Adamson House & Malibu Lagoon Museum

The Adamson House is a 1929 home on Malibu Lagoon, owned by California State Parks and known for the most complete collection of Malibu Potteries tile left anywhere. The gardens are open 8 a.m. to sunset every day. Guided house tours run Wednesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., on the hour, for $7 for adults. The Malibu Lagoon Museum next door is free.

Visiting

• Grounds and gardens: open daily, 8 a.m. to sunset. Outdoor panels tell the story of the house as you walk around it.
• House tours: Wednesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., on the hour, weather permitting. The last tour starts at 2 p.m. Tours run 45 minutes to an hour.
• Inside the house: guided tour only. There is no self-guided tour indoors.
• Prices: $7 adults, $2 ages 6 to 17, free for children 5 and under.
• Groups: groups of seven or fewer just show up; it is first come, first served. Groups of eight or more must reserve at least 30 days ahead by emailing ah.specialtours@parks.ca.gov. Group tours are on Wednesdays.
• Rain: the house and museum close when it rains.

Malibu Lagoon Museum

The museum is in the house's old garage. It has two small rooms and is open Wednesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., free. State Parks says visitors spend anywhere from ten minutes to an hour. The exhibits run from the Chumash era through Spanish California, the Rindge and Adamson ranch years, the Malibu railroad, the 17-year fight over a highway through the ranch, and the Malibu movie colony. A video tour of the house is available in the museum.

The Malibu Tile

May Rindge started Malibu Potteries in 1926, using local clay. The factory ran for only six years, but its tile went worldwide. At the Adamson House it covers almost everything: layered terra cotta roofs, walls inside and out, floors, ceilings, fountains, tiled tabletops and the pool and bathhouse. Look for the Star Fountain in the garden.

The house also has hand-carved teak doors, hand-painted murals, molded ceilings, wrought ironwork and windows of lead-framed bottle glass. The Visitor Center sells reprints of Malibu tile.

History

Frederick Rindge bought the 13,000-acre Rancho Malibu in 1892. After he died in 1905, his widow, May Rindge, ran the ranch and fought for years to keep a public highway off it; the road opened in 1928.

Their daughter, Rhoda Rindge, married Merritt Adamson in 1915. Merritt founded Adohr Farms ("Rhoda" spelled backward), which grew into a very large dairy. Architect Stiles Clements designed the house, begun in 1929. The family used it in summer from 1930 and lived there year-round from 1937. An elevator was added for Rhoda in 1958, and she died in 1962.

The State of California bought the property in 1968. The Malibu Lagoon Interpretive Association, formed in 1981, opened the house as a museum two years later. State Parks lists it as a National Historic Site and a California Historic Landmark.

Parking and Getting There

There is no parking on the grounds. The large tile sign at 23200 Pacific Coast Highway marks the entrance, west of the Malibu Pier and east of the lagoon.

• LA County Surfrider Beach lot: next to the entrance, fee.
• Malibu Lagoon State Parks lot: at the Cross Creek Road light, then a short walk east across the bridge. $3 an hour or $12 a day.
• Pacific Coast Highway: free parallel parking when available.
• Disabled drop-off: cars with a valid DMV placard may drop visitors in front of the house.

See Parking.

Accessibility

The main entrance of the house has two steps, and the courtyard is flagstone and turf. The museum is generally accessible, with a sloped ramp to its lower room. Restrooms are in the converted garage near the entrance, about 380 feet from the house. More on the Accessibility page.

Dogs

Leashed dogs are allowed on the Adamson House grounds and lawns, but not inside the house. Dogs are not allowed on the beach or the lagoon trail. See Dogs.

Weddings and Events

State Parks handles weddings and special events at the Adamson House: Malibu.SpecialEvents@parks.ca.gov or (818) 570-1512. See Weddings & Events.

Volunteer

To become a volunteer docent, email AH.Volunteers@parks.ca.gov.