Terranea History

In 1827, Don Dolores Sepulveda received an original land grant to Rancho de los Palos Verdes which supported several thousand heads of cattle and a flourishing hacienda. Then in 1913, the founding father of the Peninsula, Frank Vanderlip, bought the 16,000-acre Palos Verdes Peninsula from J. Bixby. Vanderlip had a grand vision to develop the "Palos Verdes Project" into the most fashionable and exclusive residential colony in the nation. Vanderlip then allied himself with real estate promoter E. G. Lewis to begin development on the peninsula.

The first homes appeared in the region in 1924, two years before the historic Point Vicente Lighthouse was built. Then, nearly 30 years later, Marineland of the Pacific opened in Palos Verdes in 1954. Marineland was the world's largest oceanarium consisting of sea life, entertainment, and research facilities. Opening one year before Disneyland, many considered Marineland California's first major theme park, and it remained a major attraction to the area until it closed in 1987.