Topanga Ranch Motel

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Topanga Ranch Motel
The Topanga Ranch Motel.jpg
Motel on Topanga Canyon
Topanga Ranch Motel
General information
Architectural style Bungalow
Location18711 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California, U.S.
Coordinates 34°02′23″N118°34′57″W / 34.039853°N 118.582442°W / 34.039853; -118.582442
Opened1929
Closed2004
Demolished2025 (Palisades Fire)
Owner William Randolph Hearst
California State Parks

Topanga Ranch Motel was a historic seaside motel located within Topanga State Park in Los Angeles County, California. The motel was built in 1929 by William Randolph Hearst. On January 8, 2025, the motel was destroyed by the Palisades Fire.

History

The motel began in 1919 as a campground, called Cooper's Camp, run by Miller Cooper. [1] Cabins were added in 1920 to house a summer camp for classical musicians. [1] Cooper gave up the business in 1926 and, in 1928, it was renamed the Topanga Beach Auto Court. [1] [2]

When a highway running through the camp was reconstructed in 1933, the motel was moved dozens of feet inland. [1] The bungalow-style motel was built in 1929 by publishing mogel William Randolph Hearst. [3] [4] [5] The 30-room motel originally housed construction workers employed to build the Pacific Coast Highway (known as the Roosevelt Highway until 1941). [5]

In the 1980s, a plan was introduced to demolish the motel and replace it with up to eight hundred condominiums and apartments, but the plan was defeated. [1] California State Parks acquired the site in 2001 but the motel closed in 2004. [1] [6]

On January 8, 2025, the Palisades Fire destroyed the Topanga Ranch Motel, as well as other areas of the park. [5] Prior to its destruction in the fire, it was one of the last surviving examples of an early bungalow-style motel in California and had been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. [1] [2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Guldimann, Suzanne (September 6, 2024). "Topanga Ranch Motel Gets a Reprieve". Topanga New Times. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "TOPANGA RANCH MOTEL | Condition Assessment and Conceptual Rehabilitation Design" (PDF). Wiss, Janney, Elstner, Associates. January 2019. p. 5. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  3. ↑ Campa, Andrew J. (January 9, 2025). "Will Rogers' ranch house and motel owned by William Randolph Hearst consumed by Palisades fire". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  4. ↑ Cancilla, Juila (January 10, 2025). "California Wildfires Claim Historic State Park Buildings". ELLE Decor . Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Palisades Fire Destroys Historic Homes and Buildings at Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park". California State Parks . Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  6. ↑ Shafiq, Saman (January 9, 2025). "Palisades Fire destroys historic Topanga Ranch Motel, Will Rogers' ranch house". USA TODAY . Retrieved January 13, 2025.
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