"Mr. Libbey conceived the possibilities of a greater Ojai, and carried out his ideas at no small cost, giving commercial momentum to stagnant conditions, and creating a civic center, with suburban environments that have no counterpart in California." - The Ojai, 1919

The view from the front door of the house on Foothill Road of the Ojai Valley's greatest benefactor, Edward Drummond Libbey, was of the impressive stone and iron gates that led into his Encina Park. The winding roads were outlined with native rock, which had been placed there by the many workers that Libbey had hired to clear the vast amount of land.
Next to the iron gates, Libbey had Robert Winfield build an entrance lodge. Winfield had come to the Ojai Valley from San Diego to do the construction of the many buildings that Libbey was having built. At the end of the winding drive was Libbey's favorite section of the park and he saved this large parcel for his own use. He wanted to create a working farm on the flat acreage and eventually he was going to build a sprawling home on the top of a small knoll that overlooked the entire property.
The barn built on Libbey's property was designed by the "architect to the stars," Wallace Neff, and would win an award for the young architect. The building was U-shaped with the main section of the barn in the center and cow milking stalls running along one wing; a utility room with carriage stalls was in the other. The centerpiece of the structure was a circular tower that connected the wings together.
The building was constructed of adobe brick that was left exposed to give it an aged appearance and the texture of stone; the bricks had been made on the property. Strange, delicately pointed arches sprang from the ground to pierce the base of the tower and frame the front portal.
A balcony across the front of the structure, constructed of rough wood and a roof of hand-split wood shakes, suggested the adobe dwellings of early California. The overall effect was beautiful.
Libbey did not get to enjoy his dream for very long - just two short years after the barn was finished and before the house could be built on top of the knoll, he died.
The arrival of William Lucking Sr. in 1927 to the Ojai Valley would forever change the use of the Libbey barn and its surrounding 60 acres.
Lucking was part of the legal counsel for the Ford Motor Company and he had family members living in The Ojai. When Lucking saw the property, he became interested in the possibilities of purchasing it from the Libbey estate. Returning to his home in Detroit, Lucking contacted Mrs. Libbey to see if there was any interest in selling the Ojai ranch. Mrs. Libbey agreed to meet with Lucking and an agreement was reached. The ranch then became part of the Lucking Family Trust.
The first step in converting the structure to a pleasing home was the hiring of local designer Austen Pierpont. Pierpont was gaining quite a respected reputation for the attractive buildings of his design that were being built around the valley, and it was only natural that Lucking would hire this young man.
With the Libbey barn, structural soundness was the first order of business. The building was gutted and all of the old cow stalls and the roof were removed. The original structure had not been reinforced, so the walls were strengthened in order to safely hold the heavy beam ceiling that was to be installed.
The great room with its two-story height and arched beam ceiling, which was originally used for hay storage, was to have a formal fireplace domineering one end, while a large balcony overlooking the large room covered the other end. The wrought-iron and plaster staircase leading to the balcony had Mexican tiles of a different design on each of the risers, which added another touch of beauty to the room. The massive iron chandelier with its parchment shades was a fitting centerpiece for the room. The concrete floor was covered with a thick wood flooring that added warmth to the room.
The carriage shed wing was transformed into another large room used for family dining. This room, not as formal as the main room, had a low and heavy beamed ceiling, and the room was centered around a massive rock fireplace, the opening of which was large enough to hold a table and chairs, creating a warm nook.
Pierpont, talking about the furnishings for this room, said, "Mr. Lucking got the idea of decorating the place by building heavy furniture of his own design. He had a passion for things that were massive and very crude, and possibly masculine. A whole truckload of oak was bought at Peoples Lumber Company in Santa Paula, which had been stored from the old days of the oil boom when it was used for the big wheels and walking beams of the old-fashioned drill rigs. This lumber had been cured for 20 to 30 years because there was no demand for it. It was two- to three-inch material which was practically impossible to buy except at wholesale."
Pierpont had a large number of books showing authentic Spanish furniture, and Lucking's furniture designs were influenced by these publications. Pierpont said, "We did some great, heavy tables with long benches. They had two and one-half to three inch tops and big turned legs, which required a large lathe that was in Santa Paula."
The handmade floor tiles were brought up to the valley from the old Alhambra Tile Company in Pasadena. The roof was of redwood shakes brought down from Northern California. A bedroom wing was created, leading away from the main room, down a long open breezeway and ending in a quaint round stone turret.
The property had its own blacksmith shop and all of the intricate ironwork was designed and made right on the property. The shop was well-equipped with smithing tools, an anvil and bellows.
Staying true to Neff's design, Lucking included many torches of the French Normandy style in the other separate buildings that he had Pierpont design.
The first new building was the servants' quarters, so that caretakers could be on the property year-round, since Lucking was primarily a winter resident. The new building was constructed of concrete block, laid irregularly and brushed with a cement coating to soften the harsh lines and match the adobe block of the main structure.
The new coach house, now garages, with its charming gatehouse showed the French Normandy design to the fullest. It so complemented the original the original Neff design as to make it impossible to tell that it wasn't part of the original plan.
Lucking had new stables built some distance from the house, and they were also constructed to resemble the French Normandy countryside. Throughout the property, small intimate courts were created by low stone walls around the buildings. The property remained in the Lucking family until it was sold in 1960.
In 1976, under the direction of Ojai architect Zelma Wilson, a master suite was added to the house, extending the bedroom wing past the stone turret.
This property has been unquestionably one of the great Ojai estates. It has been a source of pride for the few lucky people who have had the opportunity to call it home.

© 2000 The Ojai Valley News

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