Why LA’s Most Luxurious Beach Mansion Was Demolished (Marion Davies House)

Рет қаралды 77,767

Күн бұрын

On the golden shores of Santa Monica, California - where the waves whispered secrets to the stars - stood a mansion so grand, it made the heavens seem within reach.
Yet, this was not just any mansion - it was a one hundred room behemoth of extravagance - a seaside party palace where Hollywood's brightest stars convened for nights of uninhibited revelry.
In today’s episode of Old Money Mansions, we’ll describe how this decision was more than just the demolition of a building for profit - it was the end of a legendary era in the City of Angels and the extinguishing of a light that once burned brightly on the shores of Santa Monica, as we describe the Marion Davies Beach House and why was it demolished.
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Why Hollywood's Most Opulent Mansion Was Demolished: Pickfair • Why Hollywood's Most O...
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Why California's Most Opulent Mansion Was Saved From Demolition: Hearst Castle • Why California's Most ...
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Introduction
1:45 Chapter 1: Marion Davies - The Star Behind the Mansion
4:34 Chapter 2: Building Santa Monica’s Best Mansion
7:48 Chapter 3: The Mansion’s Santa Monica Unveiling
10:00 Chapter 4: The High Life of Marion Davies at the Mansion
12:43 Chapter 5: Decline and Demolition
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Born on the third of January, 1897, into a close-knit family, Marion Cecilia Douras - who would become the illustrious Marion Davies - early years were a blend of familial warmth and personal challenges.
Her father - Bernard J. Douras, a distinguished lawyer and judge - and her mother, Rose Reilly, a devoted homemaker - provided a nurturing environment for Marion and her siblings.
Despite battling a stutter, Marion's resilient spirit propelled her to leave school and step into the limelight of show business.
As a teenager, Marion embarked on her theatrical voyage - joining the ranks of chorus girls.
Inspired by her sister Reine - who had adopted the stage name “Davies” - Marion too embraced this persona, stepping onto Broadway's glittering stages.
Her early career saw her star in the 1917 film "Runaway Romany” - marking the beginning of a dazzling journey in the entertainment industry.
Soon thereafter, Marion’s fate intertwined with that of William Randolph Hearst - the fabulously wealthy newspaper tycoon - during her stint in the Ziegfeld Follies.
Captivated by her charm, Hearst pledged to elevate her to stardom - establishing a production company dedicated to her craft - and under his patronage, Marion flourished - gracing over 45 films with her presence.
However - Marion’s ascent was not without its shadows.
The untimely demise of film producer Thomas Ince at a party on her lover William Randolph Hearst’s yacht cast a pall over her career in 1924.
In the radiant panorama of Santa Monica's architectural landscape, the inception of the Marion Davies Mansion in 1926 marked the beginning of a remarkable era.
Envisioned as an icon of grandeur and sophistication, its genesis was entrusted to architecture Julia Morgan - a luminary in creative design at the time.
Morgan - celebrated for shattering glass ceilings in a then predominantly male-dominated field - had an impressive portfolio of over 700 structures.
And her design ethos - characterized by meticulous attention and hands-on involvement - set a high bar for architectural excellence.
The mansion's patron - William Randolph Hearst - helped chose Morgan for Davies, drawing on their prior collaboration at the illustrious Hearst Castle.
The Santa Monica venture was therefore a further embodiment of Hearst's architectural aspirations - mirroring his deep engagement in the creation of his own San Simeon estate.
Now, Morgan’s architectural blueprint was a masterstroke of elegance and opulence - melding a sprawling one hundred room mansion with an exquisitely designed marble pool.
Unveiled with much fanfare in the nineteen twenties by media magnate William Randolph Hearst for actress Marion Davies, the affectionately titled “Beach House” swiftly became the epicenter of Hollywood's glamorous rendezvous.
And Marion Davies - stepping into the mansion - quickly embraced her newfound role as the toast of Hollywood's high society.
Indeed, the Beach House, under her stewardship, instantly transformed into a haven for the who's who of Tinseltown.
And these gatherings held within these walls were not just parties - they were the epitome of exclusivity and elegance - drawing the crème de la crème from various industries, with Hollywood's brightest stars always in attendance.
At the heart of these lavish festivities was the dining room - repurposed as a celebratory sanctum - dedicated to the grand soirées hosted by Davies.
The walls and windows - adorned with large-scale photographic scrims - served as silent narrators of the high life.
They would showcase an array of A-list guests and snapshots of Davies herself - often captured in joyous moments with her beloved Hearst.

Пікірлер: 93

@oldmoneymansions 6 ай бұрын

COMMENT: What’s your opinion on architecture in the Los Angeles area - is it a legendary emblem of Hollywood’s ability to adapt - or is it a tragic case of bulldozing anything that doesn’t “keep with the times”?

@lemorab1 6 ай бұрын

I grew up in Los Angeles in the 1950's and watched almost everything good about the place vanish, a casualty of the wrecker's ball, Eminent Domain, and the freeway systems. The place truly is Paradise Lost. I remember when it still was one; fading in the postwar late 1940's, but still there.

@stevekeithley8409 6 ай бұрын

Tragic case of bulldozing anything that doesn't keep with the times is what it is. What a terrible shame. To destroy such a great piece of architecture and history to a parking lot?

@missmartyjackson 6 ай бұрын

Los Angeles constantly destroys itself. The never-ending quest to pack in more people and extract more property tax. Demolish all the single-family homes and put in hideous boxes. The push for "high-density" living is largely coming from Millennials and under -- they think that's an improvement somehow. I did the tour of the Marion Davies' guest house that remains. Viva Julia Morgan. Boo Hiss Los Angeles overall.

@tonifox1247 6 ай бұрын

@@stevekeithley8409 C.

@CaptDabbs 5 ай бұрын

its concrete. with a little history in between

@dhtisme7034 6 ай бұрын

It's a tragic case of bulldozing anything that doesn't keep up with the times. I've seen so many historical mansions bulldozed recently here on You Tube. So much beautiful history turned into dust. Just terrible.

@josephforest7605 6 ай бұрын

Warner Bros Ranch .

@danielebrparish4271 6 ай бұрын

I think the utilities, taxes, insurance, maintenance and repair costs would make it very difficult to find a willing buyer. Most people with that amount of income perfer to build their own home to suit their tastes. Renovating such an old structure would also be very expensive. I cringe when I see the mega mansions that celebrities build because when they die very few people have the income to afford to cover the costs of living in one of those homes.

@dhtisme7034 6 ай бұрын

@danielebrparish4271 I understand that, but some of these old mansions I would have thought the historical society would step in. I'm not saying all, just some would be worth saving & people could tour it & learn the history of it.

@jared1870 6 ай бұрын

Nothing is more depressing than to learn that a significant building was razed for a parking lot.

@johnpotter8039 6 ай бұрын

My architect grandfather, Dr. Kurt Meyer Radon, was hired as a consultant to purchase many of the interior furnishings for "The Beach House" as well as for the Wyntoon Estate in Northern California. I visited the guest house building back in the late 1980s as a possible headquarters for my wife's multimedia software company. The guests lived well.

@jomama5186 6 ай бұрын

Wow! What an interesting family history !

@denaspragueful 6 ай бұрын

I was wondering if any remnants were relocated

@johnpotter8039 6 ай бұрын

The front entrance columns were relocated to the Lytton Industries building in Beverly Hills. Lytton was an early high-tech conglomerate is is long defunct.

@lemorab1 6 ай бұрын

This is a very general "tour of duty" about the storied Hearst/Davies beach house, rather than a deep dive. In 1962, I remember the main house still being there, not just a guest house. Decrepit condition, yes, but still there. To get some deep dive stories, you have to read biographies and memoirs of people around at the time. The stories are there.

@drednm 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for showing clips from a few of Marion Davies' silent films I've produced for DVD: THE BRIDE'S PLAY and LITTLE OLD NEW YORK. She was one of the greats!

@user-sg6ji2kk3u 6 ай бұрын

It seems to me that lavish homes such as Marin Davies are Demolished if they are not with the times or nobody cares enough to maintain there upkeep and they fall into disrepair or abandonment . Then they are demolished often for frivolous parking lots or worse. It is shameful the sheer number of lovely estates that celebrities of Hollywoods past have been demolished. In the name of “Keeping up with the times “ or no one caring enough to save these historic beauties of architecture.

@skcyclist 5 ай бұрын

Fascinating video. I was born in Los Angeles in 1943 and went to Santa Monica Beach often in my youth. It's possible I laid eyes on the original mansion but do not recall. It seems a shame it didn't last longer, but glad to see the guest house and swimming pool remain. I also appreciate videos like this one the document the history and the people enjoying that period of time.

@jomama5186 6 ай бұрын

What a terrible shame 💔

@MySpace662 6 ай бұрын

Beautiful architecture of the past, should be preserved for future generations to get a glimpse of the past.

@joannekinnally7530 6 ай бұрын

It is partly a case of bulldozing but the amount of money it would cost to make sure everything was structurally sound almost 100 years later needs to be considered too. The earthquake is a very big part of it that can’t be left out of what the property has turned into

@MrNurserob 6 ай бұрын

In Los Angeles and surrounding areas, there’s so much history that’s been lost over time. On several of the tours of “homes of the stars” of the golden era of Hollywood, the tour stops in front of a garish, out-of-place, vinyl and plastic monument to ostentatiousness and discusses the beautiful home which used to be there- before it was bought and torn down. There’s so much lost architecture around here which was pretty unique to this area, with many renditions of Spanish Mission revival mixed with American colonial- which were so emblematic of boomtown Los Angeles in the 1920s- that are just memories. Their replacements (if one can really even call them that) are reminiscent of the changes made to the Maitland house in “Beetlejuice”- yet that was supposed to be a parody of what neuveau-riche yuppies viewed as luxury and forced onto an innocent, unsuspecting village… it wasn’t meant to be an example to emulate, yet, somehow, so many gorgeous homes became just that. The municipalities also own some blame for it. They could easily have obtained historic landmark designation for a good number of these buildings, and yet they seemed happy over the years to sell out to the highest bidders- heritage be damned. Fortunately there’s still a decent number of historic places left standing. Hopefully they’ll stay that way.

@toastnjam7384 5 ай бұрын

I grew up in South Silver Lake in the 50's and the majority of homes and Apt's there were built in the late 1800's to the 1920's. There were two big Victorians in the neighborhood that were subdivided into Apts torn down to be replaced with Dingbat Apt's.

@cynthismanning6397 6 ай бұрын

Jealousy. Pure Jealousy. People are assholes. Can you imagine the money that house would be bringing in today? I guarantee there was no family of Marion's to protect it from jealous wrecking balls.

@katiealdana150 6 ай бұрын

Agreed👍

@bristleconepinus2378 5 ай бұрын

I lived up the beach in those days in the canyon. Used to walk by it often on my way down the beach to the pier to go fishing or Muscle Beach to play on the equipment. this being the mid 50's

@sunnyhill5119 5 ай бұрын

Wow. You must have such great memories..... enough to put in a book.

@Pompomgrenade 5 ай бұрын

I think Los Angeles architecture is pitching a tent wherever you might choose...

@jenniferboone4002 Ай бұрын

Always so ready to throw away bueatiful old well built history. As a child I watched the beautiful library and courthouse in my hometown of Willmar MN destroyed. That being my first library as a young girl was the most exotic exciting place to go each week with my sister Jurrie. J Boone

@dennismcpeek9630 6 ай бұрын

The demolition of beautiful homes across the country is a sad state of affairs. Rather than crush these homes, they should find people or groups that would renovate them back to their original glory. Prime example: GREY GARDENS!!

@missybaker1608 6 ай бұрын

Oh my THE William Randolph Hurst and Marion Davies THE Beach House was an iconic house full of laughter and jovial atmosphere for the stars. Marion had a wonderful knack for creating the lavious dinners and so honest about her life. That house was an iconic grand house most modern for that area. Love that it was built by a female architect!!! It never should've been demolished just renovated. I'm glad they kept the Marion Davies guest house. But a parking lot? But they needed for people to park as cars became more of the American landscape. The Beach House was so beautiful and iconic. I loved seeing it! Still love Hearsts SAN SIMION. LOOKED LIKE BUILT IN VICTORIAN ERA. We have Victorian Houses here in Evansville, IN built in the 1870's. The oldest building built in 1869 houses a daycare!!!

@sharksport01 6 ай бұрын

An iconic daycare.

@steelman86 6 ай бұрын

Its HEARST, not Hurst and it's SIMEON not simion...FYI...

@davidjackson7281 6 ай бұрын

Not sure what you may have meant but San Simeon is not Victorian Architecture. Julia Morgan designed it influenced in part by California's Mission styles. It's named La Cuesta Encantada. The architecture styles are Spanish Colonial Revival and Mediterranean Revival. Just sharing from wikipedia.

@DrDoom-uu3cj 5 ай бұрын

Wonderful video. Ive only seen a couple of pictures of the beach house before. These are outstanding. Thank you!

@oldmoneymansions 5 ай бұрын

Glad you like them!

@susanw-cv8vg 6 ай бұрын

Unfortunately its the latter. It should have remained as it was. Its not just California its all over America. Destroy the old. I watched a biography of the legendary architect Paul Williams, the first black architect who had a very special talent. His designs were beautiful. He lived in Las Angeles, CA. He designed over 2,000 beautiful homes some for celebrities like Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Stanwick and so many more. He also designed beautiful buildings and I believe the monorail in Las Vegas. Anyway, as some of the homes he built aged, people died and the properties sold some were torn down because people wanted NEW. Well, eventually some neighbors got together to stop it to keep the original homes as historical landmarks. It was very heartwarming to know so many people wanted to preserve what this brilliant man had designed. He was a visionary and received many awards and acknowledgments. I believe he passed away in 1980. Born around the late 1890's. So they never should have torn it down. People need to appreciate and preserve our nations architectural history to understand our past.

@judybertagna4527 6 ай бұрын

Unfortunately, America and Americans don’t appreciate history. That mansion should’ve been given over to the historical society for tours.😊

@rebeccapeterson7405 5 ай бұрын

My Grandfather’s family owned the Gaycliff Hotel on the bluff up above Marion Davie’s mansion. Right around 1956, I was with my Mother on the lawn of the hotel at night. We heard a terrible scream that I’ll never forget the sound of. Turns out a man pushed his wife off the cliff and she died.

@kristalsalters1613 6 ай бұрын

It is sad. America is losing its identity of that ‘distinct American style’ whether it is architecture, automobile design, or a manufacturing powerhouse providing the goods and services by Americans for Americans.

@susanw-cv8vg 6 ай бұрын

By the way, thank you for sharing this bit of history with us. Fascinating story and figures.😁

@dooksan 5 ай бұрын

All too often, earthquakes are used as an excuse to tear down historical structures. Canoga Park High School in Los Angeles is a perfect example. Started in 1914 to resemble a roman villa, it was one of the most beautiful high schools in America, but it was torn down after the 1972 earthquake. If this had been a governor's mansion or administration building, there might have been great enthusiasm to rebuild it, but since it was only for high school kids, it was doomed.

@rafaellewis4528 5 ай бұрын

"They paved paradise..."

@loadedfun4764 5 ай бұрын

My Dad worked for the Annenberg’s when they lived in Philadelphia. Definitely thee Family that the entire Delaware valley knew of. My Dad spilled some green pain on their carpet that wouldn’t come out so he went and dyed the entire carpet. The Annenbergs absolutely Loved the job…. Not sure they picked up on the dye job.

@falconm9792 6 ай бұрын

I like everything that reminds me of America in the twenties, thirties, and forties. It is America’s golden architectural period , Among these things is this mansion , which fortunately still remains, even if its mission has changed

@dennispatrick4999 5 ай бұрын

Bobby Kennedy was at the Beach House with Marilyn Monroe the day before she was found dead... Bobby was shuttled up to Santa Barbara that evening. Why?

@user-pinckneysux 6 ай бұрын

Tragic, but at least there’s a little bit left. Worse that I grew up in Southern California and probably drove by it unaware it was even there now that l’m stuck in Michigan. Never going back to California…🌅

@missmartyjackson 6 ай бұрын

I grew up in Michigan and am stuck in California!

@user-pinckneysux 6 ай бұрын

@@missmartyjackson so sorry. (how can you afford it? lucky you, sorta)

@thecaptain4829 6 ай бұрын

looked like an over done hotel

@bscottb8 6 ай бұрын

A gold digger scored big.

@theresapierce3934 6 ай бұрын

Well said, Hearst was a complete hypocrite and she was no better than a high class prostitute.

@Roholi 6 ай бұрын

@@bscottb8Marion Davies saved Hearst from financial ruin by giving him a million dollars to try to resurrect his businesses, which he did. So who was the gold digger here?

@davidjackson7281 6 ай бұрын

@@RoholiThe help from Marion is a great part of the Hearst story.

@andiincali.4663 6 ай бұрын

A Julia Morgan?! What is wrong with people?! Could you imagine if they did this in Europe? I know it's Hollywood, no comparison but still there ought to be laws protecting these historical properties. Smh 😒

@Darrigrande 6 ай бұрын

It was much luxurios as Pickfair

@barbaraosorio8830 6 ай бұрын

Don't understand why all the old mansions had to go should have saved all

@karenabrose4058 6 ай бұрын

Bad things happened there plus the tunnels. You will hear soon about all this.

@bobjackson4720 6 ай бұрын

Europe is full of beautiful buildings, mainly because there, there are greater priorities than the ''mighty dollar". Will the USA ever learn....I doubt it.

@sharksport01 6 ай бұрын

They probably don't have ridiculous property taxes.

@milehighkit4725 6 ай бұрын

You're right! They have destroyed more beautiful buildings in the last hundred years just pisses me off! Things are definitely not looking good for either one of our countries at the present moment.

@allermenchenaufder 6 ай бұрын

@@milehighkit4725. Not to mention 21st century architecture is atrocious. 😢

@anniewilkes6011 6 ай бұрын

Los Angeles county loves tearing stuff down

@josephpiskac2781 6 ай бұрын

Seems like a candidate for termites and rot due all the ocean front moisture.

@soniajulie6465 6 ай бұрын

It's a tragic case of Bulldozing anything to make a buck !!!

@StellaMartinez-th4pe 6 ай бұрын

People don't can't live that way anymore. Society has been demolished first and the buildings reflect the society. You cannot have one without the other. Only museums now.

@v1-vr-rotatev2-vy_vx31 5 ай бұрын

Russia beautifully,restoresbuildings from 1700s and 1800s 1900s for practical use, with night colored arch way lighting, The subways are amazing and clean with statues and updated with swipe touch map screens, USB charging every at every seat....

@deborahmartin1450 6 ай бұрын

What a shame. Historical homes and buildings demolished for high rises and parking lots.

@kanlee9667 6 ай бұрын

Why tear down a glorious sea side mansion? We needed the parking... I'll think of them (Davies and Hearst) next time I go to Santa Monica Beach.

@user-pinckneysux 6 ай бұрын

Wonder what the address on PCH was? What’s there now? Is the land under the sea 🌊 by now?

@davidjackson7281 6 ай бұрын

@@user-pinckneysuxYes

@dennispatrick4999 5 ай бұрын

@@user-pinckneysuxIt's now a Public Beach Club.

@kristinaloncar3920 3 ай бұрын

Why LA don't like your's old buildings?

@ittonohara5327 9 күн бұрын

Unfortunately we learn not how much it did cost to run that beach house, and how it was financed. The biggest place the two did inhabit, the Hearst enchanted hill castle at St. Simeon belonged not to Hearst, but his company. Therefore it might have been very likely, that he did not pay the whole amount of money, that it did cost to run the place at the time. About 80 Million Dollars of todays money that did cost a year. 170`000 Dollars a day of todays money. And this was not the only large mansion he did inhabit. California did keep that one. But do not say, how much it costs to run the place. Just to keep on restoring it. Because many people would be enraged. Hearst did not pay taxes either, so a lot of money spared to give some donations celebrated as becon of welfare. One in four Americans did consume Hearst Media at the time. Hearst and Marion Davies have been two scumbags.

@drednm 6 ай бұрын

I don't see any sign of "art deco" in this place

@davidjackson7281 6 ай бұрын

Yes thinking the same.

@Hihoweryew Ай бұрын

It was bulldozed for several reasons, in my opinion. The murder of Thomas Ince by Hearst, the giving away of two of their biological children, and employing Fatty Arbuckle ( Hearst employed jim) after he raped a girl at a party. They want Hearst and his house and his hoockie memories out of there

@katiealdana150 6 ай бұрын

Simply sad 👎

@davidcross701 6 ай бұрын

Well, Santa Monica didn't destroy it all. That's good.

@you2angel1 6 ай бұрын

Oh this was delightful. I had no idea she was such a woman. Truly a role model in many respects °~•.☆.•~°

@CareBear-og6pe 5 ай бұрын

The State of Ca purchased. Do you mean the tax payers? It thrived during the Great Depression. That tells you all you need to know. She helped ppl in the film industry, only?

@allisonlew4508 3 күн бұрын

No, she helped all kinds of people, especially children (e.g., UCLA Marion Davies Children's Hospital, built w/her $2Million donation.