23200 CA-1, Malibu, CA 90265
Rhoda Rindge Adamson and Merritt Huntley Adamson built their Malibu beach house as a vacation retreat, then made it their permanent home. Completed in 1930, the ten-room house was designed by Stiles O. Clements. Its colorful tiles came from Malibu Potteries, the factory Rhoda’s mother, May K. Rindge, had established nearby. Craftspeople designed tiles especially for each room, including ships and nautical scenes in their son’s bathroom. The family heard news of the attack on Pearl Harbor on the large radio in the living room. During World War II, the Coast Guard used their bathhouse as a local headquarters. Merritt died in 1949, and Rhoda continued living in the house until her death in April 1962. California later acquired the property with plans to demolish the house for beach parking. Surviving family members and local preservationists fought to save it. From 1971 to 1982, it served as the residence of Pepperdine University chancellor Norvel Young. Rhoda and Merritt’s daughter, Sylvia Rindge Adamson Neville, helped fund its restoration, and the house opened for public tours in 1983.
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