Adamson House facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Adamson House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Adamson House
Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area Location in California Show map of California Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	23200 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California
Built	1929 (family moved in during June 1930)
Architect	Stiles O. Clements
Architectural style	Mediterranean or Spanish-Moorish
NRHP reference No.	77000298
Added to NRHP	October 28, 1977

The Adamson House is a famous historic home and garden in Malibu, California. It sits right on the coast, inside the Malibu Lagoon State Beach park. In the 1800s, this land was known as Vaquero Hill.

Many people call the Adamson House the "Taj Mahal of Tile." This is because it uses so many beautiful, colorful ceramic tiles. These special tiles were made by Rufus Keeler at Malibu Potteries. The house was built in 1929 for Rhoda Rindge Adamson and Merritt Huntley Adamson. It was designed by Stiles O. Clements in a Mediterranean style. The Adamson House became a California Historical Landmark in 1977. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places around 1985.

History of the Adamson House
Pop Culture
Historic Status
See Also

History of the Adamson House

The Rindge-Adamson Family

Frederick Hastings Rindge was a rich businessman from Boston. He moved to Los Angeles and owned a huge area called the "Rindge Ranch." This ranch included what is now Malibu, California. His daughter was Rhoda Agatha Rindge Adamson.

Merritt Adamson (1888–1949) went to the University of Southern California Law School. He was the captain of the 1912 USC football team. This was the first USC team to be called the "Trojans." Merritt met Rhoda Rindge when he worked as a foreman on the Rindge Ranch. Rhoda became interested in him after she helped him get better from an accident. They got married in 1915.

In 1916, Merritt Adamson started a dairy business in the San Fernando Valley. It was in a town called Tarzana. He named his business Adohr Farms, which is his wife's name, Rhoda, spelled backwards. Adohr Farms grew to be one of the biggest dairies in the country. It had one of the largest groups of Guernsey cows in the world.

How the House Was Built

Neptune Fountain

The Adamson House has two stories and ten rooms. Stiles O. Clements designed it, and it was built using strong, steel-reinforced concrete. The house was finished in 1930. Stiles Clements said it was a great example of the Mediterranean Revival style. Other experts say it mixes Spanish Colonial Revival and Moorish Revival architecture styles.

The house has many special features. It has beautiful teak wood, and fireplaces in several rooms and outdoor patios. The ceilings are hand-painted, and the windows have lead-framed bottle glass. There are also fancy wrought-iron designs over the windows.

The main floor has a large living room with windows on three sides. This room still has the original furniture, including a big radio. The Adamsons used this radio to hear news, like about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Other rooms on the main floor include a guest bedroom with a bathroom tiled from floor to ceiling. There's also a dining room with an old convent table that looks out at the ocean. The kitchen has an early dishwasher and a colorful tiled clock. The main entrance has a grand wooden door and a tiled entrance table.

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms and a small kitchen area. Mr. and Mrs. Adamson's bedroom is in the southwest corner. It has a large tiled bathroom. Mrs. Adamson's clothes and hats are still in her closet. Next to their room is the son's bedroom. Its bathroom has detailed tiles showing ships and ocean scenes. The girls' bedroom faces the ocean and has an amazing view of the coast. These three bedrooms open onto a large upstairs patio. This patio offers the best views of the ocean, the Malibu lagoon, and the coastline. The fourth bedroom upstairs looks out at a large Dombeya tree. This tree blooms with bright red flowers in the spring.

Another cool part of the house is the tiled swimming pool. It was built into the sand and had a special system. This system allowed the pool to be filled with either salt water or freshwater. In 1930, The Los Angeles Times newspaper said this pool was "one of the finest in the southland."

A House Full of Tiles

Dog bath at Adamson House

The Adamson House is most famous for its many tiles. These tiles were made right there in Malibu. In 1926, May K. Rindge (Rhoda Rindge Adamson's mother) started a tile factory near the Malibu Pier. Rufus Keeler, a clever ceramic engineer, ran the factory. He worked with local artists to create beautiful art tiles. The factory employed over 100 people in the late 1920s. They made some of the most colorful and creative glazed tiles in the country.

Special, handmade art tiles were designed for each room of the Adamson House. Even the ceiling of one bathroom was tiled! In 1930, the Los Angeles Times wrote about the "striking tile effects" on floors, walls, and patios. Years later, the newspaper still wrote about the amazing tilework. They said the house "might as well be called the house that tile built. Tile is everywhere."

One of the most popular tile designs is a 60-foot (18 m) tile "carpet." It looks like a Persian carpet and even has small pieces that look like rug fringes. Outside the house, there are colorful tiled fountains. The Neptune Fountain, Peacock Fountain, and Star Fountain are often photographed. Nearby, there's also a fancy tiled outdoor tub. The Adamsons used this tub to bathe their dogs! The bathhouse and swimming pool are also covered with Malibu tile. The dressing rooms have tiled showers with decorative patterns.

The house has been called a "museum of tile" and the "Taj Mahal of Tile." The Malibu Potteries factory only operated for six years, from 1926 to 1932. The Adamson House has many of the most important remaining works from this pottery.

Early Days of the House

The Adamson House was first used as a vacation beach cottage. But the Adamsons eventually made it their main home. In December 1932, a fire started in the garage's electrical wires. One bedroom was badly damaged. Firefighters from nearby stations helped put out the flames.

During World War II, the bathhouse at Adamson House was used by the United States Coast Guard. They used it as a local office to watch over the Malibu coast.

Saving the House

Peacock fountain at Adamson House

After her husband died, Rhoda Rindge Adamson lived in the house until her own death in 1962. Her family then planned to build a big beach resort on the 13-acre (53,000 m²) property. They wanted to keep the house as an art and history museum. However, the State of California wanted to buy the land. In 1966, the state started a legal process called eminent domain. They wanted to tear down the house and use the land for beach parking. The state won the lawsuit and bought the property.

Entrance to Adamson House off PCH

Even though the state won, many people wanted to save the Adamson House. The Malibu Historical Society, along with the Adamson family and other Malibu citizens, fought for ten years to protect it. While the state's plans were on hold, the house was rented to Pepperdine University from 1971 to 1982. It was used as the home for the university's chancellor. People who wanted to save the house said it was a great example of California's Moorish-Spanish architecture. In 1976, they won a big victory. The director of the state's Parks and Recreation Department decided to save the entire property instead of using it for parking.

Sylvia Rindge Adamson Neville, a granddaughter of Frederick Rindge, gave money to help fix up the house. The Malibu Historical Society also raised more money. In October 1982, volunteers started turning the garage into a small history museum. In 1983, the Adamson House and the Malibu Lagoon Museum (in the garage) opened to the public. Today, you can take tours of the house and learn all about its history.

Neptune Fountain detail

Pop Culture

The Adamson House has appeared in several TV shows:

In 1975, it was in an episode of the show Mannix called "A Word Called Courage."
From 1987 to 1989, it was featured in seasons eight and ten of Knots Landing. It was shown as the house of a character named Abby Ewing.
In 2020, the Adamson House was seen in the Netflix show Ratched.

Historic Status

In October 1977, the Adamson House was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In November 1985, it was also named a California Historical Landmark.

The California Historical Landmark sign at the house says: NO. 966 ADAMSON HOUSE AT MALIBU LAGOON STATE BEACH - Designed by Stiles O. Clements in 1929, this Spanish Colonial Revival home contains the best surviving examples of decorative ceramic tile produced by Malibu Potteries. During its short existence from 1926 to 1932, Malibu Potteries made an outstanding contribution to ceramic art in California through its development and production of a wide range of artistic and colorful decorative tile. The home was built for Merritt Huntley Adamson and Rhoda Rindge Adamson, daughter of Frederick Hastings Rindge and May Knight Rindge, last owners of the Rancho Malibu Spanish grant.