Housely
Palos Verdes Peninsula is an affluent sub-region within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It has been since Frank Vanderlip Sr. bought 25 square miles of it in 1913. Before that, it was home to the Tongva- Gabrieliño Native Americans for about 8,000 years, followed by generations of Spanish and Mexican cattle ranchers, and short periods as a whaling station and then Japanese farmland.
But, it was the Vanderlip era which brought about the massive focus on city planning and developing the peninsula to ensure that any building which took place was of the highest quality, keeping the natural beauty of the area intact. From that time forward, it became an enclave for the wealthy, with some of the highest prices for real estate and some of the best education and cultural pursuits available. It was a place apart from the rest of the city areas of Los Angeles.
Today, there are four cities on the peninsula: Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills Estates and Rolling Hills, and surrounding cities below have grown to border and encircle the peninsula, allowing many easy access to the beautiful views and attractions. This condition has its share of friction, as tourists encroach upon areas once considered private for local residents. Some think that the wealthy cities are a horrible waste of prime Pacific Ocean coastline, while others believe that wealth should provide privileged access to it. The area is still one of the least known within the Los Angeles basin, and that gives residents privacy and local info which sometimes reaches the rest of the world….and sometimes doesn’t…
Trump National Golf Course Does Have Stunning Views of the Ocean; It’s Not Surprising… It’s Located Where the Historic 1999 Landslides Happened
Residents and the city have urged Trump for years not to develop the land. It’s not a surprise to locals, as many Palos Verdes residents whose homes were originally built on the peninsula suffered severely due to landslides in the Portuguese Bend area.
In 2015, Trump finally dropped the plans to build homes on his golf range. It’s a good thing, because he built his course on the former Ocean Trails Golf Club, which lost its 18th hole into the ocean in 1999, due to an untimely landslide. Andrea Vona, Executive Director of the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy commented on Trump’s decision to leave the course but not develop the land, saying “It’s wonderful to be able to have some additional land conserved.” Anyone who has lived there long enough knows that the additional undeveloped land may find its way into the sea once more.
Rancho Palos Verdes is locally notorious for its tree wars.
Of course, when visitors come, they see the beautiful foliage and fall in love with it as they drive through the area sightseeing. What they don’t realize is that homeowners are very territorial about their views. Neighbors become embroiled in view feuds, demanding that trees which spoil their views must be cut to roof level by their neighbors who own the trees. The pressure to keep the trees from blocking views comes from the high price homeowners pay to invest in real estate in the area. The tree wars have become so troublesome that some homeowners wish they had not purchased in the area, and even have gone so far as to recommend that others be warned to not fall in love with trees on property because a neighbor may try to force them to cut the treetops so the view won’t be blocked.
If You’re Lucky Enough to Live There, You Call It “PV”, or Just “the hill”.
Only tourists on vacation to California call it Palos Verdes Peninsula. That’s because they don’t have to say it very often when finding it and visiting its attractions. But, if you live there, it’s so much easier to just say “P” “V”. You say each letter one at a time, but casually…as if you can’t be bothered to be more formal. Some from older generations will just say “Palos Verdes”, leaving off the “Peninsula” part, well…because it’s obvious that it is one… Truth is, it’s so common to call it PV that most Southern Californians call it that, hoping that they’ll sound so familiar with it that nobody will ask if they actually are rich enough to live there.
Residents of “the hill” have trouble getting take-out foods delivered.
Locals talk about going “down the hill” to find good shopping and restaurants. It is isolated on the peninsula, and can take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes to navigate down the hill into the more populated and commercial areas below. For that reason, many food delivery services refuse to deliver up the hill. Many local restaurants also close by 9PM or 10PM, making it difficult to find late night spots to eat there.
The lovely Terranea Resort was built on the ruins of Marineland, and long-time residents often mention the world class theme park of their childhood with nostalgia and disappointment.
The emotional reaction to the loss of Marineland was provoked in many due to the unsavory way that it was ended. Palos Verdes was home for Marineland from 1954 until it was sold in 1987 to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. It was the largest oceanarium in the world, filled with educational facilities and research work. It was the first to offer visitors the chance to swim through an aquarium, the Baja Reef, with fish and sharks. The theme park was known for its work rehabilitating sick and injured marine mammals.
It had also been the home of Corky and Orky, the giant pair of killer whales that had lived in the park together for 18 years. Abruptly in 1987, the two were moved out at night, with strict orders not to leak out the news. At midnight, the two were loaded into trucks and sent down the California coastline to Sea World San Diego. More sea mammals were loaded up and moved secretly with days. Marineland employees and city officials felt the brunt of the secrecy, and the midnight move set the tone for a community battle which ultimately lasted years. The city of Rancho Palos Verdes had received $50,000 a year in taxes from Marineland and the theme park had been a popular, thriving tourist spot and place of employment for locals.
Hundreds of residents rallied in protest as the park was closing. Several of the animals who had been transferred, died later at Sea World. The park, except for its restaurant, was closed six weeks after its purchase and left abandoned for almost twenty years. During that time, many people crawled into the park area, to paint graffiti, take photos of the abandoned structures, or to simply see what had happened to the beloved park. Residents still mourn their loss of the world class oceanarium and its unique features. It was a cherished place, and source of local pride. It is a testament to these memories that the new Terranea is said to have included thematic resources from Marineland in its construction.
The Marine Mammal Care Center was established shortly after Marineland’s abrupt closure to take over the medical functions the theme park performed. The center is housed in Fort McArthur in San Pedro. The center takes in ill and injured sea lions, elephant seals, harbor and “fur” seals which need care, and then returns them to the water.
Lunada Bay is known internationally as a unique and special spot for surfers; but you may not want try to surf there.
The winter waves roll into Lunada Bay creating 15 to 20 foot waves which are untouched by the coastline. The expert break they create is not for beginners, and adored by surfers competing for limited waves. The surfing spot is legendary with experienced surfers. But the local surfing group, the Lunada Bay Boys will be there, and outsiders who try to surf the beach have been attacked or had their cars vandalized. Reports of flattened tires, snapped antennas and profanities written on windshields are common.
With an unfriendly reputation established for decades within the international expert surfing community, the Lunada Bay Boys were sued in March 2016 for verbally and violently attacking two non-local surfers who came to surf on Lunada Bay. The recent suit, the third filed since 1995, was filed by a police officer from El Segundo, a Southern California community north of Palos Verdes Peninsula, and his female companion. The federal class action suit claims that the territorial surfing group confronts and attacks beachgoers, threatening to kill, vandalize property, assault and otherwise bring harm to people who come to surf at Lunada Bay. The suit also notes that the Lunada Bay Boys have a “severe localism” coupled with the “historic distinterest” that Palos Verdes Estates has for investigating the surfer gang’s crimes. Those who filed the suit view their inability to enjoy the beach as a violation of constitutional rights.
A large group of surfers protested the localism of Lunada Bay in 2014, while local police monitored the event. The Palos Verdes Police Department is also blamed in the latest lawsuit for ignoring the problem, and the California Coastal Commission notified the city in writing about the Lunada Bay Boys illegal fort built at the base of the beach’s bluffs.
Narcissa Cox Vanderlip, a member of The Swedenborgian Church, helped to realize the vision of fellow member Elizabeth Schellenberg, when she donated the land for the Wayfarers Chapel site.
The kind of generosity demonstrated by the Vanderlip family has passed from generation to generation, and is well known by long time Palos Verdes Peninsula residents. When Frank Vandelip Sr. and his group of investors purchased the 16,000 acres of the entire Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1913, they spent approximately $2 million for the land. Vanderlip had served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury during President McKinley’s tenure and he was the President of National City Bank of New York. Though he purchased the land sight unseen, when he finally visited the area he fell in love with its similarity to Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula and Amalfi Drive. He chose Portuguese Bend to build his summer home, now named The Cottage. Not long after, a guesthouse was built and named “Villa Narcissa” for his wife. After he died, his son and daughter in law, Kelvin and Elin, continued to care for the villa and gardens, and hosted many celebrities there. Myrna Low lived there once, Burgess Meredith and Paulette Goddard had spent their honeymoon there, and Dr. Seuss (a.k.a. Ted Geisel) visited over the summertime. Elin’s gardened there extensively until she died in 2009, leaving the Villa in the Vanderlip family.
Today, Wayfarers Chapel is a coveted venue for weddings. It’s known internationally. It was built by Lloyd Wright Jr. in 1951, and its open design with windows facing the sky and sea bring many to visit, though many know that the architect was the son of the famous Frank Lloyd Wright, not many know how strongly the original settlers of the peninsula worked to plan for its development, and put their pocketbooks where their dreams were to make things wonderful come to life. Wayfarers Chapel is just one example of artistic beauty realized due to the financial resources and devotion to community they had.
Point Vincente Lighthouse is a favorite spot for locals to hang out with friends.
There’s plenty of reasons why: the museum is free, there are hiking trails to enjoy, park and grassy areas with benches to picnic and relax, and the views are spectacular. Two of the most popular activities there are whale watching during migration seasons, and making out with your high school sweetheart.
Palos Verdes is one of the few Greater Los Angeles Area locations still zoned for horses.
The long history of horseback riding tradition on the peninsula is supported at Ernie Howlett park. This 35-acre site includes an Equestrian Center with a multi-use trail, a dressage area, and three riding rings. There are plenty of horse shows regularly. It is also possible to rent the center for private clinics and other events related to horses.
The truth about the “Wicked Witch” in the “Haunted Castle”.
Elin Vanderlip; writing in her memoir about her own reputation:
“I am well-known as the ‘wicked witch’ in the “Haunted Castle’, and I have been the target of every brave high-schooler who wanted to break my gate and climb my fences.”
She was Elin Regine Brekke Vanderlip, a Norwegian-born woman who spoke seven languages, became a U.S. citizen, joined the Red Cross and served in India during World War II. She met and married 33-year-old millionaire Kelvin Vanderlip, son of Frank Vanderlip Sr., and the couple lived in the Villa Narcissa, built by her father-in-law on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Her husband died from cancer, leaving her with their four children. She raised them in Paris, Gstaad and Switzerland; returning to Villa Narcissa in the 1960s. She lived there until she died.
When Elin died in 2009, the local Daily Breeze newspaper posted a story; “Elin Vanderlip dies at 90 at her Rancho Palos Verdes estate”. Comments from locals were published:
Torrance girl
“Wow! I loved this story, as a teenager we used to go up to this “haunted” house with supposed Doberman Pinchers with their vocal cords cut to prevent trespassers from hearing the dogs coming after them…and now to read this story…I knew nothing about the Vanderlips and to know the history of the family is just wonderful. The tales of kids and teenagers really takes on a life of its own completely ignoring the real history and legacy of a family.”
John Whitacre
“I remember as a teenager the stories about the “hill”. We jumped the gate one weekend and was looking around and she came out, scared the you know what out of us. She turned out to be a very nice lady. (Not the witch as stories went.)”
Edwin-E of Tustin
“In fairness to Mrs. Vanderlip, she was the real deal. A real Aristocrat from a bygone era. Not like the phony, pompous yuppies that I deal with today. Poseur yuppies who act all that and area really six figures deep in credit card debt and can’t stop spending. Silver spoons and paper plates I call them. As for the Haunted Legends and Dogs without vocal chords, COME ON!!!! Only the kids and teenagers would have believed that. We worked late on a couple of occasions and never, ever saw ghosts.
Palos Verdes Resident
“Some may remember her as just the old bitch that lived in the old creepy house. But those who really knew her true history are the only ones who could really appreciate and respect her. No, her estate was not a ridiculous monstrosity such as the Beverly mansions but her estate was one of the original house in Rancho Palos Verdes. Nothing can compare or have history close to that. She was an incredible woman and will be missed. We all hope we can be grumpy like her in our future knowing my family accomplished something like developing one of the most beautiful places in the world. She is finally happy now with Mr. Vanderlip and now they will both be haunting their estate together.”
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