Bruce's Beach is a small park on the north end of Manhattan Beach with a significant and painful history. In the early 1900s, Charles and Willa Bruce opened a beach resort here specifically to provide Black Angelenos with access to the coast at a time when most California beaches were effectively segregated. Their resort became a thriving gathering place for the Black community of Los Angeles.
In 1924, the City of Manhattan Beach condemned the property through eminent domain under the pretext of park development, forced the Bruces out, and the land sat unused for years — a clear act of racial exclusion that destroyed a successful Black-owned business. The park today has historical markers telling the full story, and a bronze plaque honoring the Bruce family's legacy. It is a quiet, reflective spot that gives necessary context to the well-heeled beach town around it.