The Annenberg Community Beach House occupies the oceanfront site of the former Marion Davies Estate — the beach house William Randolph Hearst built for the actress in the 1920s at what was then the extravagant cost of $7 million. The original guesthouse, a six-storey colonnaded structure, survived and is the only remaining building from the estate. It now functions as a public facility with a swimming pool, beach access, and event spaces.
The pool is available to the public daily in summer for a modest fee ($10–15), and it is one of the better public swimming pools in the LA area, with views toward the ocean. The beach section is free. The architecture of the surviving guesthouse is worth a look even if you are not swimming — it is an intact piece of 1920s Hollywood excess, now improbably running as a city recreation facility.