Cliff May-Creator of a Lifestyle
By Stanley Poe (2007)

“The Californian—quality engineered, contemporary in spirit.”

Photo and description from the original Rancho Estates sales brochureCliff May has long been recognized as an innovative and important architect of the twentieth century. What is of particular interest is that he was the first architect to design homes in a style that not only fit the climate and terrain of Southern California, but reflected the early roots of the area. He also revived and encouraged a manner of living that is generally accepted as the “Southern California Lifestyle” through the design of indoor and outdoor spaces.

May’s background was most interesting. He was raised in San Diego and at fifteen years of age while still in high school, he organized a professional dance orchestra which furnished music for the famed Hotel del Coronado for eight years. His position in the music world was secure, and he was at the top of his popularity when he chose to study architecture. Society was shocked, but Cliff was happy to be mixing cement instead of playing music.

He was the great-great-grandson of Miguel Estudillo, a Spanish soldier from the early settlement of California who built the adobe hacienda in Old Town San Diego referred to as “Ramona’s Marriage Place.” The adobe has been a tourist attraction since 1905. His aunt was manager of Las Flores Rancho in Santa Margarita which was built in 1812 and belonged to Pio Pico. Much of his boyhood was spent at this home and the family adobe at Pala called “Condor’s Nest,” as well as at other early ranch houses of family members.

Cliff learned to love the easy quiet life of seclusion behind heavy adobe walls. As he matured his enjoyment developed into an ambition to design a true architecture for Southern California reflecting the early days, but modernized to fit present requirements. The first three houses he designed were “haciendas”, with the third built fittingly on the hills above Old Town. He also designed the furniture.

Eventually Cliff began to develop a signature style which more resembled late nineteenth century ranch houses. All of his homes were one story, finished for the most part with natural materials, including the requisite “board and batten” construction which evolved from American building styles. Vertical boards were butted to each other with battens (wooden sticks) to cover the seams which hopefully weatherproofed the house.

All of May’s designs followed certain principles carried over from early architecture on the ranchos. They provided a feeling of spaciousness, privacy, indoor-outdoor living, clean, smooth lines, and building materials used in a straightforward manner with no tricks or affectations.

There are a number of Cliff May’s homes in the Rolling Hills area of Palos Verdes. All were built to take advantage of their sites and most embrace long outdoor corridors, as well as private gardens. There are both formal and informal areas in these houses with an emphasis on the casual lifestyle.

With the advent of new building materials, May altered his designs to include a new manner of lighting and heating, the need for greater space flexibility, and an increasing use of glass and other technological improvements. His output was adjusted to the growing demand for livable, as well as affordable, homes which offered the amenities stated in May’s philosophy.

He felt that the style reflected a way of living rather than a historic recreation, respectful of the reasons for the forms themselves. To this end he designed a number of housing tracts.

Long Beach is fortunate to have one of these tracts, generally referred to as “The Ranchos.” It is a tract of about seven hundred homes which lies north of Spring Street, adjacent to El Dorado Park, that was built in 1954.

Many of these homes are still in their original condition, although they are now at risk of unsympathetic additions and remodels. Residents of the area are currently seeking a designation as a Historic District from the City of Long Beach.

When studying the architectural output of Cliff May, it is of particular interest to reflect on his childhood and his inspirations for his vast body of work. His impact on the landscape of California suburbs is inestimable.

For those interested in further study of Cliff May, the book, Western Ranch Houses, first published by May in 1946, was reprinted by Hennessey and Ingalls book store in Santa Monica. The book includes plans, drawings, and photographs, and is a fascinating read.

The Development of Bluff Park
By Stanley Poe (2007)

In 1886 John Bixby subdivided a portion of his land just east of Alamitos Avenue into twenty blocks along Ocean Park Avenue, now Ocean Blvd., and called it Alamitos Beach. He gave the streets lyrical Spanish names. Orange Avenue was first called Descanso, Cherry Avenue was originally Independencia. Kalamazoo became Kennebec, Modjeska is now Molino and Naranjo was renamed Temple. The area was annexed to Long Beach in 1905. The establishment of Bluff Park as a residential
community predated the streetcars from Long Beach. Originally, Broadway was called Railroad because the train tracks went down the center of the street. A streetcar line called the Naples Line was installed on Ocean in order to transport people to the newly developed Alamitos Bay communities of Naples and the Peninsula in 1903. It was a single track, and so many people used it that another track was installed in August of 1910 on First Street in order to get people back to Long Beach. That line existed for only one year. It was removed on September 28, 1911. During a Bluff Park house tour some time ago, an erroneous statement by docents indicated it was a permanent and long-lived line. The streets were wide because that was the accepted pattern of residential development in affluent areas all over the country. The Bluff Park Historic District has remained one of the most desirable and exclusive neighborhoods since its inception. The area is anchored on the west by the Long Beach Museum of Art, housed in an impressive 1912 Craftsman mansion and two story gallery whose grounds offer an incomparable view of the Pacific Ocean. It was built as a summer home for Elizabeth Milbank Anderson, a New York philanthropist and heiress to the Borden Company. The museum offers events and exhibits throughout the year to appeal to the most discriminating tastes.

The district, which is bounded on the west by Junipero Avenue and on the east by Loma, has a southern boundary, the extensive Bluff Park, which was donated to the city in 1919 by the Bixby family. Second Street comprises the northern boundary. Within this enclave, drawn by the excellent climate and sea breezes, the well-todo from Pasadena and Los Angeles built impressive homes. The wealthiest buyers worked in the medical, financial, and oil industries. The burgeoning movie industry, which was centered at 6th Street and Alamitos Avenue in 1913 at the Balboa Studios, attracted many luminaries of the silent films including Theda Bara and Fatty Arbuckle. The mansion on Ocean Blvd. now called Weathering Heights is where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard began their long affair. Herbert Horkheimer, the president of Balboa Studios, had a large home on Ocean and entertained lavishly. His guests included all of the silent picture actors, and the parties were scandalous. The first child actress, Baby Marie Osborne, who pre-dated Shirley Temple by twenty years, starred in many films shot in the area, as the weather and sumptuous homes provided the perfect settings.

There are no businesses, churches, or public buildings in the district. The variety of architectural styles runs the gamut of Victorian, Colonial Revival, Old English, Craftsman and Spanish Colonial Revival styles. They each reflect the period of principal development which was from 1903 to 1949. The homes became more ornate after 1920. After the discovery of oil in Signal Hill in 1921 some of the homes resembled castles and Mediterranean villas. The State Historic Resources Inventory has identified sixty-five houses as highly significant examples of their styles in this area. One hundred and nine homes contribute to the historic architectural character of the district. The meticulous landscaping of almost every home creates a continuous visual ambiance which bespeaks of a gracious bygone era.

To ensure the future desirability of the community,the residents requested a historic district to be created. Since 1990 guidelines have existed to ensure that construction preserves and enhances the architectural continuity. These guidelines serve as an aid to property owners who may be formulating plans for new construction, rehabilitation, or alteration of existing structures, and for site development. They provide an excellent protection for property owners who can count on the fact that the fabric of the neighborhood can never be destroyed by over-development, as has been the case in so many of the more desirable historic areas of Southern California.