Maureen Megowan's Blog

The original plans for the Palos Verdes Project had several different names planned for Palos Verdes Drive. Palos Verdes Drive North was originally planned to be named Granvia Valmonte from Malaga Cove Plaza through to Anaheim Street. Palos Verdes Drive West was to have been named Granvia La Costa.

Palos Verdes Drive West

The original plans for the Palos Verdes Project called for a second golf course in Palos Verdes Estates The original plans for the Palos Verdes Project in the late 1920's called for the construction of a golf course in the area currently occupied by George Allen baseball field off of Via Zumaya in upper Lunada Bay/Montemalaga.

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Is the Point Vicente Lighthouse haunted?:  After nearby residents complained about the bright flashes from the lighthouse,  the landward side of the lantern room was painted an opaque, pearly white. The light from the rotating lens seen through the opaque tower room windows created, for some, the illusion of a woman pacing the tower's walkway and gave rise to Point Vicente's "Lady of the Light," yet another lighthouse ghost story. Some said the ghost was the spirit of a woman who leaped into the sea when her lover was lost in a shipwreck off the point. In 1955, a thicker coat of paint ended the spirit's nightly romp around the tower, and the ghost has not been seen officially since. (See
http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=95 )

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Point Vicente Lighthouse

Palos Verdes was once considered for the location of Disneyland: In the early 1950's, Walt Disney's company WED Enterprises hired the Stanford Research Institute to conduct a search for the perfect site. The cities of Long Beach, Palos Verdes and Canoga Park were all considered but each had at least one strong disadvantage against it. Finally, Anahjeim was selected as the location for Disneyland.

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Road construction on the Palos Verfdes Peninsula moved forward rapidly in the late 1950's and through the mid 1960's. Hawthorne Blvd. through the Peninsula was completed in several segments. Hawthorne Blvd. was completed from Silver Spur to Crest in 1959. The segment from Palos Verdes Drive North to Silver Spur was completed in 1961. After several years of planning, the final segment extending Hawthorne Blvd. from Newton in Torrance to Palos Verdes Drive North was completed in 1965.

The original masterplan for the Southern California freeway system included what was known as the Ocean Freeway or the Pacific Coast Freeway, which was to have run along the coast, swinging inland through Redondo Beach and Torrance and connecting to the Harbor Freeway, and extending through Long Beach. Another freeway connecting to the San Diego Freeway roughly following to the east of Hawthorne Boulevard had also been proposed. In 1968, several alternative alignments of what was called the "Hawthorne Freeway" (route 107) were considered. These included routes connecting from the San Diego Freeway roughly following just to the east of Inglewood Boulevard, and as far west as Prospect through Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, then swinging east along the Palos Verdes Peninsula foothills, and terminating at Vermont Ave. (with a planned connection with the Harbor Freeway when the Ocean Freeway was to be extended through Long Beach). The most southernmost route considered would have demolished some homes in Rolling Hills Estates, in the neighborhoods of Montecito, Empty Saddle, and the Empty Saddle Club. Due to funding constraints, and neighborhood opposition, these freeways, of course, were never constructed.



Original Master Plan for Southern California Freeway System circa 1958

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An interesting fact is that Palos Verdes Estates once tried to annex Marineland - In early 1965, the City of Palos Verdes Estates attempted to annex a portion of present day Rancho Palos Verdes totaling 2.92 square miles bordered by High Ridge Road to the east and the Pacific Ocean, including the Marineland Park, in an attempt to broaden its tax base. See LA Times Article. This effort failed, however.

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You do not have to be a member of the Palos Verdes Beach and Athletic Club to use it:
Resident, non-members may use the club for a day pass rate of $30 per person per day. Non-residents may also use the club for a day pass of $45 per person per day. These day passes may not be used on Memorial Day, July 4th, or Labor Day, and no guests are allowed on those days. Guests of members are $10 per person, seven days a week from 6/15 through Labor Day. Guest fees other times of the year are $7 per person.

 
Palos Verdes Beach & Athletic Club

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I am often asked What is that large stone castle-like building near the entrance to Palos Verdes Estates on Via Valmonte?

This stone, castle-like structure, which is at 4420 Via Valmonte, near the entrance to Palos Verdes Estates on Via Valmonte, just up from Hawthorne Blvd., was built in 1926 as a guard\'s house for what was intended to be a gated entrance to the new Palos Verdes Project. The structure is a two story 15 foot diameter round building with 18 inch thick walls.It has two floors; a bedroom and bathroom area upstairs and a living room with a stone fireplace and a kitchen downstars. This structure was known as the "Stone Tower", "Tower House" and the "Mirlo Gate Lodge" (Via Valmonte was originally named Via Mirlo, was renamed Hawthorne Ave. prior to Hawthorne Blvd. being extended south over the Peninsula Hill to the ocean, and then renamed Via Valmonte). Title was taken to this structure by Palos Verdes Estates in 1939 when the city was incorporated.


Mirlo Gatehouse

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The original plans for the Palos Verdes Project during the 1920's included many wonderful elements that were never constructed due to the Depression. One of these was that The original plans for the Palos Verdes Project called for the building of a yacht club and Marina at Bluff Cove in Lunada Bay and a breakwater to form a swimming cove in Lunada Bay

Original Artist's rendering of proposed Yacht Club at Bluffs Cove


Rendering of proposed breakwater and swimming cove at Lunada Bay

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The original plans for the Palos Verdes Project called for a third plaza area in Valmonte The original plans for the Palos Verdes Project in the late 1920's called for another grand plaza similar to that constructed in Malaga Cove, to have been located at the intersection of Via Campesina and Palos Verdes Drive in Valmonte.


Original plans for Valmonte Plaza

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I am frequently asked Why don't they widen Palos Verdes Drive North in Rolling Hills Estates since the traffic is so bad? City and community leaders in Rolling Hills Estates do not want the rural nature of their city destroyed, and believe that widening Palos Verdes Drive North in this area will only encourage more motorists to utilize this street to access the Harbor freeway, instead of using Pacific Coast Highway. Widening of the street would also destroy the beautiful trees and horse trails which line the street.