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Dana Point Syndicate Records of S.H. Woodruff
MS.R.060
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
Title: Dana Point Syndicate records of S.H. Woodruff
Identifier/Call Number: MS.R.060
Physical Description:
2.4 Linear Feet
(3 boxes and 2 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1911-1937
Date (bulk): 1920-1930
Abstract: The business records collected by real estate developer S.H. Woodruff in his capacity as head of the Dana Point Syndicate,
a group of wealthy Los Angeles investors formed to finance the purchase, subdivision, and development of some 1,400 acres
of coastal property at Dana Point in the late 1920's. The records contain administrative, financial, legal, and real estate
documents on the Dana Point development and provide information regarding contemporary property values on the Orange County,
California coast. Other documents include publicity brochures and broadsides created to promote Dana Point's prime location
on the Pacific coast. The collection also contains visual documentation on the development of the Dana Point area in the form
of cadastral maps, photographs of the Dana Point property (both prior to development and during construction) and completed
Dana Point Syndicate buildings, and architectural sketches of Dana Point Syndicate houses and the proposed Dana Point Inn.
Language of Material:
English
.
Collection is open for research.
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and
their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and University Archives.
Dana Point Syndicate Records of S.H. Woodruff. MS-R 60. Special Collections and Archives, The UCI Libraries, Irvine, California.
Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Donated by Helen Smith circa 1970.
Processed by Su Kim Chung in 1998.
No Subnote Content
In mid-1926, Los Angeles realtor-builder S.H. (Sidney) Woodruff formed a group of investors as a means to finance the purchase, subdivision,
and development of roughly 1,400 acres of coastal property at Dana Point, a town on the Pacific coast in Orange County, California.
As the head of this group, known as the Dana Point Syndicate, Woodruff was instrumental in designing the Dana Point development
and promoting its coastal amenities through a nationwide publicity campaign. The centerpiece of the development was to be
the luxurious cliff-top Dana Point Inn, which was modeled on similar buildings located on the Italian and French Rivieras.
Although successful in its early stages, Woodruff's Dana Point development effort failed in 1930, due primarily to the effects of the 1929 stock market crash upon the finances of the investors. Despite setbacks, Woodruff still hoped that his project would come
to fruition throughout the 1930s. His alternative financing methods failed, however, and in February 1939, Woodruff, as president of the Dana Point Corporation, received permission to sell off the syndicate's interests.
In the end, only thirteen houses were actually constructed by the Dana Point Syndicate, and the hotel itself never went beyond
the foundation stage.
Prior to his work with the Dana Point Syndicate, Woodruff was best known for his collaboration on the exclusive subdivision
known as "Hollywoodland," which gained fame as a result of the large metal sign erected in the Hollywood Hills to publicize
its location.
Little is known about Woodruff's life beyond his work in community real estate development. He was the son of a wealthy Michigan
family, and by his own admission, had no thought of working until age nineteen, when his father lost the family fortune and
went heavily into debt. He was trained as an architect in Buffalo and erected his first building in York, Maine. At some point,
Woodruff moved to the West Coast and was involved in rebuilding portions of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake, prior to his work in Southern California.
| 1926 | Dana Point Syndicate formed with S.H. Woodruff as head. Syndicate purchased 1,400 acres of Dana Point property. |
| 1927 | Dana Point development property placed on the market. |
| 1928 | Dana Point residences built for private owners. |
| 1930 | Groundbreaking for Dana Point Inn. |
| 1930 | Stock market crash of 1929 caused Dana Point Syndicate investors to lose funding. |
| 1939 | S.H. Woodruff given legal permission to sell off the Syndicate's interests |
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The business records collected by real estate developer S.H. Woodruff in his capacity as head of the Dana Point Syndicate,
a group of wealthy Los Angeles investors formed to finance the purchase, subdivision, and development of some 1,400 acres
of coastal property at Dana Point in the late 1920's. The records contain administrative, financial, legal, and real estate documents on the Dana Point development and provide
information regarding contemporary property values on the Orange County, California coast. Other documents include publicity
brochures and broadsides created to promote Dana Point's prime location on the Pacific coast. The collection also contains
visual documentation on the development of the Dana Point area in the form of cadastral maps, photographs of the Dana Point
property (both prior to development and during construction) and completed Dana Point Syndicate buildings, and architectural
sketches of Dana Point Syndicate houses and the proposed Dana Point Inn.
The collection is organized into four series: Business records, 1911-1937 and undated; Photographs, 1927 and undated; Promotional
and publicity materials, 1927-ca. 1929 and undated; and Maps, 1924-1930 and undated. The documents related to administrative,
financial, legal, construction and real estate activities comprise the first series; photographs of the Dana Point property
prior to and during development comprise the second series; publicity materials on the Dana Point Development comprise the
third series; and the development's real estate property maps comprise the fourth series. Materials were arranged alphabetically
within each series by document type. Dates of documents are indicated when known.
The collection contains very little correspondence, there are no progress reports on the development during its construction
nor any materials related to its eventual failure in the early 1930's. The map collection is limited to cadastral maps and does not include general or topographical maps of Dana Point.
The UCLA Department of Special Collections holds two related collections: "Collection of Material Related to Hollywoodland,
California and Dana Point, California, 1929" (Collection 1527) and a photograph album entitled "Woodruff/Hollywoodland, and
Dana Point" (Collection 94, Box 8). The Dana Point Historical Society holds the "Woodruff Collection," which contains over
300 documents and photographs.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Dana Point (Calif.) -- Archives.
Real estate developers.
Aerial photographs -- California -- Dana Point.
Seaside resorts -- California -- History -- Sources
Real estate investment -- California -- History -- Sources
Photographic prints -- California -- Dana Point.
Maps -- California -- Dana Point.