1725 Miramar Drive

1725 Miramar Drive

Historic Landmark No. 93 – 1725 Miramar Drive

Welcome to the Petit Tudor House, built in 1929 for Charles Wesley Petit.

Petit was no ordinary homeowner. He was Ventura’s longest-serving mayor—holding office from 1953 until 1969—and the engineer who designed the roads and infrastructure for Hobson Heights. He knew these hills like the back of his hand. When he set out to build here, the neighborhood rules demanded Italian, Spanish, or Mediterranean-style homes. But Petit had his heart set on something different. With special permission from Abram Lincoln Hobson himself, he was allowed to build what was then called an “English Cottage.” The letter still exists in the family archives written by Abram while in a sanitarium in Los Angeles. That bold choice gave Ventura this Tudor Revival treasure.

Petit had a reputation for grit and humor. He liked to say he was “almost a native” of Ventura, since he arrived here as an infant. Trained at Berkeley and Cornell, he worked as a civil engineer, then spent decades in public service. Remarkably, he was still Ventura’s mayor at 87, making him the oldest mayor in the United States at the time.

To bring his vision to life, Petit hired John C. Austin and Frederic M. Ashley, the Los Angeles architects behind Griffith Observatory and L.A. City Hall. The result is this striking Tudor design, complete with false half-timbering, steeply pitched gables, leaded glass windows, and generous use of red brick throughout the first floor and patios.

The house has always attracted devoted stewards. In the early 2000s, Ben and Julia Namba successfully had it designated a City of Ventura Historic Landmark. After Ben’s passing, Julia continued her preservation work, acquiring the Edith Hoffman Hobson House, which you’ll also see on today’s tour.

Today, the O’Toole family calls this place home. Though nearly a century old, it’s still alive with family laughter and play—their grandchildren especially enjoy the backyard pool.

And here’s a special connection just for this tour: one of the docents welcoming you today lives in the very house on Poli Street where Charles Petit later moved and eventually passed away. A reminder that Ventura’s history is not just preserved in its buildings—it’s lived in, cared for, and carried forward by the people who call these homes their own.