with plenty of gardens and walkways. To help cover costs, a three-story locker-room building would be converted into a banquet facility.
The plan also called for the guest quarters -- known as the North House, which was designed by architect Julia Morgan and has been designated a Santa Monica landmark -- to be used as a meeting center by groups, including nonprofits and community organizations.
The property, which includes 415 and 445 Pacific Coast Highway, has paddle tennis courts, a parking lot and a cafe, Back on the Beach. The plan would retain the parking lot and cafe.
The redevelopment plan would cost the city $16.7 million. Santa Monica officials have raised $1.7 million from local, state and federal sources. Some of this money has already been spent to stabilize the site and pay planning costs.
The City Council voted in December to allow staff to gauge outside interest in redeveloping the site, a process that is still in the planning stages. The decision to explore the possibility of involving private parties was borne of the realization that the city could not afford to complete the project on its own.
No decisions will be made until the city completes negotiations with the state, perhaps later this year, for renewal of its long-term operating agreement for Santa Monica State Beach. That agreement will expire in 2006. Any plan accepted by the city would also require state approvals.
Although some Westside residents have criticized Santa Monica’s handling of the property, Mayor Richard Bloom defended the city, saying the site’s significance is a reason for careful planning. Bloom is confident the parcel will generate interest.
“A number of people have come up to me in the past year or so from the development community who have essentially said, ‘This great resource is sitting there unused, and I think I want to propose something,’ ” Bloom said.
“I don’t think you can take a prime piece of real estate like that and dangle it in front of people’s heads and not get some attention,” said land-use attorney Nicki Carlsen. “Hopefully the city is coming to the process with a little bit of openness because of what happened before” with other proposals.
Not everyone envisions a role for developers in the property’s future.
Linda Sullivan, who helped oversee the property for the city in the early 1990s, said she would like to see the site reopened for public parties and commercial filming. “The one area Canada can’t compete with us is the Southern California beach lifestyle,” she said.
Santa Monica officials say it could be several years, depending on the project, before the public would be allowed on the site, prompting Kevin McKeown, the city’s mayor pro tempore, to look for ways to reopen it sooner.
“I want to get people back to the site,” he said. “I’m afraid they’ve forgotten the wonderful historic resource that we own in that property.”
And what a past it had.
A Hedda Hopper column from 1948 described the place as the site of some of the most memorable parties in town: “Marion had the tennis court covered with a huge tent. A whole circus was under the tent, including a carrousel and ponies. At another party Paul Whiteman brought his band and played for hours. When he refused to accept a fee, Marion sent him a beautiful jeweled watch from Cartier’s.”
Miriam Seegar Whelan, who rented a guesthouse near Davies’ main home during World War II, recalled a butler who helped partygoers out of their cars. “I had a very good friend who did go to these parties,” Whelan said. “They were very elegant. They were just the last word.”
