Left: The granite house at Hole Ranch. Right: Willits J. Hole.

Willits J Hole

Willits J. Hole was a land developer who started his career as the founder of the city of La Habra and an owner of oil rights in Southern California’s lucrative oil basin. In 1910, he purchased a large portion of the original Rancho La Sierra Sepulveda, and in 1912, despite having homes in Los Angeles and Palm Springs and a large yacht docked in Wilmington, Willits and his wife, Mary, built a ranch house on the property. Designed by noted architect, Arthur Benton, the house was constructed using granite quarried on the ranch and featured a music room with a 1,000-stop pipe organ.

Today, a portion of the original 20,000-acre Hole Ranch is the campus of La Sierra University.