Silent star's seaside estate now public beach club

The 5-acre beachfront estate was built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst for Davies in the late 1920s while they carried on a long-term love affair. They hosted lavish parties there in the '20s and '30s, entertaining such stars as Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin, Jean Harlow and Joan Crawford.

The property later became a hotel, then a private beach club and at one point was the backdrop of "Beverly Hills 90210." It was shut down after being heavily damaged by the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

The city-operated Annenberg Community Beach House is the only such facility on the California coast that doesn't require membership.

"We don't want to call it a club, it's a community beach house," said Leonard Aube, managing director of the Annenberg Foundation, which provided $27.5 million of the nearly $35 million cost to build and finish the attraction.

Recreational facilities include the marble-tiled swimming pool where Davies and her friends swam. The only other structure remaining from the Davies era is a guest house, which is open for tours.

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On the Net:

http://www01.smgov.net/beachhouse/