Historical Information
On an oak covered hill in the Ojai Valley, the property, with its rambling Spanish Colonial Revival home, was another sacred place of the Chumash Indians and was later granted to Fernando de Tico as part of Rancho Ojai. The topographical location and orientation of the house was chosen in 1928 to preserve and protect an ancient molcajete, indigenous to the property and located near the front entrance.
In 1928, John D. (Dubois) Burnham and his wife, Constance Fairchild Burnham purchased 60 hilly acres adjoining the Ojai Valley Country Club. Referred to as the Burnham tract, the property was subdivided by Mr. Burnham into large lots to accommodate upscale homes. It was a restricted, covenanted development formed as Country Club Estates. Harold E. Burket and Austen Pierpont were designated by Jack Burnham to oversee and approve all architectural plans. Lot 14 was reserved for the Burnham's own home.
Ground was broken on Burnham Hill in the fall of 1928. The Burnham home was the 2nd of the 5 significant homes built in Country Club Estates. Having worked with Mr. Burket on another project in Ojai earlier in the year, Jack Burnham engaged him to draft Burnham Hill, a fitting country place to host their many celebrated friends and raise the adventurous Burnham boys: John F., William D. and David B. Burnham. The massive Spanish home in the Andalusian farmhouse style was more typical of Montecito, where the Burnhams lived before moving to Ojai. It was Mr. Burnham's fondness for asymmetry which dictated Mr. Burket’s design.
Financial reverses occurring after 1929 forced the sale of Burnham Hill in 1931 to the L. N. Diedrich family of Ventura. The architect, Harold Burket and his wife, Isabel, were close friends of the Diedrichs. Mr. Burket had just designed a home for the Diedrich's adjoining Lot 17 of Country Club Estates bordering Creek Road. With Mr. Burket, Mrs. Diedrich made slight modifications to Burnham Hill to accommodate her older children. Lawrence and Alta Diedrich, along with Donald and Margaret, moved into the partially furnished home in July 1931 and immediately renamed it Casa Don Alta La Mar. Prominent business owners, both socially and professionally connected in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, Lawrence and Alta Diedrich took great pride in owning the estate. They entertained lavishly and frequently before Mr. Diedrich's untimely death in 1935.
In 1943, Alta Diedrich sold Don Alta La Mar and the L. N. Diedrich Barbeque Park (Lot 17) to the Noble sisters, Lorraine and Grace Noble and their mother, Laura Althea (Mrs. Fred Noble) of Oxnard. Mr. Noble (deceased) had retired from the Oxnard Bros. Sugar Beet Factory in Oxnard. He was a rancher and horseman who rode with Los Rancheros Visitadores. His death permitted the purchase of Noble Oaks. Following the death of Mrs. Noble (Laura Althea) in 1953, Noble Oaks was allowed to deteriorate for approximately 35 years. The 10.53 acre double parcel remained in the Noble Sisters' Trust for 49 years.
4 years after the sisters' January 1988 deaths, the Trust expanded Lot 14 by adjusting the rear lot line. This was done to enhance the sale of the rapidly deteriorating house. In near tear down condition, along with 5 outbuildings, Noble Oaks was sold to Tim Burton & Lisa Marie Smith in early 1992. The house became Mr. Burton’s real life haunted mansion, offering ghostly eeriness without benefit of special effects. The movie director was responsible for maintaining the architectural integrity of the home while shoring up and saving it from further rodent, insect, human, wild & domestic animal and weather damage. 6 ½ costly years later however, the project was abandoned.
Michael Greynald - real estate developer, purchased the incomplete renovation of Noble Oaks in 1998 for his blended family - Greynald children: James, Anne Marie & Elizabeth and Nicole Strauss & sons: Tristan and Justin. Work began again and ended shortly thereafter.
The Cuthbert family: Mary, John & daughter Anne, purchased Noble Oaks in April of 1999. A vineyard was established in 2000 with a planting of Malbec grapes. The planting follows an east west direction on a bluff above San Antonio Creek. The vineyard utilizes a lower land bench - once part of Lot 17 - that is visible from the house. While winemaking took place at Burnham Hill and later Don Alta La Mar, 2002 saw the first harvest and crush of Noble Oaks estate grown grapes. Assisted by photos courtesy of Margaret Diedrich Milne, Barbara Harrison Ludovina and David Bird Burnham, 3 of the children who once resided on the estate, renovation and refurbishment of the home continues.
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