Burton W. Chace Park was first opened in 1972 at 13650 Mindanao Way in Marina del Rey, California and was named in honor of the Father of the Marina and long-time Los Angeles County Supervisor, Burton W. Chace.  The Park hours are from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm 7 days a week while the Office hours are from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm 7 days a week. Burton W. Chace Park offers multi-purpose rooms, picnic tables, barbecues, pergolas, picnic shelters, outdoor programs, great harbor viewing areas, guest docks, and is host to numerous year-round events. Admission is free. The Marina del Rey water bus offers rides around the Marina for $1.00. There are always a number of Events going on in the Park throughout the year, including the Discover Marina del Rey Day where you can meet the Chace Family the first Sunday of each October.

Burton W. Chace was born on July 6, 1900 in Stanton, Nebraska where he grew up. He went through the Stanton school system. Following graduation from the University of Nebraska, he began his business career in the municipal bonding field in Omaha. He drove all the way to Long Beach, CA in 1923 with a college friend and like it so much that he moved later in that year to Long Beach, California.  His father joined him later in California and together they established the Chace Lumber Company in Long Beach along with other business ventures. After many years and several expansions, Burton Chace became the sole owner of the Chace Lumber Company.

Throughout this time, he became heavily involved in civic affairs in the Long Beach area and in the Republican Party. His public career began in 1933 when Burton W. Chace was elected to the Long Beach Board of Education, where he served for eight years until 1941. In 1938 he was elected President of the Board of Education. In 1945 he was elected to the Long Beach City Council, and in 1947 was elected to his first of three terms as mayor of Long Beach -- the longest tenure of any mayor since Long Beach was founded as a City in 1908.

Burton W. Chace was appointed to the Board of Supervisors on March 20, 1953, by Governor Earl Warren following the death of Raymond V. Darby. He was elected to the office in 1954, and re-elected in 1956, 1960, 1964 and 1968.

As County Supervisor, Mr. Chace served on the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission and was its president during construction and dedication of the Los Angeles Sports Arena. He also played a role in making the Coliseum the original home of the Los Angeles Dodgers when the team moved from Brooklyn. Later Dodger Stadium was built and the team relocated.

The dream of Burton W. Chace and his most major accomplishment was the creation of the Marina del Rey small craft harbor. The Marina project converted waste marshland just north of Playa del Rey, which was costing the taxpayers $87,000 annually in mosquito abatement and returning little in tax revenue, into a sound investment for the County. His long-standing faith in its potential and his work spearheading its development earned him recognition as "Father of the Marina."