“A black family whose ancestors built a seaside resort near Los Angeles a century ago, only to have it taken from them by racist policies, will have the land returned,” Los Angeles County officials announced on Friday, April 9, 2021.
In 1912, Charles and Willa Bruce (photo, left), purchased oceanfront land for $1,225 and built a resort for African Americans that included “a lodge, café, dance hall and dressing tents.” But they and their patrons “were harassed by white neighbors, and the Ku Klux Klan attempted to burn it down.” In the 1920s, the city council used eminent domain to grab the property, prompting protests at the time.
Today, homes fronting the beach sell for around $20 million, and the property being returned to the Bruce family’s descendants might be worth $72 million, the Daily Mail reported. Read story here.
Update: L.A. County returned the property to the Bruce’s descendants on June 29, 2022, and promptly leased it for $413,000 a year with an option to purchase (read story here). In January 2023, they agreed to sell it to the county for “nearly $20 million” (read story here).
Photo: The property in question includes the beach, red-tiled building, and park, but not the parking lot.
