Lost Hollywood – A John De Lario in the Hills of Beverly

Today we remember architect John De Lario for the fine work he did throughout the picturesque Hollywoodland development in the 1920’s. He did so many notable homes there it is easy to forget that De Lario also designed homes and businesses in other parts of the area as well (Not enough, in my opinion). In fact, one of his grandest commissions was a magnificent Italian villa designed for pioneer oilman Ralph B. Lloyd, not in Hollywoodland, but in Beverly Hills, completed in 1930.

Dubbed the “Father” of the famous Ventura Avenue Oil Field, Ralph B. Lloyd was an influential figure in the Southern California petroleum industry for a number of decades. Lloyd made millions in oil, but also made his mark in other fields as well including banking, real estate development and lumber up in Oregon.

Ralph B. Lloyd thought big and had the money to back it up. Part of his empire included extensive holdings in the Portland area. A victim of the Depression, this monolithic Deco skyscraper hotel would have been a dramatic addition to the Portland skyline and would have rivaled the Waldorf-Astoria in Deco granduer.

Although it was Ralph who exploited it, it appears it was his father Lewis who first discovered there was gas on their Ventura ranch and in the most dramatic way possible. A former captain in the Confederate Army, Lewis M. Lloyd had abandoned his beloved South for California during the great “Boom of the Eighties,” purchasing thousands of acres of land just outside of the historic town of Ventura. Organizing the Ventura Land and Water Company in 1887, the elder Lloyd dove earnestly into the cattle business, but it proved to be tough sledding. One day, while out on his land, Lloyd espied a brush fire. As he approached, he noticed a torch of fire billowing out of a fissure in the ground. While marveling at this strange sight the wind suddenly shifted and the flames from the surrounding grass roared menacingly at him at him at a speed neither he nor his horse could outrun. His horse was killed instantly with Lloyd barely escaping a similar fate by quickly leaping down a precipice into an adjoining canyon. It was as clear an indication as any that oil lay under the ground of the Lloyd ranch.

As surprising as it may seem today, Lewis Lloyd’s unwitting discovery of gas was not the welcome news it would be today and the elder Lloyd continued with his cattle operation. Hard as he try, however, the operation could just not turn a profit and by 1912 the venture was on the verge of bankruptcy. It was at that time that his son Ralph took over management of the ranch holdings, quickly bringing a new energy to the operation, literally as well as spiritually. The UC Berkeley-educated Ralph saw the vast potential in petroleum development and he undertook to shift the focus of the Ventura Land and Water Co. from cattle to oil leases. For a number of years he found little interest in getting major oil companies to explore his lands. When he finally succeeded the oil companies liked what they saw and he made a series of shrewd deals to drill on the family lands, which by then had grown to 8,000 acres. The result was the development of what was to become known as the Ventura Avenue Oil Field. Initial development began in 1919 and by the 1950’s, it was the 12th most productive field in the United States. Still operating today, it is estimated that a billion gallons of oil have been drawn from what was the lands of the Lloyd ranch.

Ventura Oil Field Today (wikipedia)

This, as you might expect, made Lloyd, his family and fellow investors fabulously wealthy. Desiring a home for himself and his family befitting a man of his position, Lloyd engaged John De Lario to draw up plans for a grand estate to be built on a beautiful multi-acre view parcel he had purchased in Beverly Hills in the Ledgemont Park tract, part of the former 26-acre estate of “Borax King,” Thomas Thorkildsen, a spectacular baronial English Tudor mansion designed by Thomas Franklin Power and completed in 1913. The Thorkildsen mansion, which still contained considerable acreage, was now owned by fellow oil man Kirk B. Johnson and it is likely the two were friends.

A postcard view of the Thorkildsen/Johnson estate made from the approximate location of the future Lloyd villa.

Another view of the Thorkildsen/Johnson estate and its spectacular setting prior to construction of the Lloyd villa, which would be built in part of the orchard area in the lower left portion of the picture. Note the “Beverly Crest” sign on the hill.

In his design of the Lloyd mansion, De Lario pulled out all the stops creating a stunningly beautiful villa of great charm and distinction. Completed in 1930, the Lloyd mansion at 962 North Alpine Drive was a wonder to behold. Stretched out over seven levels over its lushly landscaped grounds, the home was considered one of the finest examples of this type of architecture found in all of Southern California.

The Lloyd villa was approached by way of a long winding drive through elegantly landscaped grounds. Having originally been a part of the extensive Thomas Thorkildsen estate, the grounds already featured many beautiful and mature plantings that were further enhanced by landscape architects McKown & Kuehl, later designers of the Malibu Encinal development. McKown & Kuehl were so proud of their work on the Lloyd estate they later had a scale model made of it – carved out of soap!

As one swings around the circular entryway, the villa shows its Palladian side, looking almost Roman. Handsome entryway leads up steps to the terrace.

Estates like this do not have driveways. They have “Arrival courts!”

Garden detail.

The magnificent Lloyd villa shows what a master John De Lario was as a designer. De Lario designed the house to flow naturally over its sloping site creating a home that made seven changes of level. Here are three of them showing the main floor public rooms, the bedroom level above and the top floor a gentleman’s retreat of a billiard room and covered observation deck.

A view of the terrace opening off the living room. Note the beautiful fireplace as well as the doorway opening to a set of steps that leads directly to the “Arrival court.” This was a very clever addition by De Lario so that guests, arriving for a garden party, would not have to traipse through the house to get there.

A genuinely million dollar view.

The Lloyd villa was decorated by young society interior designer Genevieve Butler. Here we see the entry hall, which was finished in white travertine. You are looking towards the dining room. Note the doorway halfway up the staircase. This led to an expansive guest suite, another fine De Lario idea which provided privacy for both the Lloyds and their overnight guests. Continuing up the stairs leads to the four master suites and sitting room. Not seen in this view is a set of steps leading down to Mr. Lloyd’s private study.

The Living Room featured some of the Lloyd antique collection and a spectacular wooden ceiling. Note the interesting green marble fan-light above the door.

Ms. Butler decorated the elegant dining room with Zuber wallpaper and fine antique pieces.

A bedroom view possibly part of the guest suite.

I found it amusing that out of the many grand rooms she decorated for the Lloyd villa the room Genevieve Butler chose to showcase her design work was the powder room! Granted, it’s a lovely powder room.

Ralph B. Lloyd would live in his beautiful home for the remainder of his long life, sharing the house with his wife Lulu, his four daughters, and no doubt many, many servants. On June 16, 1948, Lulu Hull Lloyd passed away in the 44th year of their marriage. Eight months later, the 74 year-old Lloyd may have surprised some (or all) by taking a second trip down the aisle, marrying 51 year-old Edith Louise Nattkemper, a former school teacher who had been friends with Lloyd for some 30 years. When Lloyd died on September 9, 1953 at the age of 78, Edith came into a considerable fortune, splitting the bulk of the multi-million dollar estate with the Lloyd daughters. When Lloyd’s will was submitted to Probate on September 29, 1953, it was learned that Edith would also, in addition to the mammoth inheritance, also get $7,500 a month “family allowance.” Edith Nattkemper Lloyd was a very wealthy woman and, at 55, still young enough to enjoy it. Edith, however, had been suffering from a heart condition and less than 24 hours later she died at the Lloyd home, surviving her husband by just 21 days.

With both Ralph and Edith gone and the Lloyd children all with fine homes of their own, there was no one left in the big mansion on Alpine and it was sold. In 1958 the estate was broken up for inevitable subdivision and the beautiful Lloyd villa was taken down and replaced by a set of new homes.

His beautiful home may be gone, but Ralph B. Lloyd’s legacy has lived on in the form of considerable charitable giving, first through the Ralph B. Lloyd Foundation and then its successor of the Elizabeth Lloyd-Davis Foundation, among others. Over the decades, the Lloyd foundations have given millions to a variety of worthy causes and like the oil wells up in Ventura they are still giving and giving.