The Santa Monica Conservancy will host its annual fundraising salon at the historic Bundy House today, Oct. 12, from 3 pm to 5 pm.
Constructed in 1913 for developer Thomas Clark Bundy and his wife, tennis champion May Sutton Bundy, the home was designed by eminent Los Angeles architects Hunt & Burns.
This house was one of the first constructed in its neighborhood and remains highly intact today, retaining its original blend of Colonial Revival and Craftsman features.
The house is notable not only for its fine architecture but also for the colorful stories of its owners.
May Sutton Bundy was a pioneering tennis player and sports celebrity whose career involved the making of numerous records.
Winning her first tournament at age 12 in 1900, she was the first American to win at Wimbledon in 1905, and the first athlete to be selected as Queen of the Tournament of Roses.
Neither marriage nor motherhood slowed her athletic career, and she continued to compete and take titles over several decades, winning her last match in 1975 at age 88, a few months before her death.
May’s husband Thomas Clark Bundy, also a tennis champion, was best known as a real estate entrepreneur, developing 2,000 acres in Sherman Oaks, as well as a large area at Wilshire and La Brea.
He founded the Los Angeles Tennis Club near Melrose and Vine in 1920.
Today, current owners Meredith Stiehm and Tom Smuts, both successful TV screenwriters, are raising their family in a house that combines heritage and contemporary amenities. They eagerly sought landmark status for their property and the Bundy House was designated as Santa Monica’s 108th Landmark earlier this year.
The afternoon reception will feature music, wine and elegant hors d’oeuvres.
Tickets are $195 for Santa Monica Conservancy members and $225 for the general public.
Proceeds support the educational programs of the Conservancy, a nonprofit which promotes understanding of the cultural, economic and environmental benefits of historic preservation.
These programs include weekly historic walking tours of downtown Santa Monica, docent-guided tours at the Annenberg Community Beach House, and other events throughout the year.
The Conservancy is currently rehabilitating Santa Monica’s last intact shotgun house, which was relocated to 2nd Street across Norman Place from the Ocean Park Branch Library earlier this year and will be opened to the public as a Preservation Resource Center in 2015.
For tickets or more information, visit www.smconservancy.org or call 310.396.3146.
