By Daily Press staff
Santa Monica’s history lesson this month is the story behind the estate of Marion Davies, the mistress of newspaper mogul William Hearst.
The Santa Monica Conservancy continues its tradition of providing the community with special programs celebrating the history of Santa Monica by hosting the second of a four-part lecture series on March 19, 2 p.m. at Back at the Beach Restaurant, 445 Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica.
Marc Wanamaker, Hollywood film historian and author, will speak on the history of the Gold Coast and the rehabilitation of the Marion Davies Estate. The city of Santa Monica is in the process of developing plans to rehabilitate the estate, with major financial support from the Annenberg Foundation.
The historic Gold Coast portion of the beach stretches from Wilshire Boulevard to Santa Monica Canyon. During the 1920s, the area became hot realty and saw some of the greatest concentration of famous residences in the world. As the entertainment industry grew, its famous and wealthy celebrities were drawn to the area and built many lavish homes, including the heads of the biggest studios, Louis B. Mayer, Samuel Goldwyn, Darryl Zanuck; as well as other well-known people of the day including Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks, Mae West and J. Paul Getty.
It was during that time that William Randolph Hearst built his estate for Marion Davies, designed by the same architect, Julia Morgan, who had created his Hearst Castle at San Simeon. The estate quickly became the hub of much Hollywood entertainment. Over the years the property has played a vital role in the community, first as the Marion Davies Estate, then the Ocean House, the Sand & Sea Club, and now the 415 PCH project, planned to become a public recreational and cultural facility. Only the pool and North House — designed as a guest house — survive today from the original estate. The guest house was designated as a Santa Monica landmark in 1980 and is considered an excellent example of Georgian architecture. Wanamaker brings his extensive and invaluable background as a film historian, archivist, writer and producer, and consultant for many film studios and productions world-wide to bear on his illustrated presentation. Since the formation of his Bison Archives in 1971, he has worked on more than 100 documentaries and feature films. Currently he is completing an encyclopedic history of the motion picture studios in the United States.
Due to limited space, tickets are best purchased in advance at the Conservancy’s Web site (www.smconservancy.org). Tickets will be sold at the door based on availability. Members pay $10; non-members $15. Parking is available for $5. It is best to approach the restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway from the north to facilitate turning into the parking lot. For more information, call (310) 485-0399. Vets face new battles on homefront
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 9, 2006. Read the original PDF.