For 151 years, California State Parks has offered Californians and visitors a world-class opportunity to experience the state’s natural beauty and rich heritage. As a designated National Historic Site and California Historic Landmark, Adamson House is an integral cultural icon of California’s state park system.
The house and grounds share one of the most beautiful beach locations in Southern California where visitors can view the Malibu Lagoon, Malibu Beach and the Malibu Pier. In addition to its world-famous Malibu Tile, the house contains hand-carved teakwood doors, hand-painted murals, molded ceilings, hand-wrought filigree ironwork and lead-framed bottle glass windows. Adamson House is truly a gem!
The reality is that this historic site, as well as others throughout the state, has not aged well. Nevertheless, the Adamson House has dedicated staff that conducts annual and continual maintenance, and identifies preservation projects.
Some past projects have included:
• Cleaning and restoration of the textile collection
• Cleaning of the family clothing on display
• Replicating torn bedspreads and the pattern of the original house curtains
• Repaired the front teak gates
• Rehabilitated windows and screens
• Completed engineering drawings to rehabilitate the historic lath house
• Contracted a conservator to provide a study for the leather furnishings
Other projects in the queue include:
• Restoration of the Terra Cotta columns and peacock balcony
• Continued efforts to maintain the exterior walls, tile fountains and wood collections
Preserving Adamson House and showcasing the significance of this historical site, as well as the many other historical sites within the state parks system, is important to the Governor, Legislature, the Natural Resources Agency and California State Parks. This is why under the administration of Governor Brown, a strong commitment has been made to strengthen and improve the state park system and department into the future through the initiatives of a Transformation Team and funding.
California’s 2015-16 budget includes $250,000 for the Adamson House to complete a forensic study, engineering drawings and repair for roof and balcony leaks. This project is one of many throughout the state park system to be funded by $20 million for specified department maintenance projects.
The Transformation Team, which will lead the department through a two-year transformation process, moves away from a singular, static approach to state park service toward a diverse mix of strategies for budgeting, revenue generation, visitor services and business models that involve partners of all kinds.
Under this more diverse approach, California State Parks will continue to protect the State’s natural and cultural resources while increasing park visitation. The enhanced visitation will increase revenue and contribute to long-term sustainability by building a stronger more diverse coalition of park users who are ready to lead, to support and to work in parks.
The Transformation Team will also help strengthen the relationships between department staff, volunteers and organizations to ensure that state parks continue to be one of California’s finest assets for future generations.
Thank you to the dedicated volunteers of the Adamson House, who interpret the history of the property from the early days of the Native American Indians (Chumash) to the Spanish Ranchero days and finally telling the story of the Adamson and Rindge Family. California State Park’s volunteers are the heart and soul of the state parks system.