Proposed Language from Councilmember Suzanne Hadley:
This County Lifeguard station sits on land previously owned by Willa and Charles Bruce who arrived in Manhattan Beach in 1912.
Despite opposition to Blacks’ owning land elsewhere in California, Willa and her husband purchased two lots in 1912 and 1920 for a total of $1,235 and built a successful beach resort for the Black community.
Other Black families moved to the area around Bruce’s Lodge and bought permanent homes or summer cottages.
Thirty families (25 White and 5 Black) owned property near Bruce’s Lodge.
In 1924 the Manhattan Beach Board of Trustees used eminent domain to seize the properties of Bruce’s Lodge and neighboring landowners to create a city park.
At that time, several sources alleged the city’s action was racially motivated.
All landowners were compensated for the seizure.
As the only fulltime residents in the area, and the only owners of a business, the Bruces received $14,500, the largest portion of the legal settlement.
Four of the five Black families bought property elsewhere in Manhattan Beach.
However, Willa and Charles Bruce moved to Los Angeles in 1927 where they purchased three properties.
The area formerly known as Bruce’s Lodge, and the surrounding parcels, was developed into a city park after the Great Depression and World War II.
Although no portion of the city park was ever owned by the Bruces, the city park was renamed Bruce’s Beach Park in 2007 as a remembrance and tribute to the family.
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