"High School Commence-ment Exercises - The musical features of the program were especially pleasing. Miss Grace Hobson rendered two most delightful selections on the violin. She was accompanied on the piano by Mrs. Hobson. The Seniors held their reception in the court and the scene during the reception was beautiful and impressive." - The Ojai, June, 23, 1916

The Ojai Valley was indeed honored to receive the Hobson family as full-time residents. Prior to 1907, the Abram Lincoln Hobson family had only spent weekends in the beautiful valley, in a small cabin they had constructed years earlier. Now, they were building a permanent home.
The Hobson family name had been synonymous with the growth of Ventura County, and Abram's father, William Dewey Hobson, was constantly referred to as "the father of Ventura County." William Hobson was born in Illinois and had come to California in 1849, crossing the plains with oxen and covered wagon. On arriving in this state, he engaged in mining and eventually acquired the ownership of several valuable mines. Later, he built the Western Hotel in Sacramento, which, in the early days of mining, became a famous hostelry under his management.
Eventually, Hobson drifted into the cattle business, and in that occupation he traveled on horseback over all parts of the state. During one of these trips, he discovered the town of San Buenaventura, then a part of Santa Barbara County.
Once he decided to settle in the small town of San Buenaventura, Hobson built the first brick building, the first courthouse, the first brick schoolhouse and many of the buildings that made up the downtown as it grew.
Hobson became actively interested in the meat packing and retail meat business, and in the young progressive town of Ventura, his newly organized Hobson Meat Packing Company became a great success. The business would eventually become the property of his son Abram.
Abram Hobson was born in the seaside town of Ventura in March of 1861. He obtained his early education in the public schools of the county and practical training came from his father. At the age of 16, he went to work for his father in the meat packing business. Four years later, he bought out his father's interest and entered into a partnership with one of his brothers. The name of the business was then changed to Hobson Brothers Packing Company, and through the leadership of these men, the business became known as one of the most out-standing concerns of its kind in Southern California.
For a number of years, along with the meat packing company, they were also interested in the business of street paving. They became one of the leading paving contractors in the West and undertook large contracts in many western cities, including the gravity sewer outlet in Salt Lake City. In all of their business affairs, the Hobson brothers maintained their transactions at the highest level of ethics and always enjoyed a splendid reputation for dependability and honor.
The success of the Hobson Brothers Packing Company allowed them to expand to include the Santa Barbara Meat Packing Company. They also accumulated large real estate holdings and became the largest dealers in livestock in this part of the state.
Not only was Hobson busy with the cattle, sheep and other business affiliations, but he was also constantly engaged in community and ranch development. He founded the city of Blythe and did much toward the development of the Palo Verde Valley. At King City, he was instrumental in developing thousands of acres into highly productive farms.
With a desire to take a wife, Abram Hobson married Helen Barnard in 1889. Helen's father was the first president of the Seattle University, and he had come to Ventura to engage in the lumber and real estate business. Young Abram and Helen had met while attending the Ventura school together. They became the proud parents of three children, two boys and a girl they named Grace.
While his business occupied most of his time, Hobson found time to participate in civic activities. He was known as quite a baseball player and served as captain of the local ball team, and with his fondness of all outdoor recreation, he frequently went on long fishing trips.
His love of fine horses was well-known and his stable included some of the best-known show equines in Southern California. An able rider, Hobson was for years a colorful figure in local parades. His participation in the management of the Ventura County Fair aided considerable in its success over a period of years. He served as a member of the Board of Directors for many terms and as president in 1921.
With such an outstanding background, it was no wonder that the small town of Nordhoff, now Ojai, welcomed this highly successful family to its community.
The Hobson house, built in 1907, was in the popular Craftsman style. It was constructed entirely of wood with a peaked roof and wide overhanging eaves.
The approach to the house established an individual sense of place; the passage from the street circled in front of the house and continued out to the cross street. The front garden's design suggested the feeling of a natural landscape. Enjoyment of the walk to the front door was heightened by the choice of specimen trees and seasonal plantings in the rock-lined flower beds. The front door was unusually wide and it enhanced the feeling of welcome that greeted visitors.
Upon entering the spacious bungalow, your attention was directed immediately to the striking fireplace, centered on the opposite wall. The fireplace had its own individual character, and with its handmade tiles, it was certainly the centerpiece of the entire room.
In the dining room, a traditional arts and crafts feature was the built-in sideboard with its long serving surface and china cabinet. With Helen Hobson's taste in furnishings, the strength of the architecture made a definite Craftsman-style statement.
Grace Hobson loved living in the beautiful Ojai Valley. The Nordhoff Union High School, which started in 1909, was the center of her life. She enjoyed learning, and was the valedictorian of the first graduating class in 1912.
With the transformation of the town of Nordhoff by Edward Drummond Libbey, Ojai's greatest benefactor, to a Spanish-style city during the years of 1916 and 1917, it was only natural that the Hobson family would want their home to match the new design that was being built all over the valley. Many of the new Spanish-style houses were replacements for the ones that had been destroyed during the great fire of 1917.
Architect Richard Requa, who was doing the best of the Spanish-style buildings, including the post office tower and the arcade, agreed to help the Hobsons to change their Craftsman-style bungalow into a striking Spanish-style home.
The arcade's builder Robert Winfield was hired to do the construction. The design was the imposing style of rural Spanish architecture with arches and wide porches, patios and pergolas with artistically supporting columns and pillars, all in stucco. As each room was being transformed, the family vacated that room until it was finished. Most of the work was to the exterior of the building. The interior remained generally the same.
A guest house, also in Spanish design, was constructed a short distance from the main house, and the walkway between the two buildings was shaded by a wisteria-covered pergola. The guest house included bedrooms, bathrooms, a large living room and all of the modern conveniences available at that time.
Completed in 1925, the estate, with its two houses, tennis court, miniature golf course and formal gardens, was definitely a beautiful Ojai showplace.
When Abram Hobson died in 1929, daughter Grace and her husband Fred Smith moved into the large guest house to be near her mother Helen Hobson. Grace Hobson Smith would continue her father's charitable work throughout her life.
After Grace Hobson Smith's death, her husband presented the estate to the city of Ojai as a gift from the Hobson-Smith family. The buildings were transformed again, this time for use as city offices, by local architect Zelma Wilson.
In 1976, the historic Hobson home became City Hall for the community of Ojai, and today it is one of the most attractive and unique government buildings in the state of California.

© 2000 The Ojai Valley News

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