Adventure: 051, Site 042 – Nitt Witt Ridge

Capture California, the Game-2012

Adventure: 051, Site 042 – Nitt Witt Ridge

California Landmark Number: 939

Team: Thing One, Thing Two

Date:  September 18, 2012

Location: Cambria

Latitude: 35° 34.066′ N

Longitude: 121° 5.848′ W

Address: 881 Hillcrest Drive, Cambria, Ca

Description:

Date Built: 1928, onward

Architect: Arthur Harold Beal, aka Der Tinkerpaw, aka Capt Nitt Witt

Our son has the best description of this place than anything else would describe. Remember that Cambria is a pretty high class place, just off of the ocean enough to be pleasant, but not enough to be hot. And just up highway one is San Simeon. The best way to describe this site is that it is a “poor man's Hearst Castle.” Thing One would add in, it might be what would happen if Hearst Castle meet the Winchester House.



The house is behind a chain link fence for safety reasons. But from the street, you can see it is an amazing collection of rooms and paraphernalia. You see, the builder of this place was the city's garbage collector. As such, he had access to all sorts of throw away. Evidently he took to heart that one man's trash is another man's treasure. As Cambria threw away its junk, Arthur Beal built his house with only a shovel and pick. Even from Hearst Castle throwaway did his castle get built. As the plaque on the site said—it is hidden in one of the stairways—this is 20^th Century Folk Art.



When Beal died in 1992, the house feel into disrepair and was vandalized. In 1999, the O'Malley's undertook repairing the property and cleaning up some of the mess. They even give tours of the place, upon demand. To see more of the property, take at look at the O'Malley's web pages.




NO. 939 Twentieth Century Folk Art Environments (Thematic) -NITT WITT RIDGE - Nitt Witt Ridge, one of California's remarkable Twentieth Century Folk Art Environments, is the creation of Arthur Harold Beal (der Tinkerpaw or Capt. Nitt Witt), a Cambria Pines pioneer, who sculpted the land using hand tools and indigenous materials, remarkable inventiveness, and self-taught skills. A blend of native materials and contemporary elements, impressive in its sheer mass and meticulous placement, it is a revealing memorial to Art's unique cosmic humor and zest for life.
Location: Nitt Witt Ridge, 881 Hillcrest Dr, Cambria Pines






References:

• HMDB.org
  
• Wikipedia
  

Overall Landmark References:

• David Schmitt's California State Historical Landmark (Schmitt)
  
• Wikipedia: California's National Landmarks (WCNL)
  
• State of California's California Historical Landmarks (CHL)
  
• Wikipedia: California State Landmarks (WCSL)
  
• State of California Historical Resources (CHR)
  
• National Registry of Historical Places (NRHP)