Advertisement for a Short-Lived Santa Monica Hotel for African American Travelers and Vacationers, c. 1948
Lithograph on paper
8 x 10 inches
A rare flyer advertising a short-lived resort in Santa Monica, CA, which catered to African-American travelers and leisure-seekers. The property located at 325 Pacific Avenue was originally constructed in 1907...
A rare flyer advertising a short-lived resort in Santa Monica, CA, which catered to African-American travelers and leisure-seekers.
The property located at 325 Pacific Avenue was originally constructed in 1907 for the Santa Monica Bay Hospital, the city’s first, a project which failed financially in 1910. It was taken over and renamed St. Catherine’s a year later, which stayed in operation until 1945. It was briefly a convalescent home before opening around 1948 as the Palmcrest Manor (sometimes referred to in print as the Palm-Crest Hotel, or Palm-Crest-by-the-Sea). By 1952, the property was vacant.
Though the flier mentions R.J. Ankenbrand as the managing owner, other advertisements found in the California Eagle name the property’s manager as Warren C. Vinston, a prominent LA real estate agent, talent scout, and president of New Age Publishing. In the early 1940s, New Age published “The Official Negro Directory and Classified Buyers' Guide,” which was compiled Vinston and Anita Grant. A 1948 article lists Grant as the secretary of the Palmcrest Manor Club and Vinston as treasurer.
A 1949 advertisement in the California Eagle advertises its “full acre of beautifully landscaped playground, complete with tennis, badminton and volleyball courts, 18-hole miniature golf course, ping pong and horseshoe pitching arenas, spacious sunbathing area on its root garden, and private pebble-free beach.” The Palmcrest also appears in the 1949 issue of the Green Book. By 1952, the property was vacant.