Building History

The newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) commissioned the construction of the Topanga Ranch Motel. A news release from the California State Parks department on 01/08/2025 stated: "Built in 1929 by William Randolph Hearst, the bungalow-style Topanga Ranch Motel had 30 rooms that once housed Pacific Coast Highway construction workers. The motel, located across from Topanga Beach, provided an inexpensive seaside holiday vacation retreat for families and writers and was a popular film and television location. State Parks acquired the motel in 2001 and in recent years, plans had been in the works to restore about 20 of the cabins for public use." (See California State Parks.gov, "Palisades Fire Destroys Historic Homes and Buildings at Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park," published 01/08/2025, accessed 01/10/2025.)

Demolition

The Topanga Ranch Motel, like many structures in the Topanga State Park and the Will Rogers State Park were destroyed in the Pacific Palisades Fire of 01/2025.

PCAD id: 25593