Facade Adamson House
Front Door Entrance
Great View of Front Entrance
This is the Back Patio
How about this Kitchen
Pool House Mural
The Malibu Tile
Side Patio
View up the Coast
Fountain Area and Wedding Site If you've dreamt of a Spanish Countryside Wedding consider - This “work of art” beach house built in 1929, in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. The house was given to Rhoda and Merritt Adamson as a gift from her mother, May Rindge, the last owner of Malibu. The historic masterpiece beach house “The Adamson House” in Malibu is set on a beautiful ocean front property set high above the Pacific Coast Highway; and is adorned with sycamore lawns, a front courtyard, and a rear lawn by a star shaped fountain.
The brochure describes the view from the House - “From the balcony behold the breathtaking panoramic views of Santa Monica Bay. Listen to the surf as it crashes on the beach and see a bird’s eye view of your reception.”
The property is luxurious, historic and breathtaking and is open to all weddings and receptions outdoors. It is probably the most pristine of the historical properties I’ve seen and a perfect spot for a 200 guest wedding. The property boasts 13 acres of land above Surfrider Beach on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California.
The brochure invites one to “step back in time and experience a house that is 95% preserved, complete with the family’s belongings and furniture, just as it was when Rhoda and Merritt Adamson lived there with their three children during the 30's,40's and 50's.”
As the Adamson House is a National Historical Site and a California Registered Landmark, please consider one important item and that is there are no parties booked inside the home. With a couples’ reception on the grounds, the Adamson House offers the option of “opening” the house for docent led tours during the cocktail hour. Weddings and special events are scheduled from April through October.
One suggestion, visit the property with your wedding planner. Visit the park, walk the beautiful ocean front property, and take a docent led tour of the house. Seeing this historic breathtaking “beach house” full of Malibu Potteries tile (see notes below), and hearing about the history of the last family to own Malibu is remarkable.
Suggestions: At your wedding and during the cocktail reception, your guests can tour The Adamson House with an informative docent, while your wedding party is with your photographer.
Here are some more details to consider: The Adamson House is open to weddings from April to October. The cost to have a wedding on the grounds is not your average and one must consider transporting “everything” to the property – Oh! But the view! The grassy area next to the iconic star fountain is probably where most of the weddings are held and with direct access to the beach.
A Bit about the Decor
The Adamson House is decorated in striking, unusual and valuable Malibu tile and there is a Persian style rug made entirely of Malibu tile. The hand painted ceilings, doors, cabinets, and frescos are the creation of two artists, Ejnar Hansen and Peter Neilsen. One cannot get away from the sight of and the details of hand forged wrought iron and the glow of colored and rondel glass windows.
The lavish use of exquisite ceramic tile, produced by Malibu Potteries (1926-32), is a hallmark of the house. The use of decorative tile has always been characteristic of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. Mrs. Rindge decided to utilize the unique red and buff burning clays that existed in the Malibu area, as well as an abundant supply of water from a spring in Sweetwater Canyon, to establish the Malibu Potteries. Beginning in 1926, a profusion of brilliant tiles flowed from this establishment to hundreds of residential and public buildings throughout Southern California.
The Adamson House is at:
23200 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265-4937
Here’s to Bonne Planning!
Joanna
