By Hector Gonzalez
Special to The Lookout

March 28, 2016 -- It's all about the past this weekend when the Santa Monica Conservancy showcases two of its preservation success stories and the City celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Dudley Cup Tennis Tournament.

The three events converge on Saturday, April 2, when the tournament started as a spring break recreational activity for local kids by then-Mayor Thomas Dudley in 1916 wraps up at Reed Park, and the conservancy conducts docent training for the Shotgun House along with tours of tennis legend Gussie Moran's 1890s Queen Anne Victorian home on Ocean Avenue.

A Santa Monica City Landmark, Moran's family home at 1323 Ocean Avenue is Santa Monica’s “best example of a Queen Anne Victorian, typical of the first residences along Ocean Avenue,” said officials of the nonprofit preservation organization founded in 2002.

Along with tours of the house, which is now used as a commercial office building, conservancy docents will recount highlights of the flamboyant tennis star's life.

Born in Santa Monica, Gertrude Agusta “Gussie” Moran took up tennis at age 11, won several single and doubles championships and by 1949, at age 25, was a serious contender at Wimbledon.

At Wimbledon, Moran caused a scandal when she wore a short skirt and matching lace panties visible below the hem, at a time when women players who skirts below the knees.

She lost her first match, but photographers scrambled for the best shots of her risqué attire. The British press dubbed her “Gorgeous Gussie.”

Moran died in 2013 in Los Angeles at age 89.

Tours of her former home will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., every 20 minutes. Tickets are $20, or $15 for conservancy members. Attendees will receive a copy of “Discover Palisades Park,” a conservancy publication.

Moran was a product of the City's tennis program. Although not widely known today, Santa Monica was a renowned tennis capital in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, according to the conservancy, which is presenting the tours in conjunction with the Dudley Cup's 100th anniversary.

Several players who later went on to become national champions took part in the tournament as young amateurs, including Moran, Dodo Cheney, Jack Kramer, Billie Jean King and Tracy Austin.

More than 300 young players were expected to compete in the tournament, which took place March 26 at Reed Park, the Ocean View courts, Santa Monica High School and the Riviera Tennis Club.

On Saturday, April 2, Bill Nissley, the tournament's director for more than 40 years, will be honored at a presentation at Reed Park at closing ceremonies for the tournament, beginning at 9 a.m.

That same day, the conservancy will hold a docent training class at the Shotgun House, 2520 2nd Street, from 9 a.m. to noon. The training will be presented by Laurel Schmidt and Mario Fonda-Bonardi.

Earlier this year, the conservancy completed the Preservation Resource Center inside the Shotgun House, one of the few remaining houses built in Ocean Park during the early 1900s.

Shotgun House docents actively engage visitors in looking at and talking about the house and its exhibits while teaching them about the importance of historic preservation.

Docents who complete the training will be asked to volunteer twice a month for three-hour shifts.

To apply, or for more information, call 310-496-3146.