A photograph of a seaside dwelling called Flotsam Castle, Malaga Cove Beach, Palos Verdes, ca. 1920s.
Entry/Object ID
2021.3.6.490
Description
A photograph of a seaside dwelling called Flotsam Castle, Malaga Cove Beach, Palos Verdes, ca. 1920s. In view is the seaside structure taken from an angle looking toward the left. The dwelling is nestled against a bluff. The structure is composed of a two-story section attached to a single story area and appears to have a basement. A man named Louis Dart built the structure from driftwood and other salvaged materials he found on the beach. Dart's makeshift home became a tourist attraction where he sold pies and other treats to visitors. Dart was an attorney in Nebraska but moved to California to recover from various illnesses. He abandoned the structure sometime before it was burned down in 1930. Dart died just two years later in Riverside. The photo has moderate fading, warping, stains on the reverse, and a photographer's stamp of "BRYL-YON-TAY/34/PRINT." It is in fair condition.