CASE STUDY

CLUBHOUSE

venice | los angeles, ca

Over the course of the last 200 million years, tectonic friction between the Pacific and North American plates slowly compressed continental crust upwards, giving rise to the Santa Monica Mountains and the ravines at its foothills and shores.

As recently as 13,000 years ago, people settled the area due a temperate climate, widespread flora, and ample water supply. Over 1,000 Tongva and Chumash archeological sites have been found in the coastal areas of Los Angeles, many of a sacred nature.

By the late 1700s, Tongva and Chumash lands were colonized and distributed to Spanish settlers for use as ranches. Land use of some rancherías and pueblos persisted through the conflicts leading to the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. Since the late 1800s, ranch tracts have been subdivided and sold in parcels of land, developed, and further subdivided into lots for sale to mostly migrant settlers of a burgeoning California.