Marion Davies Guest House
Owner
City of Santa Monica
Original Architect
Julia Morgan
Architect
Frederick Fisher and Partners
General Contractor
Charles Pankow Builders
Restoration Contractor
Spectra Company
Designed by William Randolph Hearst and Julia Morgan, the Marion Davies Guest House was built in 1929 for Hearst’s mistress. The five-building, 110-room ocean estate boasts a dining room from an Irish estate seating 25, 55 bathrooms, 37 fireplaces (some of which are over 250 years old), a room furnished in gold leaf, Tiffany crystal chandeliers, and a ballroom from a 1750 Venetian palazzo.
With the front façade spanning over 750 feet, the “cottage” was built at the cost of $7 million. A majority of the estate was torn down in 1958, leaving only the North Guest House, marble pool, and tennis courts.
In 1980, the Guest House was locally designated as a Santa Monica Historical Resource. The Guest House and remaining property were used for a private club up until 1990, when the lease expired. Between 1990 and the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the property operated as a public facility, and was used as a set for the popular television show “Beverly Hills, 90210.”
In 2006, the City Council approved the plans to construct a public beach club, the Annenberg Community Beach House, which included the restoration of the property in which Spectra Company assisted. Spectra performed architectural woodwork removal and reinstallation, door and window restoration, chandelier repair, and brickwork.
Scope of Work
Architectural Woodwork • Brick • Lighting & Chandeliers • Masonry • Materials Restoration • Selective Demolition/Abatement • Self-Perform • Wood Doors • Wood Windows
Awards
Los Angeles Conservancy 2010 • Preservation Design Award 2010 • West Side Urban Forum
