> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Renovation will cost $17M, pending demolition is $400K - URL: https://www.smdp.com/renovation-will-cost-17m-pending-demolition-is-400k/ - Published: 2003-07-29T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T02:39:32.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless *Historic property still in limbo* *By PATRICK KINMARTIN Special to the Daily Press* City Hall will spend nearly a half million dollars to demolish part of an abandoned beach estate once occupied by William Randolph Hearst that has been vacant for almost a decade. But renovating the dilapidated Marion Davies Estate, located at 415 Pacific Coast Highway, won’t happen anytime soon. City officials estimate it will take $17 million to open it up to the public and since City Hall is facing multi-million deficits for the next few years, the project has been put on the back burner indefinitely. “I definitely don’t see it happening in the near future,” said City Councilman Bob Holbrook. “If you look at what the city is spending its money on right now, it’s education, crime and many other things. Unless renovating the estate’s property becomes a priority, it won’t happen soon.” But the Santa Monica City Council has at least agreed to spend $400,000 to demolish some structures on the property that don’t contribute to the estate’s historic value. Some residents argue that City Hall hasn’t put a high priority on renovating the property since it took over the lease in 1990\. Before then, City Hall had rented the property to the Sand and Sea Club, which was privately owned and run by a Jewish Group for 30 years. At the time, the property was a trophy in a battle between restaurateur Michael McCarty, who won approval from the City Council to build a hotel there and residents determined to prevent any new hotels from being built on the beach. When an initiative passed that squashed McCarty’s project, the City Council voted to terminate the Sand and Sea lease and take control of the property. “That was a terrible mistake on the part of the city,” said Larry Stein, a former member of the Sand and Sea club who also worked as an attorney in the property’s lease. “They pulled the rug out from under us so quickly. I think had they taken more time to realize how beneficial the club had been for the surrounding area, they might have come up with a better solution.” The city’s solution — to open the club to the public — came in a decisive City Council vote. “The bottom line is that it was a private club on public property,” said City Councilman Ken Genser, who has been on the council since 1988\. “I don’t blame those from the Sand and Sea club for being bitter, but the council felt the public would be best served by being able to use it.” But the 1994 Northridge earthquake only allowed the public to use the facility for four years. The earthquake did so much damage to the property that it had to be closed. Now the 70-year-old property continues to be an eyesore on the beach and is prone to vandalism, graffiti and serves as a place for homeless people to sleep. The estate was built in the late 1920s for Davies, a mistress of publishing mogul William Randolph Hearst. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan, who also designed Hearst’s San Simeon compound in Central California. After it was built in 1929, the lavish compound was worth $7 million and had dozens of rooms with expensive, detailed furnishings. After World War II, Davies sold the property. In the 1940s, portions of the estate were demolished and three buildings were added to make way for a new hotel. In 1959, City Hall took control of the property, which had been purchased by the State of California. City Hall then leased it to the Sand and Sea Club from 1960 to 1990\. When the Sand and Sea Club closed, City Hall occasionally rented out the property out for weddings, barbecues and other events. It also was used as a filming location for the TV show, “Beverly Hills 90210.” In July 1999, City Council approved a plan for the site that called for the banquet building, cabana buildings and portions of the locker room building — structures that don’t contribute to its historic value— to be removed. After the demolition was finally cleared by state and environmental groups, the City Council voted to remove the buildings. The move is being hailed by many officials as the first major step toward the building’s renovation. “Once those buildings come down, a whole new light will be shed on what we can do with the property,” said Barbara Stinchfield, director of community and cultural resources for the city. Stinchfield is a member of a group analyzing concepts, partnerships and phasing plans for the future of the property. Once they are done with its analysis, the group will present different options to the City Council. “Obviously, funding is the key,” she said. “We need to take a hard look at what we’re up against financially before we decide to do anything major.” The city has received a $350,000 grant from the State Department of Parks and Recreation and a $275,000 grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development towards the renovation. Although City Hall is far from reaching the millions needed to renovate the site, some residents are encouraged that plans are being made to do something with the property. “At least they’ve started to think about it,” said Brett Ashlin, a longtime Santa Monica resident. “I just really hope they’re smart about it. The property is so vast and beautiful, I’d hate to see it go to waste.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/072903-04_01.jpg) to the Daily Press The Marion Davies Estate on the Pacific Coast Highway as it looks today. (Photo: Patrick Kinmartin/Special) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/072903-04_02.jpg) to the Daily Press The Marion Davies Estate on the Pacific Coast Highway as it looks today. (Photo: Patrick Kinmartin/Special) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 29, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/072903.pdf?ref=smdp.com)