Let’s Celebrate Acts of Kindness! The Amazing History of the PVE Community Police and La Venta Inn! By Joan Davidson
Let’s Celebrate Acts of Kindness! The Amazing History of the PVE Community Police and La Venta Inn!
By Joan Davidson
La Venta Inn and our Palos Verdes Estates Police share a remarkable history.
And this week it all came together.
LA VENTA INN CALLED THE CLUB HOUSE 1923
Many thanks go out to the Made by Meg catering company new at the La Venta Inn.
On Friday, October 15, Made by Meg donated box lunch meals for many senior residents in Palos Verdes Estates still home bound by Covid. Marcelle Herrera, PVE Cares and PVE Seniors ensured the box lunch delivery.
During Covid seniors that became home bound were so fortunate to have the PVE Police Department’s PV Cares/Seniors headed by Marcelle Herrera, arrange for our elderly residents to have meals delivered.
We are so grateful that our community-based police department offered such a service to those in need.
The Palos Verdes Estates Police Department began in 1924 with the hiring of Chief William Woosley who lived on Via Largavista with his family.
La Venta Inn, back then, was acting as a sales office and was already open.
The Chief would meet the school kids at Malaga Cove School each day in the 1920’s and made sure that they all got home safely, sometimes taking some students to their home if needed.
He was dearly respected and admired.
As the department grew his dedication and allegiance to the city was well documented.
The Chief retired in 1942 after almost 20 years of service and was given many awards and much acclaim.
La Venta Inn was opened in 1923. The architects Walter and Pierpont Davis designed the building. The landscape architects, the Olmstead brothers, designed the gardens as they did most of the city.
Interestingly magazine publisher E.G. Lewis bought three acres of land on a barren hilltop on the undeveloped Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1921. He intended to build a landmark structure on the lot, at 796 Via Del Monte, that would set the tone for the new development he was planning. He bought 16,000 acres from banker and landowner Frank Vanderlip in 1922.
Frank Vanderlip returned from back east to regain control and reorganized the Peninsula as The Palos Verdes Project. The Project consisted of bankers, real-estate men and developers and they launched it successfully in 1924.
The iconic La Venta Inn, the first permanent building of the new project, was completed and opened, living up to what Lewis had envisioned. The Spanish style building was designed by architect brothers Pierpont and Walter Swindell Davis.
La Venta Inn was originally was used as a place for real-estate sales people and visiting land buyers to stay. It became a sales office. The hope was that the potential purchasers would be amazed by the beauty of the inn and its natural surroundings.
The inn was an immediate success. It could only accommodate a few overnight guests at a time, but it became very well-known as an elegant dining experience. It was a popular stop from visitors throughout the Los Angeles area, especially more well-heeled ones.
An additional dining room was built in 1925, allowing the inn to double its capacity for dinner guests. The inn’s first owner, Jay Lawyer, a Palos Verdes Project principal, and the restaurant’s first manager, Reba Willis, built its reputation; soon, visitors were arriving from foreign countries to see the picturesque, well-located structure.
Hollywood filmmakers first used the location for movies such as “The Girl From Montmartre,” a silent film based on the Anthony Pryde novel “Spanish Sunlight”. It was filmed at the inn in 1925 and released in early 1926.
During the 1920s and 1930s, a long list of celebrities and movie stars frequented the inn, considered to be a high-class hideaway for the rich and famous. Visitors included aviator Charles Lindbergh, violinist Jascha Heifetz, and movie stars Greta Garbo, Tyrone Power, Cary Grant, Gloria Swanson, Myrna Loy, Errol Flynn, Betty Grable, Margaret Sullavan, Charlie Chaplin, Janet Gaynor and Bob Hope.
The inn became part of Palos Verdes Estates when that city voted to incorporate in 1939.
Jay Lawyer sold the property in 1941 to Broadway actor Frank Conroy then World War II hurt La Venta’s business due to gas rationing restrictions. Conroy eventually closed the inn to the public.
The inn’s location was used for military defense purposes after the war’s onset. Reports state that on Christmas Day 1941, 18 days after the Pearl Harbor attack, a lookout stationed in its spire reported seeing a periscope offshore.
(he view looking north at La Venta Inn. The garage, pergola-covered courtyard, and tower are visible, with coastline of Redondo Beach in background at right in this 1920s photo
(Credit: Palos Verdes Public Library Digital Archives)
The report states that a Japanese submarine had torpedoed the lumber-carrying freighter Absaroka the night before. The artillery battery at Fort MacArthur opened fire just as some residents were sitting down to Christmas dinner, leading them to think they were under attack.
During WW II La Venta Inn served as a lookout tower for the army. PVE Police Chief Woosley and defense coordinators of the surrounding area met at La Venta Inn to discuss common problems in January 1942 to provide a closely - knit system
An interesting note was the hospital site set up Malaga Cove school was moved to the Palos Verdes Library. Palos Verdes Estates was part of the war effort.
In 1945, Conroy sold the inn to Stanley and Margaret Schnetzler, and the Schnetzlers used it as their private residence for several years. Margaret Schnetzler became known for giving would-be customers a cup of tea while she gently explained that the business was closed.
In 1954 the Schnetzlers reopened the inn with Margaret taking over operations.
In 1966, the Schentzlers leased the operation of the property to William Eskridge and his family, who ran it for 26 years.
On February 23, 1989 the La Venta Inn, the Palos Verdes Estates’ first structure, was nominated as a state point of historical interest by the county Board of Supervisors. Ruth Gralow, a Palos Verdes Estates councilwoman at that time, said that La Venta Inn; “It is very special,”.
In 1990, the La Venta Inn was designated a California Historic Resource by the state Office of Historic Preservation.
In 1992, the surviving Schnetzler family members opted to award the lease for La Venta to the New York Food Co., a Hermosa Beach company.
In 2021, operations of La Venta were granted to Made By Meg, aka Meg Walker.
We now look forward to 2023 and the 100th anniversary of both Palos Verdes Estates, and La Venta Inn, and the many celebrations that continue to keep La Venta Inn as a thriving historic landmark for all to enjoy.
With much pleasure we also celebrate the long-standing history of the Palos Verdes Estates Police that has served our community since the early 1920’s, and the dedication of the original Chief Woosley, who set the tone and pace for the services and dedication provided by the PVE Police Department even today.
Joan Davidson has lived in PVE since 1976 where she raised her three children Lisa, Josh and Alex.
She and her husband Sandy have been active community members.
Joan received a B.S. and M.A. in Art Education.
As a CA credentialed teacher she spent many years teaching at South High School in Torrance.
She served on the PVPUSD School Board and the SoCal Roc Board locally.
Recently she founded the PV Heritage Preservation group to promote the preservation of the iconic landmarks and the history of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Related Articles
