Betty Lou Young and Randy Young Santa Monica Canyon: A Walk Through History Casa Vieja Press: Pacific Palisades, CA, 1997, 182 pp., 1952
"The Scott/Post/Hill/Machris Estate-Today the entrance to the historic property which spans the canyon from west ot east, and was formerly known as the Machris estate, is at the end of San Lorenzo St. . . . bordered on the north by the Rivera Country Club. It was subdivided in 1970-71 . . .
"The current subdivision actually combined two separate but adjacent, estates one owned by Maybell Machris and the other owned by her son Maurice and his wife, Paquita . . . including Sycamore Springs.
"In 1903 . . . sold to William A. Johnson, an apiarist . . . who sold a small strip of land to William Parkinson in 1920 and the major portion of the property to Mrs. Frances W. Hall.
" . . .
"In 1925 Lester A. and Agnes Scott purchased the property . . . and in 1931 requested a change in zoning to permit them to sell to G. Allison Phelps, a popular radio philosopher, for a private club, including swimming pool, tennis and handball, pavilion, stage etc. . . . rejected by the city plannning commission, they sold the ranch to Harrison Post, "an extensive traveler, scholar, landscape artist, and equestrian." . . .
""It was actually Post's friend, William Andrews Clark, Jr., who supplied the funds and who later claimed ownership. According to his biographer, William Mangam, Clark had inherited a fortune from mines in Montana, was twice widowed, and had one child, a son. He met Harrison Post (then known as Albert Weiss) in San Francisco when Post was a teenager and brought him into his household as one in a series of young men and boys whom he favored, showering him with homes, memberships in exclusive clubs, and a generous cash allowance. One such home was on Cimarron; another was on the grounds of the Uplifters Club.
"Post lived the life of a country squire-horseback riding, a box at the symphony with Clark, and trips to Europe as a patron of the arts. He renamed the estate the Villa Dei Sogni, built a combined stable and barn with a tower, and added separate chaufferur's quarters. After Clark's death in 1934, Post inherited the canyon property and a large cash settlement, while Clark's lavish mansion on West Adams Boulevard was donated to UCLA and is today the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library.
"Post himself was in ill health and three years later sold the canyon property to Blanche Hill, wife of Courtland Hill, grandson of James J. Hill, founder of the Great Northern Railway. Mrs. Hill had young twins, George and Phoebe, by a previous marriage to George Hearst, son of William Randolph Hearst. The Hills promptly moved the main house from the east to the west side of the creek and made several additions. There were three smaller houses adjacent to the Riviera Country Club, the one nearest the creek for the twins, one for the servants and one for guests.
"Famous racing-car driver and vintage-car collector Phil Hill, who lived in Santa Monica, was a classmate of young George Hearst's at the Hollywood Military Academy and recalls visiting him in the canyon. George was partial to horses, motorcycles, and cars. The family had horses, kept in the stable and a quarter mile race track, with a stick-and-ball polo field in the center, for Courtland Hill, who was a polo player.
"Two of the eight stalls in the stable were turned into a shop for cars. Phil Hill had a Model T Ford, and George had a 1931 Model A. . . .
"In 1952 the Hill estate was purchased by Paquita Lick Machris, daughter of Santa Monica landowner Charles Lick, and her husband, Maurice, whose father was one of three brothers who founded the Wilshire Oil Company . . .
"Since both Maury and Paquita were avid hunters and made frequent trips to Africa, they converted the stable into a lodge as a showcase for their trophies . . . The Machrises also brought back the materials for one of the dioramas at the Los Angeles Natural History Musem, elephants included.
" . . .
"In 1964 . . . sold . . . to developer Parker Jackson . . . [sold off] 1971." p. 172