Riven Rock is a residential subdivision in the

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of Montecito, California near

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...

. The Riven Rock subdivision is located on the former Riven Rock Estate.

History

The Riven Rock Estate was owned by the

McCormick family The McCormick family of Chicago and Virginia is an American family of Scottish and Scotch-Irish descent that attained prominence and fortune starting with the invention of the McCormick Reaper, a machine that revolutionized agriculture, helped b ...

, who purchased the 84 acre property in 1896 and in 1898 built a large two-story

Mission Revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

home on the premises. The estate's name came from an oak tree near the main gate, which was growing out of and had split a large boulder. It was where Stanley McCormick, the youngest child of Cyrus Hall McCormick and

Nancy Fowler McCormick Nancy Maria "Nettie" McCormick (; February 8, 1835 – July 5, 1923) was an American philanthropist. Through marriage, she became a member of the prominent McCormick family. Early life Nettie was born on February 8, 1835, at Brownsville in Ont ...

, and husband of Katharine McCormick, was confined for much of his life as he suffered from

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...

. After the

1925 Santa Barbara earthquake The 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake hit the area of Santa Barbara, California on June 29, with a moment magnitude between 6.5 and 6.8 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of IX (''Violent''). It resulted in 13 deaths and destroyed the historic cente ...

the main house was demolished. After Stanley McCormick's death in 1947, Katharine sold the estate in 1949 to one real estate developer, who sold it to another developer in 1950. The second one subdivided the estate into 34 smaller parcels and put them up for sale. Stanely McCormick's life was the basis of

T.C. Boyle Thomas Coraghessan Boyle, also known as T. C. Boyle and T. Coraghessan Boyle (born December 2, 1948), is an American novelist and short story writer. Since the mid-1970s, he has published sixteen novels and more than 100 short stories. He won the ...

's 1998 novel ''

Riven Rock ''Riven Rock'' is a 1998 novel by American author T. Coraghessan Boyle. It concerns the life of Stanley McCormick, a son of Cyrus McCormick, inventor of the reaper, and Stanley's devoted wife, Katherine McCormick, daughter of Wirt Dexter, a pr ...

''. In 2020, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...

, after deciding to withdraw from royal family duties, purchased the French Provençal "Chateau of Riven Rock", which is located on the grounds of the old Riven Rock Estate. The seven-acre, 18,671-square-foot residence was purchased from the Russian oligarch Sergey Grishin for $14.6 million.

References

External links

Riven Rock Estate Map created for Rivenrock Historical Estate community association in Montecito, California
{{coord missing, Santa Barbara County, California Houses in California Royal residences in the United States Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Montecito, California

History

See also

References

External links