Early Roots and the Coin Toss Name
Rancho Days: The area was originally part of the vast Rancho Sausal Redondo (meaning "Round Clump of Willows"). [1]
The Name: In 1901, developer John Merrill bought the southern coastal portion, while George Peck owned the northern section (initially called Shore Acres). Unable to agree on a name for the unified settlement, Merrill and Peck famously flipped a coin. Merrill won and named it Manhattan after his former home borough in New York City. "Beach" was officially added to the name later in 1927. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Cityhood: Supported by the growth of nearby oil refineries and the arrival of the Pacific Electric Railway's Red Car trolley line, residents voted to incorporate, becoming an official independent city on December 7, 1912. [1, 2, 3]
Leveling the Dunes and Sending Sand to Hawaii
The Dunes: Early Manhattan Beach was defined by massive sand dunes reaching up to 60 feet high that constantly drifted across early wooden boardwalks and dirt tracks. [1, 2, 3]
Waikiki Replenishment: During the 1920s and 1930s, construction crews leveled many of these massive dunes. Excess sand was sold and shipped via the Los Angeles Harbor all the way across the Pacific to help transform the rocky shores of Waikiki Beach in Hawaii into powdery sand. Today, Sand Dune Park in the north end remains a preserved reminder of this topography. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The Tragedy and Rebirth of Bruce's Beach
A Black-Owned Oasis: In 1912, Willa and Charles Bruce purchased oceanfront property along the Strand, creating a welcoming resort, café, and dance hall for Black families barred from other segregated Southern California coastal areas. [1, 2]
Eminent Domain Seizure: Facing intense racial harassment and Ku Klux Klan intimidation, the city used eminent domain in 1924 to condemn and seize the property under the pretext of building a public park, eventually demolishing the buildings. [1, 2]
Restitution: Nearly a century later, in 2022, Los Angeles County officially returned the seized property to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce, who later sold the property back to the county for $20 million in 2023, bringing a painful historical chapter to a close. [1, 2]
Rise as a Surf and Volleyball Capital
The Pier: The iconic, circular-ended concrete Manhattan Beach Pier was completed in 1920 and stands as the city's defining architectural landmark. [1, 2]
Surf and Sand Sports: The modern beach volleyball movement took root here in the 1930s, earning the city its enduring title as the "Beach Volleyball Capital of the World". Shortly after World War II, pioneer shaper Dale Velzy opened what became the continental United States' first commercial surfboard shop under and near the pier in 1949. [1, 2]
If you'd like to explore further, let me know if you want to know more about:
- Local historical landmarks to visit today
- The detailed legal timeline of the Bruce's Beach return
- Pop culture and film history tied to the Manhattan Beach Pier
