Collection of documents regarding the work of Edward Gardner Lewis, who optioned to purchase 16,000 acres of land on the Palos Verdes peninsula from Frank Vanderlip, Sr. and drew plans for the first Palos Verdes Project.

Edward Gardner Lewis was born in Connecticut on March 4, 1869 to a family of Episcopal clergymen, educated in private schools and attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He was a magazine and newspaper publisher in addition to being a land developer. He conceived a bank-by-mail institution called the Peoples United Mail Bank and organized the American Woman’s League (later known as the Woman’s Republic), “a national school in administration, politics, and government for women in preparation for suffrage.” He purchased a magazine based in St. Louis called “Winner,” which he renamed “Woman’s Magazine” and built its circulation to more than a million and a half. His tent city of 85 acres at the 1904 World’s Fair in Missouri housed 800,000 people. The area was incorporated as University City, of which Lewis designed, built, and was mayor for three terms. His business interests included ventures into oil drilling and mining.

1 Cubic Feet Includes 2 legal size boxes and 11 oversize folders.

Property rights to the physical object belong to the Palos Verdes Library District. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The Palos Verdes Library District does not hold the copyright.

Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the Local History Center for access information.