About The Mountain Mermaid - Our retreat home for many years

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Nestled in the enchanted hills of Topanga, with strutting peacocks, fluttering beautiful butterflies, and adorned by incredible sculptures designed by its current owner, our beloved Bill... The property was originally built in 1930 as the Sylvia Park Country Club in the mountains above Los Angeles.

It was converted into a boy’s school for a time, and during World War II became a gambling house and brothel operated by mobster Mickey Cohen. It was reborn as an American Legion Hall, movie theatre, and later in the 50s as a gay nightclub called The Canyon Club.

In the 70s it reemerged as the legendary Mermaid Tavern featuring world-class music, and more. By the late 1980s it was a ruin, structurally unsound, and destined for demolition.

In 1989, a local artist bought the property and initiated a restoration that continues to this day.

Photographers from all over the world come to shoot at the Mermaid. It is a local watering hole for town meetings and memorials. The Mountain Mermaid is a declared California historical, architectural, and cultural landmark.

And now it serves as the perfect location for weddings, special events, and gratefully our magical retreat home.