Ritter House
Because of the isolation of the original research institution from the village of La Jolla (about 4 miles on a dirt road), most of the employees lived at the institution in its earliest years. Funds provided by Ellen B. Scripps built the two-story structure for the director. The first director, William E. Ritter, and his wife moved into the residence December 1913 and made it their home until his retirement in 1923.
Photo SIO Archives
Summer 1923
Dr. and Mrs. T. Wayland Vaughan lived in it from 1924 until his retirement in 1936. Dr. and Mrs. Harold U. Sverdrup lived in it from 1936 until their departure for Norway in 1948. The next director, Dr. Carl Eckart, preferred to live in his own house in La Jolla, so Scripps Professor and Mrs. Carl L. Hubbs were allowed to rent the Director's House. In 1954 they moved into their new off-campus house.
Photo SIO Archives
January 1937
In 1954, a research unit of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, closely associated with a fisheries program at Scripps, occupied T-16 until the Southwest Fisheries Center was completed in 1964. Then it was used by the offices of the Deep Sea Drilling Program until their building was built in 1969. It has been occupied by the administrative offices of the California Sea Grant College Progam since 1973. This well-constructed redwood house has not been extensively modified during its years of use, and it is a good candidate for saving as a historic building.
Beginning of restoration
September 1996
During restoration 1997
Roof, fireplace, exterior shingles, interior wall covering,
windows, electrical, and plumbing were replaced and retrofit for earthquake safety.
Below, view of the Scripps Pier from the living room windows in T-16, showing the restored windows and wainscoting
The large date palm on the south side of the Director's House appears younger, in early photos. It was probably planted by Director Ritter. The second director, T. Wayland Vaughan, was an enthusiastic gardner, who was responsible for the introduction of many exotic plants to the nearly desert climate of the Scripps campus.
In the garden east of the Director's House is a fine bronze sculpture, of a farmer sitting on his plow, looking pensive; at his feet is a small dog. Called "The Ploughman," it was created in 1910 by Arthur Putnam, as part of a series commissioned by E.W. Scripps to represent the history of California. However, members of the Scripps family say that the sculpture is also a representation of Illinois farmer George Henry Scripps, a brother of Ellen Browning Scripps who helped E.W. Scripps get into the newspaper business. Originally located at the home of E.W. Scripps, then called Miramar Ranch , the sculpture was given to Scripps Institution of Oceanography by the E.W. Scripps Trust, which had it placed at this site in 1976.
Historical text from Walking About Scripps, by Elizabeth N. Shor
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