By Lookout Staff

June 22, 2010 -- Santa Monica’s Annenberg Community Beach House recently earned the distinction of ‘Best New Venue’ for 2010 at the BizBash L.A. Event Style Awards. BizBash is considered the leader in event industry trade media. Award winners were selected by a panel of event industry professionals.

Believed to be the only public beach club in the United States, the Beach House located at 415 Pacific Coast Highway opened last year in April. The $31 million price tag for the City to build the facility was mostly funded through a donation by the Annenberg Foundation. The project involved what remained of the 1920s estate built by newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst combined with new construction.

The Beach House recently received a Preservation Design Award from the Los Angeles Conservancy. It also earned a Gold LEED rating from the US Green Building Council. But the project was nearly derailed four years ago after receiving approval from the City Council when a local property owners association filed a lawsuit. A settlement was eventually reached after the council agreed to various conditions.

For more information on how to have an event at the Beach House, go to www.annenbergbeachhouse.com/plan-your-event/ or call 310-458-4934.