Title supplied by cataloger. Santa Catalina Island is located approximately 26 miles off the coast of Southern California, near Long Beach. In 1887, entrepreneur George Shatto purchased the island with the intention of turning it into a major tourist destination, but after amassing large debts, he sold the property in 1892 to Joseph and Hancock Banning. For more than twenty-five years, the Banning brothers had ownership of Santa Catalina Island and continued to develop the area, adding the Hotel St. Catherine, an aquarium, incline railway, amphitheater, and glass bottom boat tours, an investment of over two million dollars. In 1915 a devastating fire swept through Avalon, destroying much of their real estate. Four years later, in 1919, the Banning brothers sold the land to William Wrigley, who along with his son Philip, continued to develop the island. In the mid-1970s, they created the Catalina Island Conservancy, which was given 88% of the island to protect native species and prevent over-development. Hancock Banning's beautiful two-story home, known as "Descanso", rests on grassy land, nestled next to the Avalon mountain range. The sprawling residence boasts of numerous windows, a wrap-around second floor balcony, and lush landscape.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;17 x 21 cm. on sheet 21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
Architecture, Domestic--California--Santa Catalina Island Dwellings--California--Santa Catalina Island Islands--California--Santa Catalina Island Banning, Joseph Brent,1861-1920 Banning, Hancock,1865-1925 Santa Catalina Island (Calif.) Avalon (Calif.)
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