La Venta Inn History

The La Venta Inn

The La Venta Inn was constructed in 1923 in what is now the City of Palos Verdes Estates at a cost of $17,000,, and was originally named Clubhouse 764 and was also referred to in some early historical documents as the Wayside Inn, The La Venta Inn was the first structure constructed on the peninsula. Architects Walter and Pierpont Davis designed the building and the famous landscape architects, the Olmstead brothers, designed the gardens.

Given the name, la Venta, meaning €œthe sale, € it was originally built by the managers of the Palos Verdes project as a clubhouse for the entertainment of prospective land developers and home buyers but became the social center for Palos Verdes, hosting many weddings and dinner outings.

The first large La Venta party was held in 1924 on the three-acre site, when 200 realtors were wined and dined in the beautiful setting. The Palos Verdes Project €™s plan was a huge success, and soon homes started appearing on the landscape following the Mediterranean architectural example of the inn. The inn was also used as a backdrop for several silent movies in the late 1920s

In the 1930 €™s , the La Venta Inn became a famous black-tie restaurant , and many Hollywood celebrities of the time used the Inn as a weekend retreat, including Charlie Chaplin, Rosalind Russell, Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Charles Lindbergh, Errol Flynn, Betty Grable, Bob Hope, Gloria Swanson, and Tyrone Power.

Frank Conroy, a Broadway stage actor, purchased the inn in 1941 and hosted lavish Hollywood parties,, but with the onset of World War II, bomb scares and blackouts prevented visitors from attempting the long, winding drive to the inn, and it was all but abandoned. During World War II, La Venta €™s tower was utilized as a 24-hour lookout point for the U.S. Coast Guard.,

In 1944, at the end of World War II, the inn was purchased by the Schnetzler family, and they converted it into their own private residence. They worked on renovations and lovingly brought the expansive gardens back to life. Dorie Matthews, daughter of the Schnetzlers, told the Daiiy Breeze that there were occasions when people €œwould just come in the front door, sit down and ask for a menu €, not realizing it was now a private residence. The Schnetzlers eventually reopened the inn to the public n 1957, and for ten years, Mrs. Schnetzler assisted with arranging weddingsand celebrations on the grounds, acting as innkeeper..

Over the years there have been instances in which developers made overtures to buy this valuable property, but the community consistently rallied to the defense of the inn and its history, and it was eventually designated a nationally recognized historical landmark. Since 1992, the New York Food Company has managed the property and hosts numerous private party functions every year.