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 The picture of the beautiful house to the right is the historic landmark called the Sweetser Residence, some times referred to as the Sweetser House.
This property was purchased in 2003 by Scott and Mandi Leonard, the founders of Leonard Wealth Management. The “home” still had much of the wiring and plumbing from its 1921 construction. The 18,000 square foot property - the largest privately owned residential lot in the city – was in a state of disrepair.
Upon purchase, the Leonard’s embarked on an 18 month, $350,000 renovation of the property, the main house, and two out buildings. Inside, it is decorated in the spirit of a turn of the century colonial home, combining antiques with the modern necessities needed to run a 21st century wealth management firm.
The Sweetser Residence is now the world wide head quarters of Leonard Wealth Management. It also finds itself the host of various entertainment functions. Situated on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Beryl Street, less than a mile from the ocean in beautiful Southern California, it is a warm and welcoming oasis for staff and clients alike.
The Chase Sweetser Family
The Sweetser family was among the early twentieth-century residents to whom Redondo was both permanent home and place of business. Chase August Sweetser was born in 1873, in Wabash, Indiana, and married Lillian Faust on August 21, 1919, in Lamar Arkansas. Soon after their marriage, the couple moved to California and lived for a brief period in Los Angeles. It was in Los Angeles that he met local architect E. W. Stillwell; retaining him later to build the Beryl Street residence. Moving his family to the beach city in 1911, Mr. Sweetser started a business called the Camino Real Grocery along Camino Real (now Pacific Coast Highway) in Redondo Beach. From 1911 to 1921, the Sweetsers lived at 413 Camino Real while operating their business, a barbershop and grocery store, at 401 and 409 Camino Real respectively. Through far-sighted investments, including some of the first stock in Coca-Cola, Chase Sweetser gained enough wealth to build the charming New England Colonial home at 417 Beryl Street. In 1921, the Sweetsers hired Los Angeles based architect E.W. Stillwell, and commenced building their new $5,000 residence. They chose the conservative and then popular formal American Colonial Revival style, reminiscent of their mid-western roots. A native of Arkansas, Mrs. Sweetser was instrumental in supervising the design and construction of this period home. The Sweetser home was placed on the National Historic Register in 1984.
Chase Sweetser was on the Board of Directors for the Coca Cola Bottling Company of Los Angeles. During the 1920's he was a Vice President of the American Mutual Building and Loan Association and also the American Commercial and Savings Bank, both of which originated in Redondo Beach. He was also a director of the Hermosa Glass Factory. Chase Sweetser died in Redondo Beach on December 13, 1947, at the age of 74. In his obituary, he was described as a "quiet man, but had established a reputation of integrity, intelligent judgment and a wonderful citizenship." In 1970, Mrs. Sweetser received a special award from the Beautification Committee of Redondo Beach, thanking her for the beauty and upkeep of her home. Mrs. Sweetser was honored again in 1973, by the Redondo Beach Police Department for her humanitarianism in being depended upon to dispense her philanthropy when needed in the "midnight" situations encountered by the Police departments. Mrs. Lillian Sweetser died in 1981.
Their son Chase Jr. was born on July 6, 1912, in Redondo Beach. Chase Sweetser Jr. attended Redondo Union High School, University of Southern California, and Harvard Business School. During World War II he served as Special Assistant to the War Production Board in Washington D.C. He was later elected to the Board of Directors of the Coca Cola Bottling Company in Los Angeles, as his father before him. He also served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Southern California Bottlers Associations, and had membership with the Advisory Committee of the University of Southern California Employment Bureau, the Harvard Business School Club of Southern California, and the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Chase Jr. grew up in the Sweetser Residence and continued to live in it until his death in 1987.
The "Sweetser Residence"
After the death of Chase Sweetser Jr. in 1987, the Sweetser Residence started to fall into disrepair. By this time, the quite street of Camino Real had changed into the major thoroughfare of the South Bay, Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Due to the location of the home on PCH, it was no longer desirable as a residence. Fortunately, the historical designation prevented the 18,000 square foot site from being purchased by a developer to build a strip mall or condos. A problem existed, who would want to own one of the city's largest residential lots, if they could not develop the lot, nor live there peacefully. The solution was to use the house as a place of business.
In the late 1980’s the City issued a conditional use permit to operate a business out of the Sweetser Residence to businessman James LaPoint, owner of Arca Financial Services. The mortgage company fell on hard times during the housing decline of the early 1990's. The Sweetser House was foreclosed on and once again it sat vacant for many years, until some investors bought the home. They rehabilitated the home, and in late 1990 they sold it to a chiropractor whose firm was called "Inside Out."
The chiropractor ran a successful business in the home for a few years, while he tried to develop a cafe and wellness center. Due to the historical nature of the home, the plans that were eventually approved by the city did not allow for a large enough complex for the wellness center and cafe to thrive. In early 2003, the home was sold to the current owners, Scott and Mandi Leonard.
The Leonard’s embarked on an 18 month, $350,000 renovation of the property, the main house, and two out buildings. They still own the property today, and lease it to Leonard Wealth Management.
As of this writing, the Leonard’s were in the process of trying to install solar panels on the roof of the main house. While certainly not of a historic nature, it is hard to argue with the larger preservation goal of decreasing the environmental footprint of the property.
Click here to view the Sweetser Residence listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
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