Lady of the Canyon

By creating a new research institute, Tish Nettleship hopes to keep early California history–and her legendary hacienda–alive.

The garden boasts mature sycamore and palm trees, a towering sequoia, rare plants, a lily pond, even a private chapel. Fountains and unusual decorative tiles abound. But the main attraction at Hacienda Mojica is the house itself, one with a romantic and storied past. “There’s no better place to channel old California,” says local historian Randy Young. Masked behind dense foliage and a distinctive “bleeding” brick wall in Santa Monica Canyon, the Spanish Colonial Revival structure dates back to 1929 when Jose Mojica, a Mexican opera singer dubbed the “Mexican Valentino,” began building his hacienda, inspired by the wish to recreate his family’s ancestral home in Mexico. Architect Merrill W. Baird is credited with the design of the house, but local experts think acclaimed Santa Monica architect John Byers, known for his rich evocations of Spanish Colonial architecture, had a hand in things, with so many handcrafted elements, patios and verandas showcased. The house sits on hallowed ground. The site was once part of the Rancho Boca de Santa Monica, a Mexican land grant given to Francisco Marquez and Ysidro Reyes in 1839. Long before Mojica built his hacienda, the Rancho’s canyon grounds, then wilderness, played host to those seeking a picnic amid sheltering trees and ocean breezes. The hacienda is an especially fitting place to house La Senora Research Institute, a newly formed non-profit dedicated to documenting the history of the Rancho era of early California, particularly as it relates to Rancho Boca de Santa Monica. A lively roster of events relating to the site’s history also is featured, including chamber music concerts, a film series (the original garage was converted into a screening room), special lectures and docent-led garden tours. “It’s fascinating to realize that people who originally resided on this Rancho lived in Spain, Mexico and later California in the space of 30 years without ever having moved,” says Tish Nettleship, the owner of Hacienda Mojica since 1976. In creating the Institute, Nettleship, on a fervent quest to faithfully chronicle the past, works closely with historian and author Ernest Marquez, the great-grandson of the original land grantees. She also recruits interns from UCLA and USC to conduct scholarly research. The preservation of the property is Nettleship’s not-so-hidden agenda behind creating the institute and soliciting support from members, who now number close to 300. “It’s really the ‘Ra Ra’ group I’m trying to establish,” says Nettleship, who intends to give the valuable property to a large public charity, one she has yet to publicly name. “I’m trying to be creative about how to control things from the grave. Should a charity ever want to sell to development, there will be lots of loud voices to protest.” Nettleship’s Santa Monica Canyon neighbors were easily won over by the idea of the foundation setting up shop in the residence, which occupies a triangle at Dryad Road and East Channel. “They clearly don’t want a bunch of McMansions built here,” says Nettleship. “Plus, where would they go swimming?” Nettleship is referring to the longstanding tradition of hosting a neighborhood swim party on the Fourth of July, something she’s done since the 1970s when she moved into the house as a widow with six children. “With all its nooks and crannies, it was a great house to bring up a big family,” she says. The house suffered major damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, requiring Nettleship to tackle major repairs and restoration. During a recent visit, she points out quirky features tied to the original owner, including a step-up area in the dining room. “Of course, it makes perfect sense. Mojica was an opera star who entertained frequently and performed for his guests,” she says. In a surprising unHollywood-like turn, Mojica returned to Mexico in 1936 and later became a Peruvian monk. The house’s next owner was Dr. H. Clifford Loos, who founded the Ross-Loos Medical group, today Kaiser Permanente. His sister was famed screenwriter Anita Loos, best known for “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” Daughter Mary Anita lived in the house for 28 years and was a devoted steward and mentor to Nettleship. “It all started because my flight arrived home early,” says Nettleship of her first chance meeting with Mary Anita Loos. Nettleship, at the time a busy executive running an industrial construction firm, blew in during the last moments of a garden tour she had agreed to let a local group put on. Loos was holding court on the patio with guests, telling tales about the hacienda’s history. “It was only after meeting her that it became ever so urgent to find a way to protect this house and land,” recalls Nettleship. “Prior to that day, my interest in the house and its history had been pretty shallow.” Lyle Wheeler, an award-winning film artistic director, owned the house after the Loos family. Robert Brown, an actor in film and television, sold it to Nettleship. The original wooden entry gates on East Channel Road are inscribed “La Finca de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe,” dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron Saint of Mexico, whose image appears in tiles and other artifacts throughout the house. Nettleship settled on the name “La Senora” for the new foundation to pay homage to all the many women involved in perpetuating the homestead’s historic fabric. She’s on a mission to become the final “La Senora,” the 21st century one who will pass on the house and collections as a center for California history. To learn more about La Senora Research Institute events and how to become a member, contact pnettleship@nettleship.com.