A history of Hermosa Beach,
since 1907
Postcards, papers and photographs of Hermosa Beach from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Hermosa Beach was originally part of the 1784 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant that later became the ten-mile (16 km) ocean frontage of Rancho Sausal Redondo. In 1900, a tract of 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) was purchased for $35 per acre from A. E. Pomroy, then owner of the greater part of Rancho Sausal Redondo. Messrs. Burbank and Baker, agents, bought this land for Sherman and Clark who organized and retained the controlling interest in the Hermosa Beach Land and Water Company.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Hermosa Beach’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewHermosa Beach, California, Manhat…, c. 1930: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Hermosa Beach
See all 19 →
Hermosa Beach, decade by decade
CommonsHermosa Beach, California, Manhattan Beach in the distance …c. 1930 · postcard
CommonsHermosa Biltmore Hotel, Hermosa Beach, California (64686)c. 1930 · postcard
CommonsMunicipal Pier, Hermosa Beach, California (64685)c. 1930 · postcard
CommonsVV Television sales and services, Hermosa Beach (82405)c. 1930 · postcard1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as A Catch of Yellowtail, Rod and Reel Club (1890) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4) and the Library of Congress (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.