AdamsMorioka

The Annenberg Community Beach House at Santa Monica State Beach is a public facility with club-like amenities located on five acres of oceanfront property. It sits on a site which was once the opulent private estate that newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst purchased for his movie star paramour Marion Davies. Later, the property became the Sand & Sea Club, a limited-membership beach club. Although only the guest cottage and pool remain from the original structures, an extensive ten-year restoration resulted in new beach recreation areas, tennis and volleyball courts, snack bar, meeting and event rooms. AdamsMorioka created the identity, the wayfinding, ADA, and informational signage system for the Beach House.

AdamsMorioka worked with The City of Santa Monica, the Annenberg Foundation, who provided an endowment for the facility, and Frederick Fisher Partners, Architects on the project. Taking cues from both the original Hearst architect, Julia Morgan, and Fisher’s work, AdamsMorioka developed a vibrant color palette and kinetic system of interchangeable beach-inspired icons that anchor the identity. The design revolves around the idea of stripes, which echo the verticality of the new freestanding pool house column structures as well as the many palm trees that surround the property.