Bay Street Beach Historic District Explained

Bay Street Beach Historic District
Location:	Roughly bounded by Pacific Ocean, Ocean Front Walk from Vicente Ter. to Crescent Bay Park, Bicknell Ave. extending into ocean
Coordinates:	34.0064°N -118.4919°W
Area:	53 acre
Added:	June 26, 2019
Refnum:	100004116

Bay Street Beach Historic District (also known as the Inkwell) is a historic beach in Los Angeles County.^[1]

History

The beach was a place of recreation and leisure for African Americans during the Jim Crow era. The beach was located at Pico Boulevard and two city blocks south of Bicknell Street,^[2] near Phillips Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church .^{[3] [4]} In 1922, the Santa Monica Bay Protective League was organized to attempt to fence the beach to exclude African Americans.^[5] In 1927, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People challenged restrictive covenants at Manhattan Beach, south of Santa Monica, which were overturned by the Supreme Court of California .

Alison Rose Jefferson and Michael Blum documented the history of the district. In 2008, Santa Monica officially recognized the district.^[6]

See also

• African American resorts
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Los Angeles County, California

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2020-12-23. How Racism Ruined Black Santa Monica. 2021-06-13. LAist. en.
2. Web site: Ocean Park Neighborhood Beach: The Significance of the "Inkwell" in Jim Crow-Era Southern California The Cultural Landscape Foundation. 2021-06-13. tclf.org.
3. Web site: Bay Street Beach Historic District Santa Monica Conservancy. 2021-06-13. www.smconservancy.org.
4. Web site: Jefferson. Alison Rose. 2012-10-25. The Inkwell, Santa Monica, California (1905-1964) •. 2021-06-13. en-US.
5. Web site: The Stained History of Inkwell Beach in Santa Monica. 2021-06-13. Chasing A. Sun. en-US.
6. Web site: Dixson. Brennon. 2020-10-16. Local surfers unite to keep Inkwell Beach name. 2021-06-13. Santa Monica Daily Press. en-US.