The City of Hermosa Beach has temporarily closed off access to the historic Vetter Windmill at Greenwood Park (located in front of the Trader Joe’s shopping center) after an ongoing engineering report identified serious structural concerns.

To ensure public safety, the area has been cordoned off with caution tape, and signage has been posted advising the public to stay clear. City crews removed the windmill blades on Thursday, July 24, and will use a crane to address the immediate hazard by removing the remaining assembly from the wooden tower on Friday, July 25, as next steps are determined.

The engineering report found that the support assembly holding the windmill unit atop the wooden tower is corroded, posing a serious risk that high winds or land movement could cause it to detach. Additional structural issues were also identified, and City staff are working with engineers to identify options moving forward.

The City’s July 28 Blue Star Memorial Marker Unveiling Ceremony will proceed as planned at the southern end of Greenwood Park, which has been deemed safe for public use.

The Vetter Windmill, originally built in the early 1900s by local farmer John Vetter, is a unique symbol of Hermosa Beach’s agricultural roots. It once drew water from wells beneath the valley where Hermosa Valley School now stands and later became a defining feature of the Vetter family’s dairy farm. Over the years, the windmill has been restored by community volunteers and was relocated to its current home in the 1980s.

Updates will be shared as more information becomes available. For more information on other Public Works Department projects and activities, visit https://www.hermosabeach.gov/our-government/public-works.