The People and History of the Beach House

We are pleased to offer “The People and History of the Beach House” a series of lectures describing the three most important people connected to the site – W. R. Hearst, Marion Davies, and Julia Morgan – as well as stories of Hollywood in Santa Monica and the history of the section of the beachfront known as the “Gold Coast.”

Photo courtesy of Brian Thomas Jones

• Saturday, April 5:  Writer Cari Beauchamp on William Randolph Hearst and historian Mark Wanamaker on Hollywood in Santa Monica and the glory days of Hearst and Davies.
• Saturday, April 12:  Preservation consultant Christy McAvoy on the historic structures of the site and John Berley of Frederick Fisher Partners Architects on the transformation of the site to today’s Beach House.
• Saturday, April 19:  Film historian Elaina Archer will present her documentary on Marion Davies and docent Kay Pattison will discuss Marion and her relationship with Hearst.

The lectures will be held at the Ken Edwards Center, 1527 4th St. in downtown Santa Monica at 2 pm.

If you are enrolled in the docent training program the lectures are a requirement of your training and are free; you will be automatically enrolled when your application is accepted.

Tickets for members and the public are $25 for the series, or $10 per person for individual lectures.  Please click here to purchase.  A limited number of tickets may be available at the door.