Echoes of the Triangle: The Rise and Erasure of Santa Monica’s Belmar Neighborhood


Echoes of the Triangle: The Rise and Erasure of Santa Monica’s Belmar Neighborhood



​Long before Santa Monica was known for its luxury boutiques and world-famous pier, a vibrant, three-block stretch known as the Belmar Triangle served as the heartbeat of African American life in Southern California. Today, while the physical structures are gone, the legacy of this neighborhood has recently resurfaced as a powerful narrative of resilience, community, and the fight for spatial justice.

​A Sanctuary by the Sea

​At the turn of the 20th century, Santa Monica was one of the few coastal cities in California where African Americans could establish a foothold. Forced into specific areas by racially restrictive covenants, Black pioneers built a thriving enclave bounded by Pico Boulevard, Main Street, and 4th Street.

​This wasn’t just a residential area; it was a self-sustaining ecosystem. The Belmar Triangle hummed with activity:

  • ​Entrepreneurship: Businesses like the La Bonita Bathhouse and Arkansas Traveler Inn provided essential services to Black travelers who were often turned away from white-owned establishments.
  • ​Faith and Culture: Churches like Phillips Chapel CME served as the spiritual and social anchors for families.
  • ​The Inkwell Connection: The neighborhood sat just blocks away from "The Inkwell" (Bay Street Beach), a stretch of shoreline where Black beachgoers could enjoy the ocean with relative safety during the Jim Crow era.

​The Price of "Progress"

​The decline of the Belmar Triangle was not a natural evolution but a calculated civic maneuver. In the early 1950s, under the banner of "urban renewal," the City of Santa Monica declared the neighborhood "blighted."

​Using the power of eminent domain, the city seized the property. Homes were burned for fire department practice or unceremoniously razed. By the end of the decade, the community had been replaced by the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and a sprawling parking lot. This displacement forced hundreds of residents into the Pico neighborhood, which would later be further fractured by the construction of the I-10 freeway.

​Restoring the Narrative: Historic Belmar Park

​For over sixty years, the history of the Belmar Triangle was buried under asphalt. It wasn't until the 21st century—driven by the advocacy of historians like Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson and local activists—that the city began a formal process of reconciliation.

​In 2021, the city dedicated Historic Belmar Park. This 3.5-acre site serves as both a recreational space and a living museum.

  • ​Art as Remembrance: The park features a striking sculpture by artist April Banks titled "A Resurrection in Four Stanzas," which evokes the silhouette of the "shotgun houses" that once lined the streets.
  • ​The Walking Tour: A series of 16 interpretive panels circle the sports field, offering a chronological history of the people, the businesses, and the eventual erasure of the neighborhood.

​Legacy and Lessons

​The story of the Belmar Triangle is a microcosm of the broader American experience—one of building community against the odds, losing it to systemic policy, and finally reclaiming the narrative. It stands as a reminder that the "spirit of place" cannot be paved over forever.

​

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