By Daily Press staff
A piece of Santa Monica history is on display at the Santa Monica Historical Society Museum.
The museum is hosting a free exhibit reception and lecture on its current exhibit, “Marion Davies Estate,” on Sunday, Jan. 8 Marion Davies began her acting career on Broadway and her first film was “Runaway Romany” at 20 years old. Davies became the most promoted actress through William Randolph Hearst’s newspaper empire, and during the 1920s, she appeared in 29 films. In the early 1920s, she and Hearst moved their company, Cosmopolitan Productions, to California. By 1930, Hearst had built Davies the grand-est estate on the “gold coast” of Santa Monica beach.
The museum’s exhibit features historic photographs of Davies and her estate’s five elaborately decorated buildings, landscaping and swimming pool from the Bison Archives.
Marc Wanamaker, founder of Bison Archives and professional consultant on motion pictures, will give a lecture on the history of Davies and her glamorous life at the estate.
The city of Santa Monica is in the process of revitalizing 415 PCH, where the estate is located. A grant from the Annenberg Foundation has made it possible to preserve the location as a public beach facility for the enjoyment of many generations to come. The city’s director of community and cultural services, Barbara Stinchfield, and Jessica Cusick, cultural affairs manager, as well as John Berley with Fred Fisher and partners will be on hand to provide an overview and to discuss the ways the layered history of the site will come alive in the final project.
The exhibit will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., with the lecture beginning at 2:30 p.m. The museum is located at 1539 Euclid St. in Santa Monica. For more information, call (310) 395-2290.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 28, 2005. Read the original PDF.