270 Lincoln Drive

270 Lincoln Drive

The Lovvorn–Hobson/Hoffman Residence

Welcome to The Lovvorn–Hobson/Hoffman Residence.

The 1950s marked a period of post-war economic boom, and Hobson Heights gained a new neighbor, Edith Hobson Hoffman. But the story of this house begins earlier, in 1929, when Amos and Goldie Lovvorn — who had made their fortune managing J.C. Penney stores — built what was then the largest private residence in Ventura. Architect Harold E. Burket, whose civic works you’ve already seen on this tour at the Community Presbyterian Church and who also designed the Mission rectory (1926), Lincoln Elementary School (1931), the Ventura Post Office, and the E.P. Foster Library, designed a Spanish Colonial Revival masterpiece for the Lovvorns filled with carved wood ceilings, parquet floors, Spanish tile, and wrought iron.

Just three years later, disaster struck. In 1932, a fire ripped through the library, blowing out a wall and scorching the interior. The house sat empty until it was purchased and restored by the Lloyd family, early oil barons whose fortune came from the booming Ventura Avenue oil fields. They rebuilt the library and preserved the grandeur, keeping the mansion alive.

And in 1956, the house entered its most legendary era: Edith Hobson Hoffman, Abram Lincoln Hobson’s daughter. Edith had just suffered two devastating losses — her husband Walter died suddenly in 1955, and the following year her beloved Rancho Casitas estate was condemned under eminent domain to make way for the Casitas Reservoir. Out of grief, Edith created a new vision here on Lincoln Drive, transforming the 10,000-square-foot mansion into a stage for her passions.

She expanded the dining room to host eighteen guests beneath chandeliers and sconces she commissioned from Murano, Italy. She transformed the billiard room into a consecrated chapel with pews, altars, and a radiant stained-glass window that still glows in the southern light. Guests would sip cocktails in the loggia, dine beneath Venetian chandeliers, and step afterward into a candlelit chapel — an experience unlike anything else in Ventura.

The house itself was built for spectacle: Fountains restored tile-by-tile, airy loggias designed for ocean breezes, parquet floors, carved ceilings, and elaborate ironwork. Under Edith’s hand, it became a true civic salon, hosting fundraisers, music, and gatherings that shaped Ventura’s mid-century cultural life.

Later, the Phillips family stewarded the house for nearly fifty years, keeping its history intact. In 2022, philanthropist Julia Campbell Namba briefly owned it and began the restoration before her sudden passing. She and her husband restored the Petit Tudor which you can see on this tour. Today, the residence belongs to new private owners who continue to add to the fascinating history of this home. 

Standing here, you see not just a house, but Ventura’s story in miniature: the Lovvorns’ ambition, the Lloyds’ oil wealth, Edith’s resilience in the face of loss, the Phillips’ quiet caretaking, Julia’s devotion to preservation, and the ongoing stewardship of today. Layer by layer, this house has reflected the city’s fortunes, tragedies, and triumphs — making it the crown jewel of Hobson Heights.