M. Penn Phillips, born Marion Phillips, (13 June 1887 – 24 May 1979) was an American entrepreneur and prominent real estate developer, born in

Parsons, Kansas Parsons is a city in Labette County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 9,600. It is the most populous city of Labette County, and the second-most populous city in the southeastern region of Kansas. ...

. He was founder of the M. Penn Phillips Company which, later, as a subsidiary of Holly Development Corporation, operated in the

Western states The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

from the 1920s through the 1970s. His development projects built several new communities, including Hesperia and

Salton City Salton City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Imperial County, California. It is the largest Imperial County development on the Salton Sea coast. It is part of the El Centro, California Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,763 ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and

Christmas Valley Christmas Valley is an unincorporated community in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The community was named after nearby Christmas Lake, usually dry, east of the present town and the site of the former Lake post office, which ran from 1906 un ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. In 1923, Phillips opened the new subdivision of Clear Lake Highlands near

Clear Lake, California Clearlake is a city in Lake County, California. Clearlake is north-northwest of Lower Lake, at an elevation of . As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 16,685, up from 15,250 in 2010. It takes its name from Clear Lake. ...

which, in 1980, became part of newly incorporated Clearlake. In 1955, he was president of Hesperia Land Development and Hesperia Sales Corporation, while conceiving the ''U-Finish Home'', mass-produced housing units that were completely finished on the outside leaving the buyer to complete the interior. In 1959 he served as a member of the committee to form the Mojave Water Agency (MWA), a regional water management agency that secured a contract with the State of California for an allocation of imported water supply from the State Water Project. The MWA serves a 4,900 square mile area in the High Desert of San Bernardino County, including the Hesperia area. In 1956, he was an alternate delegate from Sierra Madre, California to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

. Salton City, Phillips' largest community, was mapped out on the west shore of the

Salton Sea The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline body of water in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of the U.S. state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough that stretches to the Gulf o ...

in 1958. The ambitious resort development was laid out with 25,000 residential lots. Builders paved more than 250 miles of roads, and installed all necessary supporting electrical power, water, and sewage infrastructure. Urban planning by Albert Frey included designs for the entire business district, as well as schools, churches, parks, community services, a championship 18-hole golf course, a $500,000 luxury hotel, yacht club, and the largest marina in California along the lake. The "Salton Riviera" resort began as a major success, with $4.25 million in land sales closed on its opening weekend. Soon thereafter, it was attracting politicians, Hollywood and entertainment celebrities, and sporting events. Salton Sea had already established itself as the second most popular recreation spot in California in the early 1950s, and the resort guaranteed continued success through the 1960s. However, lot purchases were mostly made for investment and few homes were built. The community ended mostly in collapse by the end of the 1970s. Phillips died in

Sierra Madre, California Sierra Madre (Spanish for "mother range") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, whose population was 10,917 at the 2010 U.S. Census, up from 10,580 at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census. The city is in the foothills of the San Gabriel Vall ...

at his Estate where his wife died only a year later. He and his wife were major benefactors to

Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and internat ...

, which named Phillips Hall in his honor in 1966.Claremont Colleges Digital Library, ''Phillips Hall Dedication''
photo of M. Penn Phillips

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, M. Penn 1887 births 1979 deaths People from Parsons, Kansas Real estate and property developers American real estate businesspeople People from Sierra Madre, California