The Street Seen: Central Beach Tract
Ocean Park
The Central Beach Tract is a 1901 sub-division of 12.5 acres of Santa Fe Railroad property sold to G.A. Hart.
In 1891, Kinney gives 12 acres of his Ocean Park holdings to the Santa Fe Railroad1 in exchange for extending their Inglewood line north to his resort.2
For many years, Santa Fe tries to make a resort out of the tracts in Ocean Park, but are unsuccessful. In 1900, Santa Fe orders its tenants, most of whom have erected cottages on leased lots, to vacate at once. The unfortunate cottage owners have to hustle to find new locations for their buildings. Santa Fe levels the ground and makes some improvements. But Santa Fe is also struggling against its electric railway competitors. And in August 1900, Santa Fe’s Ocean Park holdings are acquired by G.A. Hart3 and A.R. Fraser of Los Angeles.
George Hart, who acquired the property from Santa Fe, is a downtown Los Angeles hotel person and is not actively involved in Santa Monica affairs.
Fraser, who works for the Los Angeles street department, knows development. The Central Beach Tract is Fraser’s initial exposure to Ocean Park. In 1902, Fraser (with G. Merritt Jones & H. R. Gage) purchase T. H. Dudley’s half interest in the Kinney Ocean Park property. In the next 20 years, Fraser built numerous improvements in Ocean Park.
Named the Central Beach Tract, it includes 185 lots 25 feet by 100 feet in size, extending from Hart Avenue on the north to Grand (south of Ocean Park Blvd) on the south4 and between the beach and the trolley tracks (Nielson).5
Hart and Fraser immediately begin grading, laying out streets (Hart, Faser, and Dwight), and installing sewers. The lots are for sale instead of Santa Fe Railroad’s lease system. To increase the value of their property, building restrictions are placed on the property. Cottages are not to cost less than $500. No stores are permitted. No saloons are permitted.
The lots sell quickly. In April 1901, only three lots of the Central Beach Tract are left. There is a flurry of building activity - $85,000 had been expended in buildings erected on this tract. Both Fraser and Hart build an oceanfront beach house. Among those also building houses in the Central Beach Tract are Judge R.B. Stevens, W.D. Winston, J.R. Newberry, A. Lichtenberger, William Hammel, and other businessmen of Los Angeles, many of whom build permanent houses here.
For simplification, we are using “Santa Fe Railroad” to include Santa Fe and all of its subsidiary companies.
In 1892, the steam-powered Santa Fe Railroad builds a passenger depot on Hill at Main Street. As part of its agreement with Kinney & Ryan, in 1895, Sante Fe builds a 500 foot long wharf just south of Hill Street.
George Alandson Hart (1870 – 1929). Born in Ohio. The entrepreneurial Hart brothers (George and Dwight) start their careers in hospitality, working at their father’s Natick House hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
The Hart brothers own the Rosslyn and the Lexington hotels. In 1913, the build the New Rosslyn. George Hart is President of Terra Bella Development Co, and Richgrove Land Co. comprising 20,000 acres near Bakersfield. In 1894, he marries Ida May Beldon (1873 - 1942).
Grand Ave is erased in the 1960s Ocean Park Redevelopment Project.
There is no overall plan for the development of Ocean Park. The Kinney & Ryan resort along the ocean, and the Lucas Ranch in the hills to the east are independently subdivided. Between the two is the railroad right-of-way. The result is dead ends, non-aligned, and confusingly named streets. In pre-automobile days this is less of a problem.