On June 25, at 5 p.m., the Santa Monica History Museum will be hosting a guest lecture via Zoom.
This discussion will feature local historian Richard Orton as he leads the lecture “How they Built Westwood!” Following WWI, Arthur Letts, owner of The Broadway Department Store was a man rich with cash and dreams of becoming a developer. Letts had his eye on the last big stretch of land between downtown and the beach. Then like a fairy tale out of some developer storybook, Letts’ daughter Gladys married Harold Janss, prince of the Janss Development Family. Westwood was the kingdom they created.
This lecture is a part of an ongoing series highlighting a variety of topics related to the history of the Santa Monica Bay area. Filled with a diverse array of subject matters, upcoming topics include:
• July 9 – Pacific Ocean Park Pier with Chris Merritt & Domenic Priore
• July 23 – The Santa Monica Pier with Jim Harris
• July 30 – Newspaper Women with Larry Balmagia
• August 6 – African American Leisure Sites with Alison Rose Jefferson, MHC, PhD
These lectures are free but attendees are encouraged to make a donation of their choosing to help support museum operations during the COVID- 19 shutdown. Please visit our website, santamonicahistory.org for additional details, to register for upcoming presentations or to be added to our email list. You can also request a calendar invite to each week’s program by emailing rob@6thstcommunications.com.
Submitted by John Klopping
