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Martin V. Smith, also known as Bud Smith (October 18, 1916 – November 18, 2001) was an Oxnard, California developer and
"Oxnard Developer Martin V. Smith Dies"
Los Angeles Times The Colonial House was frequented by
The shortline railroad, Ventura County Railway, that links the coastal line, constructed by Southern Pacific, with the Port of Hueneme was acquired in 1958. Nearby he built along Peninsula Road in the midst of Channel Islands Harbor including the Casa Sirena Resort, Villa Sirena Apartments and the Lobster Trap Restaurant. With his boat, the Dry Martini, docked nearby, he lived in one of the complexes.
Smith went on to develop a number of restaurants, motels, shopping centers, and finally the high-rise Financial Plaza Towers in Oxnard, the tallest buildings between Los Angeles and San Jose. When Bud Smith began his retirement in the mid-1990s, his company, Martin V. Smith and Associates was the biggest developer and landlord in Oxnard with some 4500 tenants and over 200 properties from Calabasas to Santa Maria.
Smith was a philanthropist who donated millions of dollars to various causes and organizations. He and his wife, Martha, created the Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Foundation to support community organizations. He financed the construction of a new Boys and Girls Club in Oxnard, which was named after him. He also donated 8 million dollars to finance the construction of California State University, Channel Islands, and the first school on its campus was named after him, the Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics, as well as the Martin V. Smith Professorship in Land Use Studies, and the Martin V. Smith Center for Integrative Decision Making."University Names 1st School after Martin V. ("Bud") Smith"
California State University, Channel Islands: News Release Archive
Martin Smith's Colonial House, Pacific Coast Highway, Oxnard, California
Emory University Digital Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Martin V. People from Oxnard, California 1916 births 2001 deaths American restaurateurs United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II 20th-century American philanthropists
Martin V. Smith, also known as Bud Smith (October 18, 1916 – November 18, 2001) was an Oxnard, California developer and philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
with properties from Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...
to San Luis Obispo County. He was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 1941, he ventured into business when he traded a collection of jukeboxes for a failing hamburger drive-in on Oxnard Boulevard that he remodeled into the Colonial House Restaurant; he was 23 years old. After returning from military service in the South Pacific during World War II, Smith transformed the Colonial House into the most popular restaurant in Ventura County.Wolcott, Holly J. (November 20, 2001"Oxnard Developer Martin V. Smith Dies"
Los Angeles Times The Colonial House was frequented by
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
stars. The Colonial House was demolished in 1988: its stone fireplace remained standing for many years alongside Oxnard Boulevard until the parcel was developed.
His first venture into development came in 1945 when he purchased of flood-prone land at the junction of U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...
and Pacific Coast Highway, and began construction on The Wagon Wheel Junction, a collection of offices, shops, restaurants and a motel. The Wagon Wheel Motel was completed in 1947, and quickly became a popular stop for travelers between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. The Trade Winds restaurant was built in 1964, designed by Fred Moniger of 20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
and decorator Ione Keenan, had a lagoon with a Chinese junk. Don Ho and the Beachboys performed there. They would bring guests by rickshaw from the Wagon Wheel Motel and the interior was decorated with Bud's collection from his world travels.
The shortline railroad, Ventura County Railway, that links the coastal line, constructed by Southern Pacific, with the Port of Hueneme was acquired in 1958. Nearby he built along Peninsula Road in the midst of Channel Islands Harbor including the Casa Sirena Resort, Villa Sirena Apartments and the Lobster Trap Restaurant. With his boat, the Dry Martini, docked nearby, he lived in one of the complexes.
Smith went on to develop a number of restaurants, motels, shopping centers, and finally the high-rise Financial Plaza Towers in Oxnard, the tallest buildings between Los Angeles and San Jose. When Bud Smith began his retirement in the mid-1990s, his company, Martin V. Smith and Associates was the biggest developer and landlord in Oxnard with some 4500 tenants and over 200 properties from Calabasas to Santa Maria.
Smith was a philanthropist who donated millions of dollars to various causes and organizations. He and his wife, Martha, created the Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Foundation to support community organizations. He financed the construction of a new Boys and Girls Club in Oxnard, which was named after him. He also donated 8 million dollars to finance the construction of California State University, Channel Islands, and the first school on its campus was named after him, the Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics, as well as the Martin V. Smith Professorship in Land Use Studies, and the Martin V. Smith Center for Integrative Decision Making.California State University, Channel Islands: News Release Archive
References
External links
Martin Smith's Colonial House, Pacific Coast Highway, Oxnard, California
Emory University Digital Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Martin V. People from Oxnard, California 1916 births 2001 deaths American restaurateurs United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II 20th-century American philanthropists