former senator john p. jones and his friend, a glamorous heiress decided to donate all this land.ack then, it was mostly ranch land. but today, just a few miles from the pacific ocean, it is some of the most valuable real estate in all of north america. >> it was solely an act of good will, an act of trying to take care of the veterans they had from the spanish american war and the civil war. >> carolyn na barry is descended from the heiress who made this gift and part of a lawsuit against the v.a. filed by the american civil liberties union. the original deed include a condition the land be used to establish and maintain a branch of a national home for disabled vets and a permanent home for thousands is exactly what it was. >> they had their post office. they had a trolley system that went all the way downtown to the beach. everything was provided for them. they had a special uniform. it was a marvelous place to live. the grounds were gorgeous. i mean, they were just gorgeous. >> mark rosen balm is the lead attorney for the aclu. >> at one point, this campus housed as many as 4,0