LANDMARKS / COUNTY HISTORICAL SITES : The Ramelli-Willett House
HISTORY: Built in 1926 for William (Guiseppi) Ramelli, the house was designed by Santa Paula architect Roy C. Wilson and was one of the first structures in the Ojai Valley. It was also owned by Ventura County’s Willett pioneer family and was operated as a bed-and-breakfast inn during the 1980s. It became Ventura County Landmark No. 92 in 1983.
LOCATION: On a hilltop overlooking the Ojai Valley, the house is located at 51 Sulphur Mountain Road, off California 33.
HOURS: The house is privately owned and is not open for tours.
The Ojai Valley was a remote place in the mid-1920s when William (Guiseppi) Ramelli, an immigrant from Lucerne, Switzerland, looked for a site for a new home for himself and his bride, Helen Blackstock Ramelli. He selected a hilltop overlooking the west end of the Ojai Valley, close to San Antonio Creek. The only existing structure on the property was a rustic cabin.
To design the house, Ramelli, who had successful ranching and real estate interests in Ventura County, chose prominent Santa Paula architect Roy C. Wilson. Wilson designed other Ventura County buildings that have become landmarks, including Santa Paula’s Teague mansion, Hueneme Elementary School and the Foster Bowl, an outdoor amphitheater.
The house has arched picture windows, a red tile, gable roof, leaded-glass and stained glass windows and handmade tile from central Mexico. A pigment in the stucco gives the house, which has 26 rooms and eight fireplaces, its distinctive pink color.
Though the Ojai Valley may have been a near-wilderness when the house was built, the Ramellis and architect Wilson sought to give the home some cozy touches. The master bedroom has an adjoining sitting room and both rooms have fireplaces. Two guest houses, each with kitchens and fireplaces, were also part of the original construction.
The Ramellis moved away from the area in 1933 and the house was acquired by Dr. Sterling Clark, a Ventura orthopedic surgeon. In 1939, it was sold to Richard Willett (son of Ventura County pioneer Muktar Willett) and his wife, Esther. Mrs. Willett occupied the house until 1983, when the house was sold to the Harmonson family.
The Harmonsons converted the house into an upscale bed-and-breakfast hotel, renaming it Roseholm and advertising throughout the United States. In 1983, Roseholm was featured in an episode of the television show, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”
In 1987 the home was sold again, this time to Jacob and Katherine Inbar, who restored it to a single-family home.
The home is easily visible from California 33. It is for sale for $1.4 million. The owners do not allow tours of the property.
