DIGS is the premiere luxury real estate lifestyle magazine serving the most affluent neighborhoods in the South Bay and Westside of Los Angeles, California.
Issue link: https://www.southbaydiggs.com/i/1506271
AUGUST 25, 2023 | ISSUE 309 TO OUR READERS South Bay DIGS welcomes your feedback and encourages reader response to our editorial features. Please send your letters to the Publisher at 722 1st Street, Unit D, Hermosa Beach, California, 90254 or via email to Contact@WestsideDIGS.com. Please include your name and contact information. Letters may be published and we reserve the right to edit. ADVERTISING For inquiries, please contact Publisher Warren Dow at 310.373.0142. EDITORIAL For editorial inquiries, please email Editorial@SouthBayDIGS.com On The Cover 722 1st Street, Unit D, Hermosa Beach, California, 90254 Office: 310.373.0142 South Bay DIGS Magazine is published every other Friday by m3 Media, LLC. Reproduction in any form or by any means is strictly prohibited without the prior written consent from m3 Media LLC. The Publisher and advertisers are not responsible or liable for misinformation, misprints, or typographical errors. All advertised properties are subject to prior sale or withdrawal without notice. Real estate advertised in this publication is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act. M3 Media will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. Any and all submissions to this publication become the property of m3 Media, LLC and may be used in any media. CREATIVE SERVICES & AD DESIGN/ORIGINAL ARTWORK PROVIDED EXCLUSIVELY BY SOUTH BAY DIGS. © 2023 Micro Market Media, LLC. All rights reserved. C O N N E C T W I T H U S Listen & subscribe on iTunes, digs.net or your favorite podcast provider. The Titans of Real Estate INFLUENCERS PODCAST .net Founder & CEO / Publisher President & COO Digital Media Director Video Editor Senior Graphic Designer Contributing Writers Senior Staff Photographer Warren J. Dow William Bud Moore Kieron McKay Matt Polizzi Rufus Agbede Jenn Thornton Constance Dunn Karine Monié Abigail Stone Paul Jonason PAR EXCELLENCE PRIZE-WINNING CALIFORNIA FIRM STERLING | HUDDLESON ARCHITECTURE DOES PEBBLE BEACH PROUD WITH ITS RECORD- BREAKING RESIDENCE THE EDGE. COVER STORY WRITTEN BY JENN THORNTON FEATURED ON PAGE 54 Cover Photo: MANNY ESPINOZA DRE#: 01368971 Maureen Megowan 310.541.6416 mdmegowan@gmail.com THE LA VENTA INN S O U T H B A Y History Tidbits The La Venta Inn was constructed in 1923 in what is now the City of Palos Verdes Estates at a cost of $17,000,, and was originally named Clubhouse 764 and was also referred to in some early historical documents as the Wayside Inn, The La Venta Inn was the first structure constructed on the peninsula. Architects Walter and Pierpont Davis designed the building and the famous landscape architects, the Olmstead brothers, designed the gardens. Given the name, la Venta, meaning "the sale," it was originally built by the managers of the Palos Verdes project as a clubhouse for the entertainment of prospective land developers and home buyers but became the social center for Palos Verdes, hosting many weddings and dinner outings. The first large La Venta party was held in 1924 on the three-acre site, when 200 realtors were wined and dined in the beautiful setting. The Palos Verdes Project's plan was a huge success, and soon homes started appearing on the landscape following the Mediterranean architectural example of the inn. The inn was also used as a backdrop for several silent movies in the late 1920s In the 1930's , the La Venta Inn became a famous black-tie restaurant , and many Hollywood celebrities of the time used the Inn as a weekend retreat, including Charlie Chaplin, Rosalind Russell, Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Charles Lindbergh, Errol Flynn, Betty Grable, Bob Hope, Gloria Swanson, and Tyrone Power. Frank Conroy, a Broadway stage actor, purchased the inn in 1941 and hosted lavish Hollywood parties,, but with the onset of World War II, bomb scares and blackouts prevented visitors from attempting the long, winding drive to the inn, and it was all but abandoned. During World War II, La Venta's tower was utilized as a 24-hour lookout point for the U.S. Coast Guard., In 1944, at the end of World War II, the inn was purchased by the Schnetzler family, and they converted it into their own private residence. They worked on renovations and lovingly brought the expansive gardens back to life. Dorie Matthews, daughter of the Schnetzlers, told the Daiiy Breeze that there were occasions when people "would just come in the front door, sit down and ask for a menu", not realizing it was now a private residence. The Schnetzlers eventually reopened the inn to the public n 1957, and for ten years, Mrs. Schnetzler assisted with arranging weddingsand celebrations on the grounds, acting as innkeeper.. Over the years there have been instances in which developers made overtures to buy this valuable property, but the community consistently rallied to the defense of the inn and its history, and it was eventually designated a nationally recognized historical landmark. Since 1992, the New York Food Company has managed the property and hosts numerous private party functions every year. The above is an excerpt from my book " Historic Tales of Palos Verdes and the South Bay," which can be purchased at www.southbayhistory.com. 18 DIGS.NET | 8.25.23