Pasadena History: Riviera Beach Draws Summer Crowd

Here is your weekly dose of some Pasadena history thanks to The Pasadena Peninsula by Isabel Shipley Cunningham:

Have you ever considered vacationing in Riviera Beach? In the 1920s you may have. A development company promised a luxurious lifestyle away from the city at Riviera Beach during the summer months.

“Though sale of lots at Riviera Beach had begun before the war, sales accelerated when T.W. and Charles Pumphrey formed the Riviera Beach Development Community in 1924,” Cunningham wrote.

“The advertisements encouraged buying a home that would offer the entire family an opportunity to enjoy life while making payments that were lower than rent. Options included THE CHESAPEAKE, ‘for the man who is tired of the congested City and wants to get more out of life,’ THE RIVIERA, ‘with a bright kitchen that will please any mother,’ and the modest SUITS US, the cost $1,250.00, payable at $25 each month.

“Three miles of sandy beach, excellent harbors, and a fully equipped playground were additional lures. A few years later advertisements mentioned tennis and basketball courts, a baseball diamond, and an ‘environment of refinement.’ Until the thirties the community remained almost entirely a summer resort.”

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