by Matthew Jaffe, Sunset Senior Writer
As Joel Stein points out in his upcoming article on Malibu in September’s Sunset, this is a town that doesn’t reveal its secrets easily. Drive Pacific Coast Highway, and other than the ocean views, you might wonder what all the fuss is about.
When it comes to Malibu, you hear about stars, surfers, and fires—often in the same story. What you don’t usually hear about are places like Solstice Canyon, a Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area property just off of PCH. I went back out to Solstice Canyon after it reopened following the 4,901-acre Corral Fire last November and rediscovered a spot that is one of the most Malibu of places even as it defies most of our preconceptions of just what Malibu is supposed to be.
For one thing, there’s no beach. Solstice is a tight canyon with a namesake creek (now being restored in the hope of bringing back its steelhead population) that flows beneath a forest of alder, oak, and sycamore. Many of the trees were charred in the fire but new growth is springing from blackened limbs and trunks.
The canyon has a verdant quality that especially in summer and fall makes it a prime alternative to hikes on the sun-blasted slopes elsewhere in Malibu. And yep, the beach is awfully nice, but a coastal canyon has its own charms. Put it this way: Solstice was an appealing enough spot that back in 1865 Don Mateo Keller, the onetime owner of Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit who had 13,000 acres or so to choose from, decided to build his home here. (For anyone interested in some ancient, pre-Bottle Shock California wine history, Keller was a pioneer in the industry and helped introduce the state’s vintages in the eastern U.S.)
Keller’s stone cabin still survives but the canyon’s big draw is a bit farther up. Tropical Terrace was designed by celebrated African-American architect Paul R. Williams. Built in 1952, the house incorporated its modern stylings into the canyon’s natural setting. Trees, boulders, cascades, and gardens were all part of the property’s design.
Tropical Terrace’s owners, the Roberts Family, also built a replica of the Shrine of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes. No matter.
The shrine survived but the house was destroyed by—what else—a fire in 1982. What you see today are ruins that combine Mid-Century Modern touches, including vintage appliances, with a layer of jungle-like vegetation to create a setting that is equal parts Mad Men and Apocalypse Now.
In case you’re wondering, I didn’t see any celebs up in Solstice Canyon unless this one guy who kind of looked like a guy whose name I can’t remember turned out to be the guy who I thought he might be. So if you’re looking for stars, head over to Carbon Beach. But if you want to see another side of Malibu, this is the place to go.
