Courtesy of the USC Libraries – California Historical Society Collection. Site of Arch Rock after its demolition and subsequent highway grading. The railroad was never completed, but some of the grading work was later incorporated into the coast highway. Initial reports blamed a rainstorm, but rumors later circulated that work crews constructing a railroad to Ventura had blasted the rock, performing their nefarious deed under the cover of darkness because of public affection for the landmark. ![]() Exactly what happened is unclear, but the next morning the bridge that once spanned the arch's two columns was found crumbled on the ground. The end came unceremoniously for Arch Rock on the night of March 24, 1906. For many nineteenth-century tourists, it was the defining image of the Southern California coast. With improved access, picturesque Arch Rock became a popular destination among excursion parties and day-trippers. By the early 1890s, a primitive wagon road between Santa Monica and Malibu passed directly through the stony structure. Standing at the present-day site of the Chart House restaurant, the natural arch likely formed hundreds or thousands of years ago when waves carved two adjacent sea caves into an open passageway. Arch RockĪrch Rock was the first to fall. Admired for their rugged beauty, they became cherished landmarks, the subjects of countless photographs and postcards. But two distinctively shaped rocks, once also defining sights along the coastal road, have been missing from the Pacific Palisades shoreline for decades, victims of the scenic highway's development.įor as long as Southern Californians could remember, Castle Rock and Arch Rock stood sentinel along the shore between Topanga Canyon and Santa Monica. ![]() Pacific Coast Highway treats motorists to many iconic Southern California views and experiences.
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