Gatsbyesque Wedding at Bernard Maybeck estate, in 1976

Bernard Maybeck estate creates the perfect setting for a nostalgic Great Gatsby Wedding. 

Built in 1915 for the Ambassador of England, Noel A. and Jean Williams bought the Maybeck estate in 1968, and gave the Wedding of the year for their daughter Nancy in 1976.  Here is a picture of Nancy's brother,
 Chuck Williams, aka, BB1, with Sloop John B, in 1971.

Chuck, Williams, Sloop John B, and Nancy Williams, 1971, in one of the many gardens surrounding the Bernard Maybeck estate.

The most romantic, garden Wedding of 1976.

Chuck, ushers his mother, Jean Williams down the isle.

The Bride, Nancy Williams now Mrs. Paul Clark.

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Clark on the dance floor.

Nancy's uncle, Bill Williams with Nancy Williams Clark,  

Bill Williams, future wife, Gloria Rosan, 

John Williams-Huber and Bill Williams.

Maybeck made generous use of exposed beams, unpainted finish, huge fireplaces and clerestory windows. Above all else he loved redwood; 

he had also a strong feeling for concrete. Using his materials with great craftsmanship, at the same time he took full advantage of technology.

                          

Maybeck believed, as did his internationally famous contemporary, Frank Lloyd Wright, that the home should blend in with the natural landscape that surrounds it.

Throughout Maybeck's life his great wish was to be understood by the man in the street and to give him a sense of delight.

Bernard Maybeck, like so many entrepreneur's, of the early 20th century, were simple men with enormous creativity and larger than life vision. 
 
A few come to mind, including:  

Tom Lyle Williams - Maybelline,
Erte - design and fashion,
Flo Ziegfeld - Follies 
F.Scott Fitzgerald novels,
especially, The Great Gatsby.
 
Read more about the family that brought you Maybelline, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind it.

Maybelline Money, Property and Prestige in the 1970's.

The 1970's exploded with a spending frenzy for property and prestige after the sale of the Maybelline Company.

My cousins, Nancy and Chuck Williams with my sister, Donna, at our new home on Lido Isle, Newport Beach in 1971.  My father, Bill bought the property for $185,000 in 1968 and built two homes on it.  He sold one for $195,000 in 1970 and the other for $250 in 1973 when he moved to Palm Springs California.

Chuck Williams and his dog, at his parents new estate in Montecito, California in 1969. The home was designed by Bernard Maybeck, a famous architect who built the home  in 1915, for the Ambassador to England.  Noel and Jean Williams bought the home for $185,000 in 1969 and today it is valued at over 15 million.  Noel sold it in 1976 for a half a million dollars. 

Eva and Ches' daughter Marilyn, (Williams-Haines) and her husband John Gary, moved to Virginia and bought this home built in the 1800's for $185,000 and created a storybook wonderland for their 6 children, in the 1970's. The home is still in the family today, but is now for sale because of Marilyn's declining heath, in her 80's.    

Noel Williams in his brother Dick's Excalabur, at Dick and Ann's estate in Boca Raton Florida where they like Bill also bought a yacht to go along with their new lifestyle. 

Read more about the sale of the Maybelline Company and the aftermath in my family that will leave you stunned, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  Buy a signed copy from me, at http://www.maybellinestory.com/.  Thank you for following my blog, a stunning, historical piece of the

American Pie.