Gallery

In 1952, Fred and Pearl Roberts bought land in Solstice Canyon and had Paul R. Williams design a rustic but elegant home. The house was built of stone and wood, fitting naturally into the canyon environment of waterfalls, springs and trees. This interior photograph illustrates a Williams' architectural feature, bringing the outside in as part of the design. 

Assemblyman Fred Roberts, a lifelong Republican, was a contemporary and political sparring partner of the progressive Charlotta Bass, owner and editor of the Eagle, an influential African American newspaper in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Roberts died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident before he and Pearl could move into the house Williams designed for them.

Solstice Canyon became a public park in 1988 managed by the National Park Service. Fall wildfires often burn through the canyon to the ocean. The Roberts' home, built on the same site where homes were previously destroyed by wild fires, burned in 1982. Traces of the Williams' designed landscape, fish pond and grassy area overlooking the creek remain.