David Malcolm Renton

David Malcolm Renton (February 8, 1878 – May 27, 1947), known as “DM”, was a builder and business executive in southern California. He is best known for his Craftsman style homes in Pasadena and for the construction of the Casino Ballroom and other homes on Catalina Island in the early 1900s. Renton was influential in the development of Catalina Island under William Wrigley Jr., serving as vice-president of the Santa Catalina Island Company and the Wilmington Transportation Company from 1919 to his retirement in 1936. He also served as president of the Wilmington Catalina Airlines from 1931 to 1942.

David Malcolm “DM” Renton was born on Prince Edward Island, son of John and Catherine (Nicholson) Renton and one of six children. His father died when he was 14 years old, and Renton left home at the age of 16 to become an apprentice in the construction trade in Massachusetts in 1894. In 1902, he moved to Pasadena, California with two friends to establish the building company Upton, Ellsworth & Renton. He later pursued home building on his own as a general contractor.

In the early 1900s, California was growing at a rapid rate as westward expansion turned from the gold rush to a real estate boom. The development of railroad and automobile transportation was transforming Southern California into a winter vacation destination. Renton took advantage of the construction boom to make a name for himself. He was recruited in 1919 by gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. to implement resort development plans for Catalina Island on the basis of the quality of work done for Wrigley’s private home in Pasadena. Renton became a trusted employee of Wrigley, who was based in Chicago, and undertook major development projects in real estate development, public works, tourism and local industry, including mining and pottery production. The most significant of these projects are listed below. The massive variety of development on the island also included the construction of a golf course and a spring training camp for the Chicago Cubs, ranching and farming, film and entertainment, an exotic bird park, and more.

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