The first “r” in Windermere is often incorrectly dropped.

The 1431 Ocean Avenue, 100-ft by 150-ft Windermere property is Lots R and S of Block 173 of the Town of Santa Monica Tract.

Henry Workman Keller (1869 – 1958) inherits (age 12 ) the Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit from his father, Matthew (Mateo) Keller (1811 – 1881). When Henry turns 21, he sells the property to Frederick Rindge (1857 - 1905). Well-off and living in Santa Monica, Keller invests in real estate. He builds the Keller Block at 3rd St and Broadway in 1893. In 1907, Keller and his family move to Los Angeles, where he participates in civic affairs - serving as a City Park Commissioner and as a director of the Automobile Club of Southern California. Henry Workman Keller dies (age 89) in Pasadena.

Ocean Ave is established with the Santa Monica Tract. Originally, houses on Ocean Ave are numbered from South (Colorado) to North. In 1907, to conform to the new Santa Monica standards, the houses are renumbered from North to South, and so what was originally 230 Ocean Ave becomes 1433 Ocean Ave after 1907. We are always using the current 1433 Ocean Ave address to reference this property.

In 1905, Keller sells his residence on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Ocean Ave to Mrs Wilson, and the Windermere on Ocean Ave to Rosamond Borde. The two properties sell for a total of about $23,000, and Keller moves to Los Angeles.

Rosamond Lehman Borde (1859 - 1920). Born in Ohio, she (age 10) moves to San Luis Obispo with her parents in 1869. Rosamond graduates from Santa Rosa College. In 1888, she marries Dr Harry Joseph Borde (1862 – 1899). They are the parents of a son, Harry John Borde Jr. (1889 - 1966). After Cambria physician Dr Harry Borde dies (age 36), Rosamond Borde moves to Santa Monica in 1902. In 1905, she buys the Windermere boarding house from H.W. Keller. Borde operates the boarding house until 1910, when she erects the new Windermere By The Sea hotel on the property. At the time of her death, Borde also owns the property adjoining the Windermere on the north and has plans for improving the property. On the day of her funeral, as a sign of respect, all businesses in Santa Monica close between 10 am and 11 am.

In 1877, J.W. Scott builds the Santa Monica Hotel on Ocean Avenue between Broadway and Colorado Ave. When it burns down in 1887, Scott builds the larger and more luxurious Arcadia Hotel on the bluff south of Colorado Ave. The Victorian-era Arcadia closes in 1909. Rosamond Borde’s 1910 Windermere By The Sea gives Santa Monica a large hotel which it has lacked for several years.

The construction of Windermere By The Sea is expected to take 4 months, and Borde ensures business continuity by temporarily taking over Gray Gables at 1411 Ocean Ave.

Arthur Xenophon Wilmot (1871 - 1948). Born in IL, Wilmot comes to Pomona with his parents in 1900, and then to Santa Monica in 1902. In 1904, he marries Aura F. Gallup (1870 - 1962).

Borde acquires the 1423 Ocean Ave property from George E. Fairhead for $10,000. She moves the 7-room bungalow, once the home of the actress Fanny Davenport (1850 - 1898), to 26th St.

After his father, Dr Harry Joseph Borde (1862 – 1899), dies, Harry Borde Jr. comes to Santa Monica with his mother in 1903. His mother, Rosamond Lehman Borde (1859 - 1920), owns and operates the Windermere Hotel on Ocean Ave. Harry Jr., Santa Monica High School class of 1910, receives an AB degree from Stanford in 1914 and a law degree from the same school two years later. In 1917, during WWI, he volunteers in the US Army and is a 1st Lieutenant when discharged in 1919. From 1920 to 1935, Borde is an attorney at a Los Angeles law firm. In 1936, he joins the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office in the Bay Cities Guaranty Building in Santa Monica, and serves as a trial deputy through the next decade. Borde is a local amateur golf champion. In 1947, Governor Earl Warren appoints Borde a judge in the Santa Monica Municipal Court. For many years, because of his experience in criminal matters, Borde serves by assignment from the Chief Justice on the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Monica. Harry Borde Jr. retires in 1961.

In 1935, the Windermere is 25 years old and faces competition from its independently owned new neighbor, the Georgian Hotel.

In 1935, L.R. Lytle unsuccessfully floats a plan to acquire the Windermere out of foreclosure for $45,000 and convert it into 37 cooperatively owned apartments.

Frederic Charles Barienbrock (1904 - 1978) is born in MA and moves to Santa Monica in 1925. Architect Barienbrock is best known for several 1950s public buildings in Santa Monica, including:-

• Los Angeles Courthouse and County Building (1951)

• Santa Monica High School Science and Home Making Building (1956)

Pacific Plaza is a twin-tower, 16-story, 310-unit apartment complex built in 1963. John C. Lindsay is the architect. Douglas-Emmett currently owns the property.

Around 1890, R. C. Gillis (1863 – 1947) builds a 2-story wood-frame residence on the 205 Washington Ave property. After Gillis moves, it is the residence of A.W. McPherson (1871 - 1930). From 1925 to 1928, it is used as the Harriett Potter School.

In 1928, J.L. Crown applies for a permit to move the 2-story wood frame residence (valued at $1,500) from the 205 Washington Ave property to a vacant lot at 1114 4th St. However, the 4th St neighbors don’t want the old building there, and Crown is denied a permit. So Crown obtains a permit to move the house out of the city to a location on Barrington Ave. The approved route is east on Washington Ave, south down 4th St to Wilshire Blvd, and then east on Wilshire Blvd. However, late at night on December 5th, the house stops directly outside the forbidden lot at 1114 4th St. The police are called. The house mover, H.C. Harris, explains that he is only paid to haul the building to its present location. The building sits in the middle of 4th St for 3 nights under the anxious watch of the neighbors before being moved out of the city.

The 205 Washington Ave, 100-ft by 150-ft property is Lots M and N of Block 49 of Town of Santa Monica Tract. The 50-ft by 150-ft Annex property on 2nd St is Lot O of Block 49.

Kurt Georg Julius Meyer Radon (1885 - 1962). Kurt (often spelled Curt) Meyer-Radon is born in Berlin, Germany. Meyer-Radon leads an architectural firm in Germany, designing model planned communities in Berlin and Hamburg. He comes to the US in 1923 (age 38) with his brother Hans Meyer-Radon (1891 - 1977). Until 1929, he practices architecture with his brother with their firm, Meyer-Radon Bros. He dies in Santa Barbara (age 77).

Kurt Meyer-Radon is best known for his distinct Spanish Colonial Revival designs, and later, Mid-Century Modern residential and commercial designs in the Los Angeles area including:-

• Seeley Studios Building, Glendale (1925)

• House, 5320 Ellenwood Dr, Eagle Rock (1925)

• House, 346 S. June St, Hancock Park (1926)

• Chateau des Fleurs, 6626 Franklin Ave, Hollywood (1927)

• House, 336 S. June St, Hancock Park (1928)

• Sovereign Apartment Hotel, Santa Monica (1928)

• Harper House, DeMille Dr, Los Feliz (1929)

• Castles Argyle Arms Annex, 1921 Argyle Ave, Hollywood (1929)

• A.P. Carter House, 5020 W. Ambrose Ave, Los Feliz (1941)

• Fred and Lisl Gruner House, 2718 Cresta Pl, Cheviot Hills (1946)

Early press coverage credits the design of the Sovereign to the Meyer-Radon brothers, yet only Kurt receives credit. The brothers dissolved their firm in 1929, the year the Sovereign is built.

Here, hotel refers to short-term stays in furnished apartments with kitchens. There is no front desk, no restaurant, etc., although maid service is provided.

Jacob Leslie Crown (1872 - 1960). Born in Germany, Jacob Crown moved to Philadelphia in 1873, and is naturalized in 1893. Crown in 1905 marries Austrian-born Annie Laura Dachs (1880 – 1967). They are the parents of two sons:-

• Harry Robert Crown (1902 - 1991)

• John Robert Crown (1912 - 1972) - distinguished pianist and professor of music at USC.

In 1911, J.L. Crown heads to England as an operatic singer. In Brighton, he builds the 350-seat Coronation Cinema. In 1914, he is the proprietor of the Palladium Cinema in Brighton. Presumably in response to WWI, the family returns to the US in 1916. In 1920, Crown returns to Brighton as a representative of Austin Baldwin & Company, Inc. He forms Crown Magnetic and enters the automobile manufacturing business. He orders 500 cars from the Owen Magnetic Company - a gasoline-electric hybrid car that features an electric transmission. But there were problems, and probably only twenty were shipped from the US to the UK.

In 1926, Crown returns to the US and Los Angeles, where he builds the Sovereign Hotel in 1928 - representing himself as a building contractor. In 1929, Meyer Radon is the architect for 7-story apartment building at 1921 Argyle Ave, for which J.L. Crown, engineer and architect from Philadelphia, superintends the construction. In September 1929, Crown announces plans for a (never built) 9-story 79-unit apartment building on the corner of San Vicente and Ocean Ave. After losing the Sovereign in foreclosure in 1932, he gives vocal lessons for opera students.

“There is no reticence here on the part of the architect as to how many Spanish Colonial Revival forms and details should be used” - A Guide To Architecture in Southern California by David Gebhard and Robert Winter.

James Crown is president, David Futernick (1885 -1972), a real estate broker, also representing himself as a building contractor, is vice president and treasurer, and Harry Crown is secretary of the American Building and Finance Corporation (sometimes referred to as the Anglo American Building and Finance Corporation).

The Sovereign is the name it opens with in August 1929. There is a Royal Sovereign Hotel in Brighton.

Allied Properties is the property-owning subsidiary of Pacific States Savings & Loan. In addition to the Sovereign Hotel, Allied Properties is also the operating owner of the Georgian Hotel on Ocean Ave and the Grand Hotel (Breakers) on Ocean Front Walk.

Hamilton in 1936 also purchases the El Tovar apartment hotel on the corner of Ocean Ave and Alta Ave.

Edwin Morrell Hills (1867 – 1938). Hills is born in New York City, and in 1895, he marries Lillieas Muir Hills (1871 - 1944). They are the parents of twin daughters:-

• Martha Muriel Hills (1899 - 1979)

• Margaret Elizabeth Hills (1899 - 1991)

E.M. Hills is a fruit broker, and in 1891 he comes to Riverside and organizes the Rubidoux Fruit Company to ship California fruits (mostly oranges, but also grapefruit) to the East and Europe.

In 1906, Hills exits the fruit-shipping business and enters into Los Angeles land subdivision. Hills is president of the Western Pacific Development Company, which buys 350 acres north of San Vicente Blvd from the Santa Monica Land & Water Co and begins laying out Brentwood Park. A financial panic in 1907 causes Western Pacific to cease its development efforts. From 1907 to 1912, Hills, living at 1670 W 24^th St in West Adams, continues his involvement in Los Angeles real estate. In 1912, Hills is the sales manager of J.J. Davis Palisades Tract. From 1917 to 1927, Hills lives in the A. H. Fleming House at 325 Georgina Ave. After 1930, Hills moves to the family home at 944 2nd St.

Here, hotel refers to short-term stays in furnished apartments with kitchens. There is no front desk, no restaurant, etc., although maid service is sometimes provided.

The 200-ft by 130-ft property at 603 Ocean Ave on the corner of Ocean Ave and Alta Ave is Lot 6 of Block C of the Palisades Tract of 1905. Hills acquires the property for $8,000 in 1905.

Frank Hucks Webster (1882 – 1939). In 1901, Frank Webster, the son of William Hucks Webster (1857 - 1907), a Norwich wholesale draper and JP, is an architect in Norwich. In 1908, he ends a Norwich-based architectural practice with Harry Walter Postle, and moves to Canada. In 1913, Webster crosses from Vancouver into the US. He opens a Long Beach architectural practice with John M. Cooper. The partnership dissolved in 1919. In 1917, Webster marries Canadian-born Florence G. Webster(1890 – 19??).

Webster becomes an art director for (silent) motion pictures in Hollywood. In 1920, with A.W. Alley and Earl F. Olin, he forms Vogue Construction Company to build homes primarily for motion picture people. All three are also directors of the Studio Leasing Company. From 1925 to 1929, Webster returns to architectural work, often embracing the turn-of-the-20th-century revival-style trend, and completing designs for a variety of buildings in Southern California. Villa Bonita, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, appears to be his most significant work.

In 1930, Webster, an artist living in Santa Monica, is arrested with 11 others on trespassing charges when they attempt to claim jump the Rancho Malibu. In 1931, he is married to Canadian Lorna I. Webster (1894 – 19??). Frank Webster dies at 920 California Ave. Following his death, the Dora Ingram Book Shop in Culver City has an exhibition of his paintings in 1939.

Designs completed by Frank H. Webster include:-

• Five-story hotel, San Diego (1925)

• Six-story hotel, Waikiki, Honolulu (1925)

• Three-story hotel, Topanga Canyon (1925)

• One-story retail, 1337 Third St, Santa Monica (1925)

• One-story automotive showroom, Sherman Way, Van Nuys (1925)

• Eight-story office, 1310 Sixth St, Santa Monica (1925)

• Three-story apartment (Mina Mohn), 1434 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica (1925)

• Two-story apartment, 933 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica (1925)

• Four-story apartment (El Tovar), 603 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica (1926)

• Three-story hospital (Santa Monica Hospital), Wilshire & 16th St, Santa Monica (1926)

• Two-story duplex, 2595 Beachwood Drive, Hollywood (1926)

• Two-story apartment, 2601 Beachwood Drive, Hollywood (1926)

• Five-story apartment, Elden Place, San Marino (1928)

• Five-story apartment (Ojai), Hollywood (1928)

• Four-story apartment, Witmer Ave, Hollywood (1928)

• Seven-story apartment (Villa Bonita), Hollywood (1929)

From 1923, the John F. Kuhns Construction Company builds a number of small apartments, retail stores, and industrial buildings in Los Angeles. After John Fahl Kuhns (1874 - 1930) dies, his son Grant W. Kuhns (1901 – 1940) runs the company.

Charles Ashworth Hamilton (1884 – 1957). Charles Hamilton is born in Canada, and moves to MN with his parents in 1888. In 1905, Hamilton begins working summers in Yellowstone, and in 1915, he opens his first store in the park. At his death, there are 10 stores and park concessions known as the Hamilton Stores. After serving in the US Army during WWI, he marries May Emma Spence (1897 – 1955) in 1920. They are the parents of a daughter Eleanor May Hamilton Povah (1921 - 2015). On a trip to Africa, May is bitten by a tsetse fly and contracts a debilitating disease. From 1936 onwards, they winter at the El Tovar. May dies in Santa Monica and Charles in his office in Yellowstone.

Hamilton purchases the Hillsonia in July 1936. He also purchases the 1928 five-story Spanish Colonial Revival style Sovereign Apartments.

The apartment building is probably named for the historic El Tovar Hotel on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, which honors Pedro de Tovar, a 16th-century Spanish explorer in the Coronado Expedition.

Hamilton’s 2-story penthouse is designed by Santa Monica engineer Robert Wales Reno (1899 - 1967), and the remodeling is supervised by Hamilton’s brother-in-law Horace Clinton Vaupel (1909 - 1980).

In 1930, Yellowstone National Park officially opens on June 20, and the park closes in mid-September.

Hamilton’s daughter, Eleanor May Hamilton Povah (1921 - 2015), is the principal beneficiary of his $2.50 MM estate that includes the El Tovar and Sovereign apartments. The contract to operate Hamilton Stores in the park expires in 1999 and, after a three-year extension, a higher bidder is selected to operate the concession. So, after 88 years of operation in Yellowstone National Park, Hamilton Stores ends.

Prior to the condominium conversion, the El Tovar is being run as a retirement hotel by Sally Winchell Meller (1920 – 2002).

The Santa Monica Northridge earthquake recovery ordinance allows the El Tovar to be rebuilt with the same dimensions and number of units as the demolished building.

In 1905, W.S. Vawter sells Lots 5 to 8, and Lots 10 and 12 of Vawters Orchard Tract to Wagar.

Cherry St, a tree-named street established with the Santa Fe Tract of 1887, is renamed Pier Ave in 1921.

The 40-ft by 150-ft 427 Pier Ave property is Lot 12 plus half of the vacated rear alley of Vawters Orchard Tract of 1904.

In 1912, Wagar builds a 2-story, 7-room rental cottage on the adjacent lot at 423 Pier Ave.

In 1905, W.S. Vawter sells Lots 5 to 8, and Lots 10 and 12 of Vawters Orchard Tract to Wagar.

Cherry St, a tree-named street established with the Santa Fe Tract of 1887, is renamed Pier Ave in 1921.

The 55-ft by 150-ft 423 Pier Ave property is 15-ft of Lot 8 and all Lot 10 plus half of the vacated rear alley of Vawters Orchard Tract of 1904.

In 1910, Wagar builds a 6-room rental cottage on the adjacent lot at 427 Pier Ave.

Alfred Melvin Delson (1899 – 1991). Born Abraham Melvin Mendelsohn in New York, he is a jeweler in Detroit, MI from the 1920s to the 1950s. In 1954, Delson has a jewelry business on 3rd St in downtown Santa Monica.

James Brooker Pollock (1861 – 1927) Born in Missouri, Pollock marries Cornelia Block (1866 - 1957) in 1898. They are the parents of three children:-

• James Conner Pollock (1899 – 1993)

• Reuben Brooker Pollock (1901 - 1992)

• Cornelia Elizabeth Pollock (1903 - 1991)

In 1903, Pollock buys two lots (Lots 6 & 7 of Block A of the Stoneham Tract) on the northeast corner of 4th St and Raymond Ave. From 1903 to 1904, JB Pollock makes salary loans from offices in the Mason Opera House in downtown Los Angeles. In 1904, Los Angeles levies taxes on moneylenders, and Pollock semi-retires - dealing in local real estate. In 1904, Pollock sells two lots (Lots 5 & 6 of Block E of the Santa Fe Tract) directly across 4th St from 2731 4th St. In 1909, Pollock runs unsuccessfully for the Santa Monica School Board.

Abbie St is renamed So. 4th St in 1895. In 1907, to conform to the new Santa Monica standards, it is renamed 4th Street, and the houses renumbered. What was 1032 S. 4th St becomes 2731 4th St. We are always using the current 2731 4th St address to reference this property.

In 1903, G.T. Stoneham sells Lot 6 and Lot 7 of Block A of the Stoneham Tract of 1903 to J.B. Pollock. The 55.5-ft by 150-ft 2731 4th property is Lot 7.

The original location of the 1903 4-room cottage on the property is unknown. By 1918, the 1903 cottage is located at the rear (east end) of the property on a separate lot at 413 Raymond.

The Pollock family grows flowers at 2731 4th Street, and advertisements for flowers for sale are common.

Anna Catherinelou Doelling (1860 – 1940). Born in IL, Anna Doelling marries German immigrant Jacob Baelz (1856 – 1922) in 1885. From 1890 to 1897, Jacob Baelz operates a restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. In 1906, Baelz retires to Ocean Park - building a $1,400 cottage at 147 Ashland Ave, where Anna Baelz remains until her death in 1940.

The building permits from before 1928 are not found, and the timing and arrangement of the construction of 409 Raymond Ave is speculative, based on comparisons of the 1918 and 1950 Sanborn maps.

Building permits before 1928 are not found, and the construction timing and the siting of 413 Raymond is speculation. In 1906, Pollock builds a 6-room cottage on the property.

The 55.5-ft by 40-ft 413 Raymond Ave property is a subdivision of the 55.5-ft by 150-ft Lot 7 of Block A of the Stoneham Tract of 1903.

No original building permits are found. The Los Angeles County Assessor lists the construction date as 1913. We don’t know who the original owner is, nor the architect and builder.

The 46-ft by 150-ft 502 Raymond Ave property is Lot 9 of Block D in the Stoneham Tract of 1903.

The 1918 Sanborn shows the front house and a small, detached garage at the rear of the lot.

John T. Robinson (1879 – 1935). Born in New Orleans, Robinson marries Lena King. Robinson lists himself as a carpenter/house builder. We did not find reference to any other building by him. From the late 1920s, he works as a builder of movie sets in Culver City.

The 2425 3rd St apartment’s orientation around an open central common area is a characteristic of an apartment court. In Ocean Park of the 1920s, bungalow and apartment courts are a popular type of multifamily housing that takes advantage of the temperate climate and provides residents with access to outdoor space. The apartment court (attached units with essentially an exterior hallway) is a derivative of the traditional bungalow court.

Herman Rudolph Morris (1864 - 1947). Born in Germany, Morris comes (age 3) with his family to the US in 1867. By 1880, Morris is farming in North Dakota. In 894, he marries Sarah Brigetta Mockler (1864 - 1950). Sarah is the sister of Katherine L. Mockler (1866 - 1945) at 2504 3rd Street. Morris retires to Ocean Park (127 Ocean Park Blvd) in 1919, and builds the apartment court in 1923. In 1921, Morris is living at 2416 3rd St, and remains until his death in 1947. Sarah Morris continues to live at 2416 3rd St until her death in 1950.

The 50-ft x 155-ft 2425 3rd St property is the northwest quarter of Lot 4 of the Vawters Sub Lucas Tract of 1884.

The apartment court is built on the vacant lot in 1923.

Francis Mark “Frank” Donahue (1871 - 1922) is born in New York City and lives with his parents and siblings in the Upper East Side (132 71st St). In 1917, he (age 45) marries Helle Mary English (1891 - 1958) (age 25) in St. Clement Church in Ocean Park. They are the parents of 3 children:-

• Frank Mark Donahue (1918 - 2007)

• John Vincent Donahue (1920 - 1993)

• Patricia H. Donahue (1921 - 2005)

It seems that Frank Donahue, whose 1910 occupation is listed as office clerk, inherits the funds when his wealthy father dies in 1918.

The 140-ft by 150-ft property is part of Lot 3, and all of Lot 4 and Lot 5 of Block 12 of the South Santa Monica Tract of 1875.

In 1887, Ivar A. Weid sells part of Lot 3, and all of Lot 4 and Lot 5 of Block 12 to John D. Bosch for $1,050. In 1903, Bosch sells the property to Fred Jepson. In 1906, Jepson sells the property to George W. Southcott, and in 1919, Southcott sells the vacant property to Donahue.

Although Donahue owns Lots 3, 4, & 5, the 6 buildings are only on Lots 3 and 4, leaving Lot 5 vacant.

After 1924, St. Francis Court goes by the name Frances Court.

The 12-unit rent-controlled property consists of four 2 BR/1 BA, two 1 BR, four singles (living room, separate kitchen, and bathroom), and two bachelors (small main room including a kitchen area and separate bath).

Maybe the name “Christie Court” is a reference to his mother, Christina Sorenson (1840 - 1919), or his daughter Elizabeth Christine Sorenson (1911 - 1991). In 1958, Christie Court goes by the name Shoreway Apartments.

From 1922 to 1925, Santa Monica contractor Dick and Taylor (Alex Dick (1885 – 1937) and Homer B. Taylor (1895 - 1935)) builds about 150 homes and buildings in West Los Angeles. Intending to engage in real estate development, Dick and Taylor incorporates in February 1925, but in August 1925, the two partners go their separate ways.

In 1898, Hans Sorenson (1870 - 1938) marries Ethel Lynn Ball (1871 - 1957). Sorenson is a grain elevator operator in Minneapolis, MN, and Fargo, ND. He is a member of the Minneapolis grain exchange from 1913 to 1922. In 1922, Sorenson (age 53) comes to Los Angeles. In 1924, Dick and Taylor builds a 9-room residence in Brentwood Park for Sorenson. In 1925, Sorenson is listed as a tenant of Christie Court (although the units seem too small for a family). In 1925, the Sorensons and their 14-year old daughter Elizabeth move back to Fargo, ND, to a 1,120-acre farm he buys for $84,000. In 1929, the Sorensons return to Minneapolis, where he engages in real estate investment.

The 90-ft by 150-ft Christie Court property is the southwest 30-ft of Lot 11 and all of Lot 12 of Block 3 of the South Santa Monica Tract of 1875.

Sorenson intends Christie Court to be higher-grade apartments finished in a most modern and up-to-date manner. Each apartment consists of a living room, bedroom, bath, and kitchen with breakfast nook. Hardwood floors, tiled baths, and living rooms with a mahogany finish and Tiffany-blended walls and ceilings. Each unit is equipped with a radio, a first for a Santa Monica residential development.

The 120-ft by 150-ft condominium property consists of the Christie Court property plus the 30-ft wide asphalt parking lot on the east side of Christie Court along Neilson Way.

Across the U.S. in the late 1950s, Crazy Otto’s is a popular cafe name and is a pop-culture reference to “Crazy Otto,” the upbeat, honky-tonk ragtime persona of German jazz pianist Fritz Schulz-Reichel, who is popularized in the U.S. by pianist Johnny Maddox in 1955.

Selling alcohol in Santa Monica is a two-step process that requires:-

• a license from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).

• a use permit from the City.

The Pink Elephant (and the Circle Bar) holds a Type 48 bar and nightclub license authorizing the sale of beer, wine, and distilled spirits for on-premises consumption. Minors are not allowed to enter, and food service is not required.

The remaining on-premise alcohol consumption places on Main St have Type 47 restaurant alcohol licenses - on premise consumption, and food service is required. There are also 4 liquor stores on Main St with Type 20 and Type 21 off-premise alcohol consumption licenses.

The 1964 beer parlor parking variance automatically terminates after 5 years. Neither the City nor the bar notice/acknowledge expiration in 1969. An argument is made that since the Pink Elephant has been operating illegally, it is not a “lawful” continuing use.

The Pink Elephant is a reference to the idiom “seeing pink elephants,” referring to visual hallucinations caused by severe alcohol intoxication.

From the early 1970s, Main Street is host to several gay bars, including:-

• The Pink Elephant Saloon (1973 to 1985) and the Pink (1986 to 1999) at 2810 Main St.

• Bar Sinister (1978 to 1981) at 2709 Main St.

• Pier XII North (1969 to 1976) and the Maypole (1977 to 1978) at 2722 Main St.

In the early 1970s, Main St investors are buying up dilapidated buildings, fixing them up and luring restaurants and shops to fill the space. By 1980, Main St is too popular for its own good - there are complaints about lack of parking, overcrowding, and late-night noise. In 1980, the city adopts the Main Street Plan, which requires a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for all bars, and limits the number of bars on Main St south of Ocean Park Blvd to no more than 7. However, the Main Street Plan grandfathers, with certain qualifications, “current uses.” Arguments ensue over whether “current uses” actually means “current legally operating uses.”

The 1989 cylindrical concrete feature at the 2810 Main St storefront is a strong statement given the value of window display space for retail stores.

The Mix general manager Alex Bower makes it very clear that the Mix is not the Pink. “The Pink was too bohemian,” he says. “We don’t use paper cups.” The Mix attracts young professionals and locals in casual work-at-home threads. There’s no cover at the 120-capacity club, and no food. The Mix opens at the same time as the Mercury, a few blocks south in the old Oar House space at 2941 Main St.

Tiki cocktails are complex, rum-heavy tropical drinks featuring layered fruit juices, spices, and unique syrups.

The 79-ft by 100-ft 2810-2818 Main St property is Lots 19, 20, 21, and 22 of Block D of the Santa Monica Tract of 1893.

With five stores on 4 lots, the stores are slightly smaller than most on Main St (20-ft vs 25-ft wide).

E.W. Enos has a furniture store on Pier Ave. In 1912, J.W. Park joins with Enos to open Enos-Park Furniture Company at 2810-2818 Main St. They are agents for the Southern California based Hawthorn Furniture Manufacturing Company.

In 1914, L.C. Judson, son of local druggist J.J. Judson, joins with E.W. Enos to open Enos-Judson Furniture Company in the 2810-2818 Main St space. In 1917, E.W. Enos opens a furniture store back again on Pier Ave.

When 2810-2818 Main St is moved for the widening of Main St in 1926, the Ocean Park post office returns to the Masonic Temple building on Marine St.

J.H. Mathews, along with E.B Leepy, George Beidler, and C.C. Doran, is a member of the organizing committee for the 1926 widening of Main St.

In 1959, John Robert Briggs (1920 - 1971), after stopping to fill the gas tank and five-gallon can, drives a car with his wife Norma D. Nilson (1924 - 1997) and his mother-in-law Mary D. Nilson (1890 - 1964) to an isolated spot on Rustic Canyon Rd above Sunset Blvd. Briggs gets out of the car, and the car careens headlong 450 ft down Sullivan Canyon. Both women are thrown clear of the car and survive. Briggs is arrested at the scene.

Court testimony reveals that Norma is set to inherit more than $1.00 MM from her mother. Briggs has an income of about $3,000 per year, while Norma has an income of more than $50,000 per year. A week before the accident, at Biggs request, Norma signs a will making him her beneficiary. Briggs buys five $300,000 insurance policies, issued on the day of the accident, on himself, his wife, and children. His wife (“sure my husband meant no harm”) and his mother-in-law (“he tried to murder us”) give conflicting testimony at the trial.

In 1960, Briggs is convicted of two counts of attempted murder in Santa Monica Superior Court and sentenced to 1 to 20 years in prison. Briggs is released on bail pending an appeal. In 1962, his appeal is denied, and he is taken to state prison. In 1964, Briggs is granted a new trial by the California Supreme Court (People v. Briggs, 58 Cal.2d 385), but the prosecution’s star witness, Mrs. Nilson, is now too ill to appear in court and the case is dismissed.

Mrs. Nilson dies in 1964, leaving $2.70 MM to Norma. In 1965, Briggs files a $1.62 MM suit against the estate of Mrs. Nilson for malicious prosecution and unlawful imprisonment stemming from his conviction and the subsequent dismissal of charges - which Norma Briggs, as executrix of her mother’s estate, settles for $0.39MM. In 1965, Norma Briggs divorces Briggs. In 1976, his brother William Burton Briggs (1922 - 1995) divorces Hope E. Briggs (1924 - 2018) and, in 1978, marries Norma.

St. Matthew’s Thrift Shop, an outreach program of the Parish of St. Matthew in the Pacific Palisades, has occupied one of the stores in the building for nearly 70 years. Initially, in 1957, St. Matthew’s Thrift Shop is in the 2818 Main St space, and then the 2810 Main St space, before moving to its current space at 2812 Main St. The thrift shop channels 75% of its profits back into the Ocean Park/Venice community, with the other 25% also going to other charities. The thrift shop, staffed entirely by volunteers, is sponsored by St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church of the Pacific Palisades, but no funds go to St. Matthew’s.

Much to the consternation of city officials, from 1971 to 1972, Charles L. Creel operates Sinema X also known as The Baron - a 49-seat adult movie theater at 2814 Main St. (Also on Main St in the same time frame is the X-rated Vixen at 3007 Main St.)

Joseph Henry Mathews (1865 – 1949). The Mathews family lives in Dayton, OH. By 1910, J.H. Mathews is in Ocean Park and in 1911, in Ocean Park Heights. In 1912, he builds an 8,000 sq-ft, 1-story brick retail store at 2810-2818 Main Street as an income investment property. In 1920, Mathews moves from Ocean Park Heights to 2219 Main St, where he lives until 1927, when he moves to 2302 2nd St. Mathews is a vocal supporter of the 1926 widening of Main St from Hollister to Marine.

In July 1920, the Craigie family, visitors from Detroit, MI, on their first trip to California, are very impressed and buy J.H. Mathews’ Ocean Park Heights house for $12,500. Mr Craigie returns to Detroit to settle up business, leaving his wife and children at the beach until his return.

J.H. Mathews’ father, Patrick Mathews, dies in 1911, leaving a $35,000 estate. The surviving family comes west. J.H. Mathews and his wife, and J.H. Mathews’ mother, Bridget Ann Fitzgibbons, and his sisters Jeanette and Margaret Mathews live in a compound on Mountain View Ave atop Mar Vista Hill. J.H. Mathews’ mother dies at 202 Mountain View Ave, Mar Vista, in 1925.

2219 Main St is the beach home of Annie Campbell, J.H. Mathews’ mother-in-law, who lives here from 1907 to 1919.

Ocean Park Heights is an upscale residential neighborhood atop Mar Vista Hill; believed to be Los Angeles’ first gated (“restricted”) community. Ocean Park Heights adopts its current name, Mar Vista, in 1924, and soon after, incorporates as an independent city. Its incorporation is short-lived. To obtain greater access to Los Angeles’ water supply, Mar Vista annexes to Los Angeles in 1927.

The 1926 building permit for 2302 2nd St lists Mathews as the owner-builder - with no architect.

The property is the east part of Lot 9 of the South Santa Monica Wharf Property of 1887. In 1915, the sidewalk on the south side of Strand St is widened by 2-ft, reducing the lot width from 50-ft to 48-ft. Storz sells the east part of his property to Mathews - resulting in a 48-ft by 50-ft lot for Mathews’ 2302 2nd St property.

J.H. Mathews’ death certificate lists the cause of death as an accident “slipped on linoleum of kitchen floor.” His wife Mary Margaret Campbell (1871 - 1949) also dies in 1949.

Orval Frederick Hempler (1915 - 1994). Born in Kansas, in 1933, Hempler attends the University of Colorado, Boulder, where his watercolors win a scholarship to Paris. In 1945, he moves to Santa Monica and sets up his studio, becoming a freelance designer working in ceramics. From 1946 to 1965, he also designs for Lamps of California.

The current owner of 2302 2nd St also owns the adjacent 214-218 Strand St rental property.

George C. Ballinger (1866 – 1924). Born in Missouri, from 1890 to 1910, Ballinger works in copper mining in AZ. From 1911 until his death in 1924, he builds many houses in Los Angeles. 214-218 Strand St is the only Santa Monica project we could find.

214-218 Strand’s low scale, multiple detached structures, and orientation around a central common area are characteristics of a bungalow court. In Ocean Park of the 1920s, bungalow courts are a popular type of multifamily housing that takes advantage of the temperate climate and provides residents with access to outdoor space.

Daniel Oscar Storz (1850 - 1928). Storz is born in Germany and comes to the US in 1870. From 1875 to 1920, he is a painter / interior decorator in San Francisco. For the health of his wife, May L. Leonard (1867 - 1922), they move to Ocean Park (2325 2nd St). In 1922, May Storz, despondent over her poor health, drinks hydrochloric acid left by plumbers and dies (age 55) at St Catherine’s Hospital.

Lot 9 of the South Santa Monica Wharf Property of 1887 is 50-ft x 116-ft property. In 1915, the Strand St sidewalk is widened by 2-ft, reducing Storz’s lot to 48-ft x 116-ft. Storz sells the vacant east 50-ft of his property to J.H. Mathews (who builds 2302 2nd St in 1925) - leaving 214-218 Strand on a 48-ft x 66-ft separate lot.

The current owner of 214-218 Strand St also owns the adjacent 2302 2nd St.

The 50-ft by 98-ft 305 Strand St property is the southwest corner of Lot 5 of Block 12 of South Santa Monica Tract of 1875.

Lots 3, 4 & 5 are owned by Donahue. Donahue subdivides Lot 5, using the northeast for a new building, and selling the southwest corner

Hector Cecil Donald (1906 - 1969) is an Irish-born machine tool maker who marries Eileen Carlisle in Detroit in 1937.

Joseph James (1856 - 1942). In 1910, horse racing and hotel man James sells all of his Windsor, Ontario real estate and (age 54) moves to Ocean Park. He seems to have a fondness for the Ashland Ave area and builds his house at 2916 2nd St, and another next door at 2924 2nd St, for his son, Joseph Aloysius James (1883 – 1940). In 1912, in addition to Main 2919 St, James has Peasgood Bros build 1-story retail stores on both sides of Ashland on the west side of Main St at 2820 Main St and at 2900 Main St.

The 1912 building is only 48-ft deep. The 25-ft x 100-ft lots along Main St are sized for residential use. The 100-ft depth is not optimal for retail - too deep.

Lots 61 and 62 are the former location of the 1900 Kinney and Dudley Water Works and Pumping House, which is abandoned in 1907.

The 50-ft by 100-ft 2929 Main St property is Lots 61 and 62 of Block B of the Santa Monica Tract of 1893.

In 1928, J.H. Schultz adds a 46-ft x 36-ft 1-story brick storeroom at the rear for M.F. Nelson.

The 1928 addition is now referred to as 2917 1/2 Main St

Elizabeth R. Smith runs the dressmaking store, Ye Smart Shoppe. Her husband, Edward R. Smith (1858 – 1928), a former assistant chief of the LAFD, is an auctioneer. Before moving to 2919 Main St, from 1919 to 1921, the dressmaking store is at 108 Ashland Ave. In 1927, they move to 2804 Main St.

Morton F. Nelson (1886 – 1954) runs Nelson Furniture & Hardware from 1928 until 1953, when his son George Edward Nelson (1917 – 1996) takes over. In the late 1950s, Ocean Park is run down, and pedestrian traffic on Main St declines. Nelson Furniture & Hardware goes out of business in 1961.

Stillman Grant Smith (1864 - 1928) is born in FL and comes to Los Angeles in 1900 and to Ocean Park in 1905. From 1913 until his death in 1928, Grant Smith runs a tailor shop at 2921 Main St.

Adams & Neece sewing machines is operated by George Henry Adams (1855 - 1942) and his son-in-law George Joseph Neece (1885 – 1951). Adams & Neece sewing machines is next door at 2923 Main St from 1927 to 1928.

Here, hotel refers to short-term stays in furnished apartments with kitchens. There is no front desk, no restaurant, etc., although maid service is sometimes provided.

Fred Calkins (1872 – 1929), a Santa Monica Police officer, is the proprietor of the Alexandria Apartments Hotel.

Crescent Apartments Hotel caters mostly to seasonal tourists.

In 1975, Wilson moves his Golden Movement Emporium to 2911/2915 Main and then to 2821 Main St. In 1979, he sells his Main St properties and turns his attention to Pasadena.

Some recent tenants at 2919 Main St and 2921 Main St:-

• [1979 to 1980] Atelier AIX clothing (2919 Main St).

• [1977 to 1981] Oceans West residential interiors by Ken Calderhead (2921 Main St).

• [1984 to 1995] Eugenia women’s apparel by Eugenia DeVirgilio (2919 Main St).

• [1987] Nunsa B boutique by Nunsa Bronte (2921 Main St).

  

• [1994] The Bey’s Garden Day Spa by Marcel Lavabre (2919 Main St).

  

• [1995] Fresh Jive Clothing (2921 Main St).

• [2012 to 2020] Bryn Walker women’s apparel (2921 Main St).

• [2021 to 2025] Mystic Journey Crystals (2921 Main St).

The pre-1926 buildings are mostly 1-story wood frame residential with some light industry / retail.

Perloff & Webster Bernard Perloff and Roger Webster. Perloff and Webster also owns:-

• 2110 Main Street

• 2400 Main Street

• 2434 Main Street

• 321 Hampton Drive

• 210-226 Main Street

• 1413 Abbot Kinney Blvd

• 1600 Pacific Ave

The 68-ft by 100-ft property is Lots 8, 9, 10, and 11 of Block R of the Santa Monica Commercial Company Tract of 1892.

The four 68-ft by 25-ft lots remain separate parcels, and are not consolidated into a single parcel.

The Kunze house is directly across from the Imperial Ice Company building of 1911 on the east side of Main St.

The original building permits for Kunze residence are not found; the architect and builder are unknown.

The 25-ft by 68-ft Kunze property is Lot 11 of Block R of the Santa Monica Commercial Company Tract of 1892.

For the widening of Main St in 1926, the front 30-ft of the property is deeded to the City, and a corresponding 30-ft is acquired at the rear from the railroad company.

Edward Kunze (1840 – 1924) is usually described as a recluse, and there is little information about him. Kunze is born in Germany and comes to the US in 1865. By 1910, he is retired and living on Main St. Kunze is said to be well known. In 1916, he is associated with the Merchants Commercial & Savings Bank on Marine St, and is a candidate for the secretaryship of the Ocean Park Chamber of Commerce.

Clifford Chapman Doran (1858 – 1943). Born in OH, Doran marries Laura Cappeller (1859 - 1941) in 1882. He is in OH in 1886, Riverside in 1900, and in 1910, Long Beach, where he is forcibly ejected from a City Council meeting. From 1915, Doran is a prominent Ocean Park real estate dealer living on Main St.

Doran is a vocal supporter of the 1926 widening of Main St and chairman of the Main Street Improvement Association. In 1930, he is a leader of real estate interests opposed to oil drilling in Ocean Park. In 1933, Doran is the head of a committee of Ocean Park citizens investigating illegal gambling on the piers.

Edward Boynton Cappeller (1872 - 1952) is the heir to a Mansfield, OH, newspaper business. In 1921, Cappeller sells the newspaper and moves to Hollywood, before moving to Santa Barbara in 1944.

Ansel Fassett (1840 – 1926) claims to be a Civil War veteran but is denied admission into the Old Soldiers’ Home as Civil War records show he died at the Battle of Gettysburg. Fassett says his discharge papers are lost in a train wreck. Fassett supports himself at 2434 Main St by renting rooms and taking in washing. He dies at age 85, leaving no surviving relatives.

We don’t know who Mrs. Elva Stephens is.

Kunze is born in Germany and, although an American citizen, is concerned about the consequences of the US entry into WWI in 1917 and withdraws his money from the bank.

Headlines from the Santa Monica Outlook:-

• April 8, 1924 - $50,000 Buried Treasure At Ocean Park

• April 9, 1924 - Ocean Park Treasure Spot Guarded by Gun Men

• April 10, 1924 - Big Legal Question Over Possession of Fortune

• April 14, 1924 - Will Use Witch Wand to Seek Treasure

• April 17, 1924 - Martin’s Rod Fails To Find Gold

• December 12, 1925 - New Quest For Buried Money Chest

• December 16, 1925 - Main Street Widening May Uncover Hiding Place of Fortune

• December 17, 1925 - New Search for Treasure

• December 19, 1925 - 3 More Join Beach Gold Hunt

• December 20, 1925 - Radio Attempts to Find Gold Hidden by Aged Recluse

Henry E. Martin (1876 – 19??) is a plaster contractor, living at 2219 3rd St with his wife, Valeria Odessa Martin (1883 – 1953).

If the buried treasure is found, speculation abounds as to who is the legal owner. Is it the person who digs it up; Mrs. Stephens, the only heir; Cappeller, the property owner; or the City, which, as part of the condemnation for the street widening, now owns the front 30-ft of the property?

Based on gold at $20.67/oz in 1924, $50,000 buys 2,420 oz of gold (about six 400 oz bars). At the current price of gold of $4,300/oz, that is worth about $10 MM.

2434 Main St’s estimated value today is a little over $3 MM.

Henry Taylor Anderson (1878 – 1942). Born in England, Anderson comes (age 25) to the US in 1903. His occupation is listed as “jewelry window display decorator.”

Viola Diana Sanchez Anderson (1887 – 1950).

Between 1909 and 1913, a duplex is built at 211/213 Bay St on the rear of the property. The duplex is demolished sometime between 1975 and 1980, and replaced by a parking lot. 211 Bay St is the legal address of the property

Built in 1925, the Henderson Motor building at 1915 to 1917 Main St is converted into the Ocean Park Arena in 1927.

The Ocean Park Arena burns down in 1937, leaving a lot that still remains vacant.

1923 marks the peak year of a boom in population and economic growth in greater Los Angeles, accompanied by a building renaissance on Main Street - including 2000 Main, 2001 Main, 2015 Main, 2503 Main, 2701 Main, 2821 Main, and 2907 Main.

In 1921, Linus Perry Sheldon (1885 - 1956) builds a small ($100) real estate office on the property. In 1923, Anderson moves the building to Vernon Ave near Lincoln Blvd in Venice.

The 87-ft by 120-ft Main St and Bay St property is comprised of Lots 6 & 7 of Weid & Haverstick’s Subdivision of Block 5 of the South Santa Monica Tract of 1887.

This modest but durable commercial building is a typical Schimmer product. The Renaissance/Mediterranean Revival style building details - Spanish clay-tile accents on the brick parapets, pressed brick front walls with white glazed brick trim, recessed entry, and tall storefront windows - are characteristic of retail buildings that appeared across Southern California during the 1910s and 1920s.

The wood roof and unreinforced masonry walls structure is seismically upgraded in 1990.

The owners of the property are:-

• [1923 to 1950] Henry T. Anderson (1878 - 1942) and Viola D. Anderson (1887 – 1950)

• [1953 to 1957] Morris L. Wolpe (1876 – 1964)

• [1974 to now] Morris Kotlar (1920 - 2006)

The property last sold in 1978 for $0.25 MM. The manager, Ramon, has been here for 50 years.

Murals by Chase at 1927 Main St.

Arthur K. Silvernale (1889 – 1960) operates Seaside Pharmacy No. 1 in the Mendota Block at Main and Hill St when it opens in 1913.

Lyman W. McCaughey (1885 – 1966)

Mural by Chase on Bay St.