A gift of civic leader J. Euclid Miles in memory of his daughter Mary, this playhouse is dedicated to the young men and women of Santa Monica.

It was designed by noted architect John Byers, whose thirty-year career included homes for many celebrities.

With its white stucco, red-tiled roof, and wrought iron details, the building exemplifies the Spanish Colonial Revival style popular in the 1920s and mastered by Byers.

The building suffered heavy damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake and has since been restored to its original appearance.

The park surrounding the playhouse was originally intended as a plaza for guests of adjacent hotels; the hotels instead rose closer to the beach. The park was the site of the first polo game in California (1880s) and the first golf game in Southern California (1897).

Today, the playhouse still serves as a entertainment venue for the local community.