Contributed By Scott Lipscomb

In the 1920s there once was a place in California where blacks could enjoy the beach free of racism. After years of trying, the city council used eminent domain to acquire the property.

Charles and Willa Bruce are the names of the black couple who owned the lodge in Manhattan Beach, California where blacks could escape the racism of the country. “It was a very important place because there was no other place along the coast of California where African Americans could actually go and enjoy the water,” Shepard, the Bruce family historian and spokesperson, told Insider.

Now in 2021, the family is set to gain rights to the property after years of legal battles.

Willa and Charles only received only about $14,000 in compensation after taking legal action, according to the Los Angeles Times. Officials previously told CNN the land is worth approximately $75 million that subsequent generations of the Bruce family have missed out on. Shepard said the land was worth between $35 and $75 million, but officials told Insider in a statement the land has not yet been assessed and would be “in the coming months.”