90272: Virtual Tour

One of the few remaining traces of this bizarre and mysterious chapter of Palisades history is Murphy Ranch, a series of ruins in the heart of Rustic Canyon that was apparently built to serve as a Nazi compound. 

Chicago socialites and sympathizers of the fascist Silver Legion of America, Norman and Winona Stephens allegedly bought the land in 1933 under the pseudonym “Jessie M. Murphy” and, under the influence of Herr Schmidt, began to build “a self-sufficient farm based on National Socialist ideals.” Architectural drawings from 1934 to 1941 reveal a grand design that less resembled a farm than a grand palace. The compound had its own water supply, a 2,000 gallon oil tank, a double-generator power station, an irrigation system for terraces of plants, and a cold storage locker for food. The plans for the unfinished mansion included four stories, an indoor pool, a grand central hall, multiple libraries and social rooms, a large master bedroom and a number of bedroom suites of various sizes, a four-car garage, extensive patios and balconies, and a music room. By the late 1930s only a few of the buildings had been constructed, and very little progress had been made on the mansion. In 1939, the couple hired renowned local architect Paul R. Williams (also featured on our 90011: South Central L.A. tour) to design the mansion, and construction was completed on the front gates. Plans stopped in 1941 when the United States entered the war. 

A newspaper article in the Los Angeles Times entitled “Trouble for Traitors” vaguely hinted at the existence of Schmidt and a Nazi following in Santa Monica, and warned that traitors to the United States would be rounded up by the government. Though no concrete proof of his existence exists, rumors say that Herr Schmidt was arrested at Murphy Ranch the day after Pearl Harbor and his colony was scattered. Today the property is owned by the city of Los Angeles and is open for hikers and sightseers to appreciate the eerie landscape of decay.