offering a place for black people in southern california do to enjoy the scenic vistas with friends and family. the bruce s establishment from day one was very successful. they started with just a pop-up tent, where people could change their clothes and they were selling refreshments. then they later built a two-story building that included a cafe area to dance. by 1922, some white folks were up in arms that the black folks had become, had such a successful operation here. reporter: then in 1924, the city of manhattan beach snatched it under eminent domain to make a park. eventually they took control of the land currently home to a park and lifeguard training facility. the county has a two-year agreement to lease it for $413 a year. now surrounded by million dollar homes, this is the property that is getting returned to the bruce
friends and family. the bruce s establishment from day one was very successful. they started with just a pop up tent where people could change their clothes, and they were selling refreshments. then they later built a two story building that included a cafe, area to dance. by 1922 some white folks were up in arms that the black folks had become had such a successful operation here. reporter: then in 1924 the city of manhattan beach snatched the property under imminent domain to create a park. eventually the county took control of the estimated 7,000 square feet of land, which is currently home to a park and lifeguard training facility. the county says it has a two-year agreement to lease the land from the bruce family for $413,000 a year. now surrounded by million dollar homes this is the property that is getting returned to the bruce family now estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars as
selling refreshments. then they later built a two story building that included a cafe, area to dance. by 1922 some white folks were up in arms that the black folks had become had such a successful operation here. reporter: then in 1924 the city of manhattan beach snatched the property under imminent domain to create a park. eventually the county took control of the estimated 7,000 square feet of land, which is currently home to a park and lifeguard training facility. the county says it has a two-year agreement to lease the land from the bruce family for $413,000 a year. now surrounded by million dollar homes this is the property that is getting returned to the bruce family now estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars as it truly is oceanfront property. initially it cost the bruce family their entire fortune, they originally asked for $125,000 for the two pieces of property and they didn t get that. they only got $14,250, the loss
people to come down and enjoy the beach. black people couldn t go to the beach everywhere. they could go here, though, because this is where they owned it. they owned this property, and it was a thriving business known as bruce s beach, and then some of the white neighbors didn t like that, and by 1924 manhattan batch used eminent domain to snatch the property from them. this became a big fight and ended up yesterday with the los angeles county board of supervisors voting unanimously to return the property to the great, great grandsons of the bruces so that they can take back this land. now, for now it is being leased by the los angeles county because there s a lifeguard training facility there, a park, and so they ll lease it for about $413,000 a year, but obviously the lingering effects, take a listen to what one of the family s spokesmen had to say about this legacy. you know, it s very important for people to understand as well more so the money that was lost. we lost our family
would have been accumulated over the course of 98 years now. and just the idea of all of the terror that is still in our hearts regarding these criminal acts that were perpetrated against innocent people of our family. you know, it s very important for people to understand as well, more so than the money that was lost, it s our hearts that were lost. we lost our family to this. charles and willa bruce died essentially five years later, five to seven years later, after all of this happened. now, the los angeles county board of supervisors voted unanimously yesterday to return the property to the bruce family. the great, great grandchildren of charles and willa bruce. and for the immediate future, the county will lease back the property because there s a lifeguard training facility there on the property for now, they ll lease it back for $413,000 a year. but this is the first time that you have seen something like this where the property is going