The Mountain Mermaid

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. The rest is history.