Have you ever considered the layers of history beneath your feet? Right here at Los Verdes Park. It is more than just a green space. It is a place with echoes of the past. Let’s take a walk back in time and uncover some of the hidden stories of this land.
Rancho Palos Verdes History tells the tale of a city founded to protect natural beauty. We must go back to the early 20th century. In 1913, George Bixby decided to sell approximately 16000 acres of the Rancho de los Palos Verdes. This sale triggered a complex series of real estate transactions and even litigation.
Frank Vanderlip stepped in. He was a New York banker. Vanderlip organized a consortium of New York investors and completed the purchase of the property by November 1913.
Vanderlip had grand plans. As early as 1914, he hired the Olmsted Brothers. This landscape architectural firm was to create a masterplan for development. The original plans included a golf club overlooking Portuguese Bend. It would be known as Los Palos Verdes Country Club. World War I interrupted these initial plans.
Vanderlip envisioned an Italian hillside village near the Point Vicente lighthouse. Craftsmen would live work and sell their wares. However, the Federal government acquired land to construct the lighthouse. It went into service in 1926. Marble was imported from Italy for the village in 1928. The Great Depression prevented its completion.
In 1916, Vanderlip determined that the Portuguese Bend area had the best weather. He built his summer home there. It was the first residence on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. It was initially called the Old Ranch Cottage now known as The Cottage. A larger guesthouse called the Villetta was built in 1924. It was later renamed Villa Narcissa.
Behind the Villetta, a stairway of 268 steps lined with cypress trees led to a white marble temple. The Great Depression halted his plans to build a grand villa.
Frank Vanderlip died in June 1937. His grandiose plans died with him. His wife Narcissa Cox Vanderlip was a founder of the League of Women Voters. She was also a friend of Eleanor Roosevelt.
From the early 1900s through 1945 seasonal lakes periodically covered the area now known as The Peninsula Center. Mrs. Frank Vanderlip stated that the Civilian Conservation Corps planted the wooded hill behind her home.
In 1921, E.G. Lewis acquired an option to purchase the Palos Verdes Peninsula from Vanderlip. His initial development was called the Palos Verdes Project. It would become Palos Verdes Estates. The community had architectural restrictions to maintain the Mediterranean design. These are still in effect today.
In 1940, the City of Palos Verdes Estates was formed. It had taxing authority to solve a financial crisis. You can see the original gatehouse to the Vanderlip Estate at the gated entrance of Narcissa Drive. It was modeled after an Italian roadside chapel.
Across the street is the Harden House built by Vanderlip’s sister Ruth and her husband Eddie Harden. Interestingly, the gate entrance to the estate was used in the movie It’s a mad mad mad world.
During the 1940s, Villa Narcissa hosted many Hollywood celebrities. In 1946, Kelvin Vanderlip hosted Ted Geisel also known as Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss dedicated his book Bartholomew and the Oobleck to his godson Kelvin Jr.
Frank Vanderlip Sr. maintained a large bird aviary near The Cottage. It included peacocks. The origin of the peacocks is disputed. One version says they were a gift from Lucky Baldwin. Another says they were from William Wrigley Jr.’s daughter.
In December 1940 the Palos Verdes Corporation was deep in debt. Frank Vanderlip told A.E. Hanson to sell one-acre sites near Los Verdes Country Club for $185. There were no takers.
Japanese farmers and their families who had lived on the Peninsula for years were interned during World War II.
Today Los Verdes Park stands as a reminder of this layered history. From Vanderlip’s grand vision to the challenges of the Great Depression and World War II this land has witnessed significant events. As you enjoy this park remember the stories it holds. They are whispers of the past that shape our present.