Historic California Posts, Camps,
Stations and Airfields
Santa Monica Army Air Forces Redistribution
Center No. 3
Three of the resorts that
made up the main portion of the Santa Monica Army Air Forces
Redistribution Center No. 3. The Del Mar Beach Club is in the
foreground athe the Edgewater Beach Club and The Grand Hotel
in the background. Note additional security after the War Department
took over. Circa 1943. (California Military Department Collection)
US Army Corps
of Engineers History (13 September 1994)
Los Angeles District, US Army Corps of
Engineers
Between 15 November 1943 and 1 October
1944, approximately 53.664 acres were acquired by the War Department
by lease at the following locations:
Vacant lot at the corner of Appian Way
and Vicente Terrace (0.186 acre).
Vacant lot at the corner of Pico Boulevard
and Appian Way (0.225 acre).
Vacant lot on The Promenade and Pacific
Ocean, exact location unknown (0.114 acre).
Vacant lot at 1810 Ocean Avenue (0.153
acre).
Vacant lot to the rear of 1810 Ocean Avenue
(0.781 acre);
Vacant lot bounded by Ocean Avenue, Seaside
Terrace, and Main Street (8.693 acres).
Vacant lot at the corner of Pico Boulevard
and Appian Way (0.225 acre).
Vacant lot and two buildings at 27th Street
(currently Rosewood Avenue) and Dewey Street (40.0 acres).
Vacant land with horse stalls known as
Uplifter'S Club at Rustic Canyon (2.4 acres).
Vacant lot at the corner of Ocean Avenue
and Pico Boulevard (0.629 acre).
Beach front at 1815 Ocean Avenue (0.258
acre).
The following facilities were acquired
by lease between 27 November 1943 and 1 August 1944:
The Elk's Club at 1811 Ocean Avenue (7160
square feet).
An oil station at 1705 Lincoln Boulevard
(11000 square feet).
A warehouse at 1231 Lincoln Boulevard
(7500 square feet).
A warehouse at 1405 11th Street; and a
warehouse at 2435 Main Street.
The following hotels were acquired by
lease and condemnation leasehold between 21 November 1943 and
18 January 1944:
The Grand Hotel at 1725 Ocean Avenue.
The Del Mar Beach Club at 1910 Ocean Avenue.
The Miramar Hotel at 1123 Ocean Avenue.
The Edgewater Beach Club at 1815 Ocean
Avenue
The Shangri-La Hotel at 1301 Ocean Avenue.
The Ocean Palms Apartments at 1215 Ocean
Avenue. I
In addition, the following facilities
were acquired by lease:
Two rooms for storage on the Santa Monica
Pier, on 1 August 1945.
Housing at the corner of 24th Street and
Pico Boulevard, on 1 September 1945.
Housing at the corner of 25th and Pearl
Streets, on 1 September 1945.
It should also be noted that two facilities
used temporarily by Redistribution Station No. 3 were located
physically away from the Santa Monica site:
Castle Hot Springs, acquired by transfer
on 12 November 1943, consisted of two hotels and associated structures
with horseback riding facilities, located 55 northwest of Phoenix,
AZ. Furture President John F. Kennedy recovered there from injuries
resulting from the sinking of PT-109.
Room 303 on 6331 Hollywood Boulevard in
Hollywood, acquired by lease on 15 May 1945.
Properties were acquired by the Army Air Forces for use by personnel
returning from Europe and the Pacific during World War II. Facilities
were to provide for rest and relaxation opportunities and to
facilitate processing of the returnees for reassignment. Improvements
consisted primarily of alterations and repairs to the hotels,
erection of temporary, theater of
operation type buildings, and paving and resurfacing of some
vacant lots. A skeet range was developed on the 40 acre property
at 27th Street (currently Rosewood Avenue) and Dewey Street.
An athletic field was developed on 4.58 acres between Main Street
and Ocean Avenue north of Pico Boulevard (part of the 8.693 acres
bounded by Ocean Avenue, Seaside Terrace and Main Street). This
area formerly contained "underground gun emplacements, shelters,
and ammunition dumps." The property was leveled, graded
and planted with grass. No information was found which indicated
that any ordnance or explosive waste remained from the antiaircraft
emplacement prior to development of the athletic field.
Redistribution Station No.3 was deactivated on 15 November 1945
by which time jurisdiction over most or all of the properties
had been given to the Pacific Division Engineer for disposal.
Records regarding property disposal dates were not specific as
to the identity of the property. One lease was terminated as
early as 21 July 1944 while the others were terminated or transferred
between 31 October 1945 and 23 January 1947. Castle Hot Springs
was declared excess on 3 July 1944 and deactivated. The lease
for Room 303 at 6331 Hollywood Boulevard
was cancelled on 31 August 1945. The Realty Control File Summary
indicates that 40.52 acres were acquired and disposed of, and
thus does not agree with the acreage listed in the first paragraph
above. The Realty Control File Summary was not accompanied by
any supporting documentation, and it is reasonable to assume
that it may be incomplete. The subject properties are currently
in commercial, public and private uses. No military uses are
known to exist presently.
The Grand Hotel,
Edgewater Beach Club and Del Mar Beach Club after the war. Circa
1950. (Public Domain)
US Army Corps
of Engineers History (22 April 1993)
Los Angeles District, US Army Corps of
Engineers
Location:
The former Santa Monica Army Air Force Redistribution Station
No.3 consists of numerous properties located in and around the
City of Santa Monica, California.
Site History: Various lodging and recreational facilities
were acquired by the Army Air Forces after the Real Estate Directive
(RE-D 2690) was issued on 13 November 1943, to establish the
redistribution station in Santa Monica: six hotels on the beach,
an Elk's Club, an oil station, various warehouses, and various
vacant or partly vacant lands. Castle Hot Springs (resort) in
Arizona was acquired on 12 November 1943 and used on a limited
basis by people assigned to Redistribution Station No.3.
Redistribution Station No. 3 was used for rest and relaxation
purposes by returning World War II Army Air Forces personnel
and for processing of returnees prior to reassignment.
Improvements consisted primarily of alterations
and repairs to the hotels; erection of temporary, theater of
operation type buildings; and paving and resurfacing of some
vacant lots. A skeet range was developed on a property at 27th
Street (currently Rosewood Avenue) and Dewey Street, and an athletic
field was developed on the property between Main Street and Ocean
Avenue, north of Pico Blvd. The latter facility was constructed
on property formerly occupied by the Fourth Anti-Aircraft Command
and 37th Anti-Aircraft Brigade. The property contained "underground
gun emplacements, shelters, and ammunition dumps" and the
land was said to be "dangerous to pedestrians and unsightly."
The property was leveled, graded and seeded with grass. No information
was found which indicated that any ordnance or explosive waste
remained from the anti-aircraft emplacement prior to development
of the athletic field.
The Castle Hot Springs facility was declared
excess on 3 July 1944 and deactivated. Leases for properties
in Santa Monica were disposed of by transfer and termination
from 21 July 1944 through 23 January 1947. The final lease disposed
of on 23 January 1947, was for 5.63 acres, transferred to the
Navy Department. No information was obtained which indicated
how or when the Navy disposed of the property. Properties formerly
used for Redistribution Station No. 3 are currently used for
commercial, residential and public purposes.
The Shangri-La
Hotel and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
A 1938 Los Angeles
Times drawing of the Shangri-La Hotel (City of Santa Monica)
During the years of the Second World War,
the Shangri-La Hotel had a strong association with events that
were of national importance relative to the United States’
involvement in this conflict. From November 1942 until October
1945, the Shangri-La Hotel, along with five other hotels in Santa
Monica, was temporarily repurposed as a redistribution center,
officially named as Army Air Force (AAF) Station Number 3, for
use by soldiers returning home from combat. The redistribution
centers allowed those who served our country an opportunity to
decompress and readjust back to stateside life in luxurious surroundings.
In addition, the Shangri-La Hotel also hosted several covert
meetings during this same time period that included William Donovan,
first Chief of the Office of Strategic Services (precursor to
the CIA), and Jack Taylor, widely recognized as the first Navy
SEAL, that led to the development of the OSS Maritime Unit, a
forerunner of today special operations organizations.
Source: City of Santa Monica
Santa Monica
Hotels Once Served Weary World War II Soldiers
By David Mark Simpson, Santa Monica Daily
Press, March 18, 2015
Before they were selling rooms for more
than $400 per night, three Santa Monica hotels were aiding battle-tired
soldiers in the midst of the second World War.
Hotel Casa Del Mar, the Shangri-La Hotel
and the Fairmont-Miramar Hotel — along with
three hotels that have since been demolished —
served as redistribution centers for American troops from November
of 1943 to October of 1945, according to a historical consultant’s
report to the Landmarks Commission last week.
“When the depression came those buildings,
with their swimming pools, ballrooms, gymnasiums and other ‘waste
space,’ were not suited for industry,” an L.A. Times
article from that era said. “But when the Army Air Forces
wished a Western Redistribution Center those white elephants
suddenly became valuable. Nothing suitable could be found in
the Seattle, Portland, San Francisco or San Diego areas. Three
beach club buildings and three hotels stood almost in a row in
Santa Monica where climate and location were perfect.”
Santa Monica’s hotels were labeled
Army Air Force Redistribution Station Number 3. Atlantic City,
Miami, and Santa Ana were the only other redistribution hubs
in the United States, the report said.
“Under the command of Colonel William
C. Lewis, the goal of the AFF Redistribution Station Number 3
was to rotate men out of combat to save the lives of entire crews,”
the report, prepared by Margarita Jerabek, said. “The men
were recommended by the flight surgeon to return back to the
States for rest.”
In total, the Santa Monica centers processed
and reassigned more than 35,000 AAF veterans during the war,
the report said.
The Miramar was specifically set-aside
for married soldiers and showcased classical and popular music
on Sunday afternoons.
The Santa Monica-Ocean Park chapter of
the American Red Cross organized social events and distributed
information.
“A hobby room was equipped on the
fourth floor of the Edgewater beach hotel,” the consultant
said. “One of the most popular hobbies taught was leathercraft,
however, other instruction was given in water color, floral design,
charcoal and pencil drawings, stencil and textile painting and
plastics.”
The Women’s Army Air Corps were trained
for five weeks out of Iowa before shipping to one of the four
redistribution stations, where they staffed the hotels and beach
clubs, doing everything from radiology to stenography.
Old L.A. Times articles described young
soldiers who liked lounging in the pools or playing games, but
longed to return to the front lines.
In 1945, at the war’s end, Santa
Monica’s redistribution centers were changed to processing
centers for returning prisoners of war. Santa Ana became the
redistribution hub for the western states. By the end of October
in 1945, all six Santa Monica hotels and clubs had returned to
regular use.
The Landmarks Commission received the
report at its last meeting. At a future date, the commission
may choose to add the info the hotels’ landmark.
Units Assigned
to the Santa Monica Army Air Forces Redistribution Center No.
3
Per the 7 May 1945 edition of the Army
of the United States Station List, the following units were permanently
assigned to this activity:
1030th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Redistribution
Station No. 3).
774th Army Air Forces Band.
Detachment, 68th Army Air Forces Base
Unit (1st Weather Region).
