Rancho Palos Verdes in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Harden Gatehouse
Portuguese Point
Photographed by Craig Baker, March 24, 2020
1. Harden Gatehouse Marker
Edward Walker Harden married Ruth Isabel Vanderlip in 1903, in Chicago. They built the gatehouse, as it stands today, in 1926. Gordon Kaufmann was the architect, and the Olmsted Brothers designed the landscaping.
This imposing structure is of Tuscan design. The planned villa was not built due to the 1929 stock market disaster.
1.94 acres remain and command one of the most beautiful ocean views on the peninsula.
Erected 1990 by Palos Verdes Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Forts and Castles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.
Location. 33° 44.471′ N, 118° 22.437′ W. Marker is in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, in Los Angeles County. It is at the intersection of Palos Verdes Drive South and Narcissa Drive, on the right when traveling east on Palos Verdes Drive South. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5500 Palos Verdes Drive South, Rancho Palos Verdes CA 90275, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles and in the Transverse Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Villa Francesca (approx. Ό mile away); Portuguese Bend (approx. 0.4 miles away); Santa Catalina Island (approx. 0.4 miles away); Palos Verdes Peninsula Habitat
this page online
Regarding Harden Gatehouse.
Architect Gordon Kaufmann also worked on Hoover Dam, the Los Angeles Times building, and Santa Anita Racetrack.
Landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted also worked on New Yorks Central Park, the National Mall in the nations capital, and helped create the National Park System.
In the classic movie It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, this was the location of the crisscrossed palm trees forming a Big W.
In 2014, new owners announced plans to create Heritage Castle Museum. Years later, plans were still underway.
Also see . . . Harden Gatehouse Photo Essay. (Submitted on April 6, 2020.)
Photographed by Craig Baker, March 24, 2020
2. Harden Gatehouse and Marker
circa 1963
3. The Big W
As seen in the movie It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 6, 2020. This page has been viewed 2,485 times since then and 118 times this year. Last updated on September 7, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 6, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 3. submitted on April 6, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
