Story Book Houses of the Barber Tract

Cozy, quaint and picturesque are words often used to describe the houses of the Barber Tract, the small
snug neighborhood of La Jolla north from Pearl Street to Bonair South before it turns into a residential
area of another persuasion known as Wind ‘an Sea Beach. Although including a number of grand
estates such as actor Cliff Robertson’s former home on Dunemere, Barber Tract houses in general
consist of single-story cottages with English style gardens, many dating to the 1920s when the tract first
was laid out with the guidance of Philip Barber, an East Coast investor seeking a place in the sun on a

sand dune in 1923. Our guided walking tour of this area features historian Carol Olten discussing the
history and architecture on a casual stroll along some of the character-defining streets and avenues of
the tract such as Monte Vista, Olivetas and Fern Glen. We also plan to visit some of the gardens and
interiors of several homes including an English Tudor residence architect Edgar Ullrich built as his own
residence in the early years of the tract’s development. The tour will start at the Darlington House,
former home of arts patron Sybil Darlington at 7441 Olivetas Ave. and include a visit to the gardens and
tiled patio areas of the property, now operated as a rental location for third-party events. Architect
Thomas Shepherd worked with Darlington on remodels of the house through the years. Other tour
highlights will feature three cottages designed in the 1920s by Florence Palmer, one of the first women
architects working in the area.