RLC Adobe -- The Living Room

When the adobe served as the headquarters for the Temples’ and the Bixbys’ ranches, this downstairs portion of the adobe was divided into two smaller rooms. The 19th century parlor (which you can see virtually, on the iPad) was closest to the front door of the house (nearest the central hallway). The parlor was where family members received guests during the day and relaxed in the evening. The other downstairs space was a bedroom, at least during the Bixby’s period. Upstairs, there was a large single room approximately the size of the current living room.

During the 1930s remodel, Llewellyn Bixby II created this grand living room by removing the second story bedroom as well as the wall that separated the two downstairs rooms. That renovation included electricity, heating (gas furnaces and fireplaces), and indoor plumbing. The chandeliers were custom made for this room.

The room reflects the living room of a middle-class family in the 1930s and touches upon some of the interior design changes that took place across the decade. In contrast to the formal parlor rooms of the Victorian era, the furniture in the 1930s became less ornate and stately, emphasizing comfort and utility over outward form as can be seen by the Monterey style chairs and sofas. In addition, coffee tables like the one seen in this living room were introduced as domestic servants were becoming less common, delegating the responsibility of serving refreshments to the host. Also noticeable are puzzles, books, magazines, knitting materials, and a piano. As a result of the Great Depression, these leisurely activities became an affordable means of relaxing and spending time with family.

Llewellyn Bixby II was a civil engineer by training. Thankfully, under his watch, the adobe was retrofitted when remodeled in 1930-31. Bixby's architect, Kenneth Wing, added bond beams along the top walls of the structure, inserted wire mesh into the walls, and poured concrete slabs to stabilize walls that had no foundation. This was incredibly fortuitous since the work was done just a few years before the 1933 earthquake (estimated at 6.4), which had a devastating effect on local schools, department stores, and many other unreinforced masonry buildings throughout Long Beach (and impacted communities as far as 20 miles away). No major problems were reported, here, however.