At White Point, in Royal Palms beach in San Pedro, Eli Hedley made his home with his wife and four daughters. Literally made it -- mostly out of driftwood. They started in the fall of 1945 and the two-bedroom English style driftwood cottage took two years to build. They combed every cove from Palos Verdes to Portugese Bend for timber and most of it came from broken up barges. In addition to the two bedrooms, there was a bunk room, galley, dining deck, poop deck, living room and a hold. Hedley used nautical terms to describe the house. Their furnishings were made of driftwood, they used a fire guard hood from a ship's engine room for a fireplace, and bamboo strips from a Japanese ship were used for an interior door. Numerous live palms gave the homestead a secluded tropical feel.

Hedley was largely responsible for creating the "beachcomber look," by collecting items from the beach and reusing them as home items and decor for his own family and to sell to others. Hedley became a major name in the Hollywood set for decorating, and was responsible for the decor in bars, restaurants, hotels and apartment buildings in the 1940s through the 1970s. He built his home on land leased from the military (the military had control over this land since World War II, as White Point juts out into the Pacific). The land today is a public park, and a plaque can be seen giving the history of the spot, including the Hedley residence. The home is now gone, but the foundation remains.

Details

Type

Park

Address

Los Angeles, California, United States

Closed?

No

Links

• beaches.lacounty.gov