Davis, Francis Pierpont (architect) Davis, Walter Swindell, 1887- (architect) Olmsted Associates (architect) Shattuch Construction Co. (builder) Lawyer, Jay (builder) Lewis, Edward Gardner (builder) Chaney, Charles H. (builder) Lawyer, Donald K. (builder)
Electronically digitized by the Palos Verdes Library District from the Palos Verdes Library Local History Room Photo Collection. Copyright status must be investigated before publishing or commercial use. To obtain permission and images for publication purposes please contact the Palos Verdes Library District.
Description
Image shows view looking south at the north dining terrace of La Venta Inn, located at 796 Via del Monte on lots 4, 5, and 6, block 1536. Reba Willis, manager of in Inn, is seated with an unidentified man at a table on the terrace, with two children visible at left leaning over the hexagonal fountain and a couple standing above on the Romeo Balcony off the bridal suite. The Inn, originally built as a club house (named "Clubhouse 764") to entertain realtors and prospective land owners, opened in the summer of 1923 and was the first permanent building constructed by the Palos Verdes Project. The name was soon changed to La Venta (meaning "The Sale" in Spanish) and the inn served as a sales office and architectural prototype for the peninsula. During the 1930s it became a weekend retreat for notable celebrities such as Charles Lindbergh, Erroll Flynn, Betty Grable, Bob Hope, Tyrone Power, Cary Grant, and Gloria Swanson. Briefly in 1942 the Inn became the central observation post of the coastal artillery. From 1944 to 1954 the property was the residence of Commander and Mrs. Stanley Schnetzler, and was re-established as an inn in 1955. On November 11, 1978, La Venta Inn became the first structure designated as an historical landmark by the Rancho de los Palos Verdes Historical Society. In 1992 the New York Food Company took over management of the property. Date Built: 1923 Photo Source: Palos Verdes Homes Association Citation: Palos Verdes Bulletin, November 1925, p. 5. PVHA building permit #4.
Type
Text
Format
1 photographic print (b/w); 7.25 x 9 in.
Identifier
pvld:3739 bar code: 000025395 negative number: 892
Subject
Willis, Reba La Venta Inn (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) Historic buildings--California--Palos Verdes Estates Hotels--California, Southern
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