Malibu Potteries was a

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...

manufacturer in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...

. Malibu Potteries was founded by

Rhoda May Knight Rindge use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = ...

in 1926. A fire devastated the company 30 September 1931, and the company closed in 1932. Tile designs included influences the styles of Moorish,

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

and

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

cultures. Many of the tile designs were geometric. The company was known for their tile murals consisting of tiles with peacocks and other birds. The company also produced decorated tiles for floors in the style of a laid-out Persian rug. May Rindge's daughter's house, the historic

Adamson House The Adamson House and its associated land, which was known as Vaquero Hill in the 19th century, is a historic house and gardens in Malibu, California. The residence and estate is on the coast, within Malibu Lagoon State Beach park. It has bee ...

, has many examples of the tile produced by Malibu Potteries.

History

Founded in 1926 by

, Malibu Potteries was formed under the corporate name Marblehead Land Company. Rindge, after unsuccessfully prospecting for oil on her property near Zuma Beach, instead found red and buff clays suitable for the production of pottery. In Malibu, California alongside the ocean coast, a factory was built to produce ceramic tile. Rindge hired Rufus Keeler. Keeler was formerly a ceramic engineer for California Clay Products Company (Calco). Rindge and Keeler hired William Handley, a former product designer for Calco. At the height of the companies production, 125 employees produced over 30,000 square feet of tile a month. The company specialized in the production of ceramic tile. The styles were influenced by Moorish, Egyptian, Mayan and Saracen cultures. Tile designs were mostly geometric. Tile murals were made with peacocks, ships, and birds. The company also produced fountains. Tiles were produced for the architectural, builder and design trades for use indoors and outdoors on floors, walls, fireplaces, step treads, tables, benches, and fountains. After the stock market crash of 1929, the pottery closed for a short period of time and reopened. A devastating fire destroyed the factory on 30 September 1931. The unsold stock of tile was moved to Rindge's unfinished home near the former factory. In 1942, Rindge died and her home was sold to the

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Friars. The Friars named Rindge's former home Serra Retreat. Serra Retreat was damaged in the September 1970 Malibu Canyon wild fire and was rebuilt using many of the original tiles. The wild fire had exposed a massive amount of Malibu Potteries tile stored on the property. The supply of vintage tile was unknown except to the heirs of Rindge. The vast majority of the tiles were unscathed by the fire. The excess tiles not used in the restoration of Serra Retreat were eventually sold with many being placed in private collections.

Installations

, Malibu, California *

Los Angeles City Hall Los Angeles City Hall, completed in 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council. It is located in the Civic Cente ...

* Mayan Theater, Los Angeles *

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is a historic hotel located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. It opened on May 15, 1927, and is the oldest continually operating hotel in Los Angeles. History The hote ...

, Hollywood * Dana Junior High School, San Pedro, California * Union train station, Los Angeles

Revival

Robert (Bob) Harris, a sound technician in the movie industry purchased a large collection of Malibu Potteries tile. In 1979, Harris and ceramist Jim Sullivan founded Malibu Ceramic Works and began producing tile in the style and manner of Malibu Potteries.

References

{{Reflist American art pottery Tiling Malibu, California Art in Greater Los Angeles Companies based in Los Angeles County, California American companies established in 1926 Design companies established in 1926 Manufacturing companies established in 1926 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1932 1926 establishments in California 1932 disestablishments in California Defunct manufacturing companies based in California Defunct companies based in Greater Los Angeles Design companies disestablished in 1932