Come Sea Portuguese Bend Estates By the President of the Palos Verdes Historical Society, Dana Graham

Brochure Cover.JPG — COME SEA PORTUGUESE BEND ESTATES

By the President of the Palos Verdes Historical Society, Dana Graham

Huh? Portuguese Bend Estates? I’m guessing you’ve never heard of it or, if you have, it’s not where you think it is. When I first heard the name I assumed it must be what is now the Portuguese Bend Club or the area behind the gates at Narcissa Drive and PV Drive South. At the same time that the better-known early housing developments were going in on the Hill – Grandview, Rocky Point, etc – there was also one being built on the southeast corner of the Peninsula, across from what is now Trump National. And it was known as Portuguese Bend Estates, with streets such as Exultant, Dauntless, Stalwart, Admirable, and others.

By now you’ve probably figured out that this is the development that has been known as Sea View for as long as I can remember – and I’ve lived here 72 years. It was built between 1956 and 1960 and is adjacent to the Portuguese Bend landslide, but just out of it on the south end. I’m not sure if it was just dumb luck or someone knew something, because that landslide began in late 1955, and this development was in planning years before. I have sold many houses in that tract and the geologists tell me that the rock formations under it are completely different than those in the slide area and that neighborhood is in no danger. But I’m not sure they knew that in 1956-1960, when the Portuguese Bend Landslide was the biggest news on the Peninsula.

The brochure for the project is rather interesting. There were either plans for a gated entry or there was a lot of artistic license. And the map shows the extension of Crenshaw Blvd down to PV Drive South as a dotted line – still under construction, which was famously never completed. It was determined at the time that excavation for that extension was what triggered the landslide, and it was abandoned about the time Portuguese Bend Estates was being built. Notice also that Crest Road is shown as going all the way down to what is now Golden Cove, and Silver Spur goes down to PCH, don’tchya know. This is long before Hawthorne was put in from Newton to PV Drive North (1964) – Hawthorne in those days was what is now called Via Valmonte.

The architect for the development was the now famous Paul Williams, one of the first prominent black architects. Another well-known building he designed in that era, for example, is the iconic circular restaurant at LA International Airport. I suppose it’s a measure of his anonymity at the time that there is no mention of him in the literature.

Hopefully you've enjoyed this more obscure nugget of long forgotten and newly appreciated Palos Verdes history.

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