Redondo Beach Historical Museum

The City of Redondo Beach converted these historically significant properties into a local history museum. The museum is located on Flagler Lane at Dominguez Park and is operated by volunteers of the city's Historical Commission. The property contains two historic homes, a Victorian-style rose garden, an arbor, and a fountain. One of the houses, a 1904 Queen Anne style home (the "Queen Anne House"), contains museum displays. The "Morrell House" was rehabilitated with a new foundation and roof and is available for rental as an event facility. There is a Museum Gift Shop on site. As of July 2023, the museum is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays; a weblink is included below that offers information about thier self-guided tour.

In 1887, Redondo Beach became a town, but there was not much here except for a pier and a railway. "Redondo" means "round" in Spanish. Ships brought goods to the pier which were then shipped by rail along the narrow-gauge line to Los Angeles. The port was later eclipsed by the sheltered harbor of San Pedro which became the "Port of Los Angeles." A large hotel was constructed at Redondo Beach by 1892 and it became an incorporated resort town with a few cottage residences.

After Henry Huntington bought the rail line in 1906, many new cottages were built in the following decade. Many were built of redwood in Craftsman or Colonial Revival style in one or two stories on concrete or brick foundations, covered by wood shingle roofing. Most have not survived, but an area five blocks east of the shore was designated a National Register Historic District in 1988. The district contained some of the homes in the 300, 310, and 320 blocks of North Gertruda Avenue, constructed from 1906 to the early 1920s, adjacent to the rail lines.

The Los Angeles and Redondo Railway brought throngs of visitors and permanent residents to Redondo Beach. The town featured a dance pavilion, an indoor saltwater plunge, and an amusements area. By 1925, most of the original townsite, about three miles square, was built up. Much of the original downtown has since been redeveloped with condominiums, apartments, and more hotels. The historic rail lines were removed but the pier remained.

The City of Redondo Beach has established a local history museum on Flagler Lane at Dominguez Park. The Heritage Court property contains two historic homes, a Victorian style rose garden, an arbor, and a fountain. One of the houses, a 1904 Queen Anne style home (the "Queen Anne House"), contains museum displays in four rooms. The house was built on Garnet for J.E. Early and later was moved to S. Broadway. In 1989, the city acquired the Queen Anne house to save it from demolition and moved it to the park; a small rear room was added for more display space.

The home was occupied by the Morrell family from about 1906 to the 1950s. The house was moved to Heritage Court in 1989 to save it from being demolished. The "Morrell House" was rehabilitated by many volunteers over more than a decade and has become a multi-purpose facility with a new foundation and new roof, available for rental. There is a Museum Gift Shop on site. The museum is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays; a link to their self-guided tour brochure of the four rooms of exhibits is linked below.

City of Redondo Beach. Heritage Court/ Redondo Beach Historical Museum, Redondo Beach: Cultural Arts. January 1st, 2023. Accessed July 6th, 2023. https://www.redondo.org/depts/recreation/cultural_arts/rb_historical_museum/default.asp.

City of Redondo Beach. Morrell House, Redondo Beach Historical Museum. Accessed July 6th, 2023. https://www.redondo.org/depts/recreation/cultural_arts/rb_historical_museum/morrell_house.asp.

Dyan, Sandra. NRHP nomination of Redondo Beach Original Townsite Historic District. National Register. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 1987.