About Redondo Beach's North Redondo

The following is an excerpt from an article in todays Daily Breeze regarding the City of Redondo Beach terminating their agreement with the Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities to utilize the City owned Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center due to unpaid rent. To read the entire article, go to http://www.dailybreeze.com/lifeandculture/ci_18783708

"The city of Redondo Beach has severed ties with a popular theater production group, displacing ticket holders, professional actors and production crew members until an agreement can be worked out with a new facility.

City officials confirmed Monday that the Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities, which is behind more than $200,000 in lease payments to the city of Redondo Beach, has been banished from its longtime home, the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

The city owns the 1,450-seat theater on Manhattan Beach Boulevard and charges $55,000 per performance there. Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin lamented the potential loss of the cultural institution in the city, but said the current economic climate makes it necessary to find other tenants for the hulking performing arts center, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year. "

The Civic Light Opera plans to stage their next production at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse, but is still negotiating as to where their next home will be.

I have attended several of the Civic light opera productions and found them to be very enjoyable and professionally staged, and I will miss their presentations.

The following is one of a series of articles on South Bay History that I have had published in the South Bay Digs magazine:

Rancho Sausal Redondo, Rancho Ajuaje de la Centinela and Rancho Centinela

In its earliest days, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, and Hermosa Beach were part of the ten-mile ocean frontage of Rancho Sausal Redondo, which means "Round Clump of Willows." In 1822, a year after Mexico had gained its independence from Spain, Antonio Ygnacio Avila was granted a permit to utilize grazing land totaling approx. 25,000 acres on what was to become Rancho Sausal Redondo, and on May 20,1837 received a land grant from Governor Juan Alverado for Rancho Sausal Redondo consisting of approx. 22,459 acres, which included the present-day cities of El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Manhattan Beach, and Playa del Rey. On June 19, 1856, the U. S. District Court issued a decree of confirmation of title to Antonio Ygnacio Avila for Rancho Sausal Redondo.

Map showing South Bay Ranchos and the old Stage
Coach route between San Pedro and Pueblo Los Angeles

Where the city of Inglewood is today there was another, smaller, Mexican rancho called the Rancho Ajuaje de la Centinela, which means the "Sentinel of Waters." This rancho was once part of the Rancho Sausal Redondo, and Ygnacio Machado had encroached on the land claimed by Antonio Avila, and was awarded provisional title to this land totaling approx. 2,200 acres at the same time that Antonio Avila received his land grant for the balance of the Rancho Sausal Redondo in 1837. In 1845, Machado traded the rancho to Bruno Avila, brother of Antonio Ygnacio Avila, for a small tract in the pueblo of Los Angeles. Bruno Avila, unfortunately, mortgaged his property at an interest rate of 6% per month, which was the standard interest rate at the time for personal loans, and unable to repay his debts, lost his property through foreclosure in 1857. Subsequent to this, the Rancho Ajuaje de la Centinela changed hands a number of times, eventually being acquired in 1860 for $3,000 by Sir Robert Burnett, a Scottish lord.

The Rancho Sausal Redondo property consisting of approximately 22,459 acres was purchased by Sir Robert Burnett on May 5, 1868, when it was sold to him through probate court for $30,000 to pay debts accrued by the Avila estate (Antonio Ygnacio Avila had died in 1858). Burnett combined the two ranchos under the name of Rancho La Centinela.

In 1873, Burnett leased the land to Catherine Freeman with an option to buy, and Burnett returned to his native Scotland. When Catherine Freeman died in 1874, Daniel Freeman, her husband, used the land for sheep, horses and orchards with fruit, almonds and olives. When a severe drought occurred in 1875 and 1876, he incurred heavy losses. In 1882, Freeman used his option to buy 3,912 acres for the sum of $22,243. On May 4,1885, Freeman purchased the remainder of Rancho La Centinela for $140,000. Daniel Freeman was the last person to own all of Rancho La Centinela. Daniel Freeman eventually sold his land to several real estate developers.

Many of my buyers clients looking to be as close to the beach as possible almost always realize that compromise is a requirement at some stage of their search. Many of my buyers decide that the price is right in North Redondo Beach with a variety of housing choices, good schools, and proximity to the coast which is why we all want to live here. What many aren't as fond of in North Redondo is the "feel" of the neighborhoods with single family homes next to newer 3 on a lot townhomes, next to original duplexes, next to apartment buildings. Due to the lot sizes and zoning some of the streets and areas don't necessarily have the residential neighborhood feel. One exception is the pocket known as the TRW Tractwhich was named after the TRW complex just up the street which has since become Northrup Grumman.

• View Current TRW Tract homes for sale
• View 2011 Home Sales in TRW

Homes in the TRW tract were generally built in the 1940s after the war and generally ranged from 900 - 1400 square feet. What makes the area unique is that the lots are fairly large for the South Bay and Redondo Beach generally around 6500 square feet but due to stricter zoning they have primarily remained smaller single family home. This has created and allowed a very nice neighborhood feel with tree lined streets, limited "McMansions", and no real townhome or apartment buildings.
Example of Large TRW Backyard	Many of the homes in the TRW tract have very large yards with most lots having 6500 square feet or more. While duplex properties are very unusual many homes have permitted guest homes or rooms attached to garages towards the rear of the property. Many of the homes in the area are still in original condition but with the boom in real estate a few years back many homes were upgraded and expanded. The neighborhood is served by two nearby elementary schools which are Lincoln and Madison.
Homes generally range between the mid to high $500,000s for smaller 2 bedroom fixers to the high $900,000 for large "mansionized" homes on better streets. The area is a great option for home buyers looking for a real neighborhood feel with nearby parks and schools and quiet streets. Even the streets in the TRW tract are different than the surrounding neighborhoods in North Redondo For more information on North Redondo Beach and the TRW tract please contact me.

Keith Kyle is a licensed Realtor, short sale specialist and Top Producing agent with South Bay Brokers in Manhattan Beach. He serves his clients throughout the South Bay and his websites KeithKyleHomes.com, ManhattanBeachLuxuryRealEstate.com and FindYourSouthBayHome.com offer the most comprehensive real estate destinations in the South Bay with free MLS access, current home listings, open houses, recent home sales information and more. Keith can be reached at 310-251-2344 or by email at info@KeithKyleHomes.com. For more information on the South Bay, visit my Beach Cities Real Estate blog.

Inventory of bank owned homes has been reduced recently as the market has picked up and buyers are actively searching for "deals" and bank owned homes have generally been priced very competitively. Currently in North Redondo there are 3 bank owned homes on the market ranging from $583,000 for a 2 bedroom single family home in fairly original condition to $809,000 for a newer 5 bedroom townhome at 2110 Curtis. For information on any of these homes feel free to contact us or to see an updated list of bank owned homes and short sales in Redondo Beach visit our foreclosure page.

South Redondo bank owned inventory has also decreased a bit as well with only 4 properties on the market but many in a short sale or pre foreclosure status. The 4 current homes are all condos and townhomes ranging from $209,000 for a partial ocean view studio in The Village to $539,000 for a 2 bedroom home 110 Juanita.

Keith Kyle is a licensed Realtor, short sale specialist and Top Producing agent with South Bay Brokers in Manhattan Beach. He serves his clients throughout the South Bay and his websites KeithKyleHomes.com, ManhattanBeachLuxuryRealEstate.com and FindYourSouthBayHome.com offer the most comprehensive real estate destinations in the South Bay with free MLS access, current home listings, open houses, recent home sales information and more. Keith can be reached at 310-251-2344 or by email at info@KeithKyleHomes.com. For more information on the South Bay, visit my Beach Cities Real Estate blog.

Report Highlight: Despite this week's down tic, price trends in this zip code have generally been moving up lately. We are below the market's high point, and we'll investigate the Market Action Index later on to see if we expect this week's blip to become a downward trend.

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