A beachfront property with a complicated history is once again returning to county hands—but with a premium.
A beachfront property that was seized by state officials from Willa and Charles Bruce in 1924 was returned to the couple’s great-grandsons last year. Now the family is allowing the county to purchase the property for $20 million.
Known as “Bruce’s Beach,” the Manhattan Beach site was home to Bruce’s Lodge, which the New York Times described as a place where Black tourists could go to avoid harassment at a time of rampant discrimination against Black people in California.
Manhattan Beach officials condemned the property in 1924, paying the Bruces $14,500 and saying that they needed it for a public park. It was, however, left undeveloped for more than three decades. The Bruce’s challenged the condemnation over the years to no avail, until public interest pressured L.A. County to return to the land to the family last year.
County Supervisor Janice Hahn said that the owners have now decided to sell the property to the county for nearly $20 million, a value determined through an appraisal process. Hahn tweeted that,“This is what reparations look like and it is a model that I hope governments across the country will follow.”