The idea of belonging to a beach club seems so civilized, doesn’t it? Convenient parking, somewhere nice to change in and out of your swimsuit, cool shade if the sun got too hot, comfortable lounges, perhaps a mid-afternoon gin-and-tonic (or three…). In this shot (circa late 20s/early 30s) we can see three such clubs along the stretch of Santa Monica beach south of the pier. From left to right, they are the Breakers Beach Club (now the Sea Castle Apartments), Edgewater Beach Club (now demolished), and the Del Mar Beach Club, which is now the very lovely Hotel Casa del Mar.

Susan says: “I used to think one of the nicest things about your beach club, was not having to have any money (or purse) with you. If you needed anything that cost, you just gave them your membership number and they billed your account. I got in trouble with my mother ordering ice cream sodas (and later massages) for my 7 or 8 girlfriends we hosted that day without asking mom first.”

This shot is from 1958:

Another of these beach clubs was the Deauville Club, which was built in the 1920s on the site of the old North Beach Bathhouse: