Overview

The owners were top administrators at the J. Paul Getty Trust, and chose Richard Meier, architect of the Getty Center in Los Angeles, CA, to design their own ranch house, set on a sprawling 218 acres in Santa Barbara County.

Building History

Harold M. Williams (01/05/1928-07/30/2017), a tax attorney and executive with Hunt-Wesson Foods, Incorporated, (1962–1968), lived here with his wife, Nancy Englander. While working for Hunt-Wesson, Williams came to know the multi-millionaire Norton Simon (1907-1993), who was not only one of the best-known conglomerate builders of his day, but was also a serious art collector, who patronized the Duveen Gallery in New York. This gallery specialized in selling Old Master art relocated from dissolving aristocratic estates in Europe to the homes of commercial titans in the US. This introduction to Simon would prove important for his later career at the Getty Trust. Williams had many important jobs during his life, including as Dean of the Graduate School of Management at the Unviersity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1970 until 1977. He also worked in the Carter Administration as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission between 1977 and 1981. After leaving Washington, DC, he became President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the J. Paul Getty Museum, and two years later, took the same position with the newly created J. Paul Getty Trust. During his tenure as Getty CEO, from 1983 until 1996, Williams increased the trust's endowment almost fourfold from $1.2 billion to approximately $4 billion.

Building Notes

In 2013, the residence was on the market for $15.9 million.

PCAD id: 21938