Arcadia Bandini de Baker
Wife of City Founder
Arcadia Bandini de Baker was the daughter of Juan Bandini, one of the wealthiest landowners in California. Arcadia purchased her husband’s holdings on February 4, 1879 for business and personal reasons. She became a business partner of Senator John P. Jones. Together they donated land for schools, churches and parks, including the Palisades Park, then called Linda Vista Park. After her husband’s death, she lived in a modest cottage on Ocean Avenue. Arcadia died in September, 1912.
A statue of her can be found in the rose garden at Palisades Park, Santa Monica.
Photo: Santa Monica History Museum Collection (36.2.4) – view archives
