By Daily Press staff
You could have purchased the lot on the corner of Ocean Avenue and Broadway for only $500. That is, if you were in Santa Monica in 1875.
On July 15, 1875, Santa Monica co-founders John P. Jones and Robert S. Baker held Santa Monica’s first land auction that included lots for businesses, residents and villa farms. By the end of the day, $40,000 worth of land was sold, and $43,000 the next day. Auctioneer Fitch described Santa Monica that day as, “a western sky of scarlet and gold. We will sell a bay filled with white-winged ships, we will sell a southern horizon rimmed with a choice collection of purple mountains, carved in castles, turrets, and domes, we will sell a frostless, bracing, warm yet unlanguid air, braided with sunshine and odored with the breath of flowers.”
Since the first land auction, Santa Monica has become filled with railroads, street cars and major routes such as the Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica Freeway and Route 66; a diverse working industry sparked by Donald Douglas Aircraft Company; and home to celebrities such as Shirley Temple, Marion Davies and Douglas Fairbanks.
Much of Santa Monica’s history can be found at the Santa Monica Historical Society Museum, which is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year.
The museum’s atmosphere sets the stage for a journey into Santa Monica’s eccentric, yet rich history. The story-telling exhibits are filled with artifacts and historic images capturing the diverse culture and history of Santa Monica Bay. The museum will open a new exhibit about the Marion Davies Estate on Dec. 11, featuring historic photos from the Bison Archives. Visitors can research the history of businesses, land development, recreation, piers, buildings and even daily life of Santa Monicans with the museum’s research library that holds early telephone directories, Santa Monica and California history books, documents, newspapers and maps. The museum’s images archives of more than 700,000 images is one of the largest collections of Santa Monica Bay images from collections such as the Outlook Newspaper, John P. Jones, Ricardo Johnson, Bill Beebe, Bob Smith, the Chamber of Commerce, Santa Monica Symphony, Franklin Parent Teachers Association and many other organizations and individuals.
Look for the museum’s new home in 2006 at the newly built Santa Monica Main Public Library on Seventh Street. The new 5,000-square-foot museum will have state-of-the-art interactive exhibits, research library and expanded educational programs. To contribute to the new museum’s capital campaign, call (310) 395-2290. The museum is currently located at 1539 Euclid St., and is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the second and fourth Sundays each month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 6, 2005. Read the original PDF.