It looks like living right on the beach was very popular even back as far as 1929, when this photo was taken from the top of the Santa Monica palisades looking south toward the pier where we can see the rollercoaster and the La Monica Ballroom that opened in 1924 and stuck around until 1963. On the right we can glimpse Ocean Front Walk pathway that still runs along the beach, but the railway tracks that run through the middle of this photo parallel to Pacific Coast Highway are long gone.
Susan M says: “Lots of memories of the La Monica. The place was huge. In the depression they had marathon dances there. By the war it was called the Santa Monica Ballroom. Post war, The King of Western Swing, Spade Cooley, broadcast his TV show from there. It became a huge roller rink by about ’54. It had a fire in ’62 that lead to it being torn down after.”
The Santa Monica Pier, with the La Monica Ballroom, 1924:
The La Monica Ballroom on the Santa Monica Pier:
What is that enormous strucuture that appears down by the pier footings, or perhaps in the South Santa Monica/Ocean Park area? Only the long gone Hotel Arcadia was big enough to dominate over the landscape in this way, and then only because it was built into the bluffs. This thing looks like it is at least four stories plus a extra on top. Even the Deauville Club wouldn’t look that big. BTW..on the first pole we can see the extension arm to support the wires for the trolley line. Service up to Santa Monica Canyon and beyond to Long Wharf (already cut back) was abandoned here in the late ‘20’s with the tunnel then taken for roadway purposes.
Ah, that must be the Casa Del Mar Beach Club. Quite a ways down there then.