The Restoration of the Getty House

When the restoration of Getty House was first conceived in 1993, the idea was simple: a different paint scheme and perhaps some new pieces of furniture. Nobody had any idea that the refurbishment of Getty House would become one of the most exciting residential restorations in Southern California. As fate would have it, the "Official Residence of the Mayor of Los Angeles" was about to get a major overhaul.

The Getty Oil Company donated Getty House to the city in 1975 as Los Angeles' official mayoral residence. In 1977, when Mayor Bradley moved in, LA became only the third American City with an official residence. Sixteen years later, needing attention due to lack of city funds, Getty House was ready for sprucing up.

Though mayor-elect Rirodan announced that he would remain in his own home, he felt Getty House should be pressed back into service by the city as a venue for official functions and to host visiting dignitaries. In 1993, Riordan created the private, non-profit Getty House Restoration Foundation and appointed civic volunteer and activists Nancy Daly to run it.

In late 1993, inspection of the house revealed that Getty House's antiquated 1921 electrical and plumbing systems were in dire need of updating. Once funds could be raised to fix these problems, the restoration would quickly be on its way. Buy while plans were being made to bring the systems up to code, the January 17 Northridge Earthquake of 1994 hit. The entire project was put on hold while Los Angeles nursed itself back to health. Several weeks later when restoration leaders returned to 605 Irving, they found that Getty House had sustained significant quake damage. It was time to rethink the "simple" restoration.

Under the weight of these new challenges, the Restoration Foundation was expanded. Committees were formed to address the issues of fundraising, design, protocol, art and furnishings acquisitions, historical documentation, and the exterior. In all, over 300 women and men signed on as committee members, volunteering time and energy to see the project through.

The next step was to bring on the designers, whose work would become the heart of the project. The six-member Designer Liaison Committee, made up of industry experts, put the invitation out to the Los Angeles interior design community. Seventeen designers were chosen to redesign the 19 rooms and its landscaping. The designers would not only work pro bono, but also would need to procure all the furnishings at no cost.

Fundraising was off to a grand start. But then something else happened. Word of the project began to spread and offers of financial support, free goods and services, and in-kind donations from around Los Angeles began pouring in.

Work on Getty House began November 1994. The first steps were to complete the update on the outdated electrical and plumbing systems. Through a unique partnership between labor, management and the private sector, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors Association generously donated more than 2,000 man-hours. The plumbing work was completed by the city, which had just voted to keep maintenance of Getty House in the city's annual budget. But earthquake-related structural hurdles still needed to be cleared before the designers could come in. The Restoration Foundation petitioned for, and was granted, FEMA funding. With these funds, the collapsed chimney was rebuilt, the brickwork was repointed (replacing the mortar between bricks), and the exterior was repainted.

By September, completion of the project was in sight and one thing was obvious: The restoration of Getty House was tremendous success. The Official Residence of the Mayor of Los Angeles was ready to play a proud role in representing the style and substance of Los Angeles and its citizens.