Salenger (Anne) Papers, 1941 to 1989

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Summary

Title:
Anne Salenger Papers
Dates:
1941 to 1989
Abstract:
Anne Salenger has been a resident of Malibu's Sunset Mesa since 1970. Salenger served the Malibu Lagoon Museum and the Adamson House in the late 1980s as the Head of Recruitment and Training on the Docent Advisory Council. This collection includes the Malibu LAgoon Museum Docent Manual and related materials that were used in this capacity.
Extent:
.21 Linear Feet 1 Half Hollinger Box
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Box/folder# or item name], Anne Salenger Papers, Collection no. 0217, Malibu Historical Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries, Pepperdine University.

Background

Scope and content:

The bulk of these papers are made up by the February 1989 Docent Manual, revised from the March 1988 printing, includes rules, tour routes, and pointers for volunteers but an abundance of assorted records relaying the museum's contents and history. These materials include maps of the house and its grounds, a record of the plants in the garden, and information about wedding venue rentals.

There are also several lectures, news clips, and letters detailing the history of the museum, from land acquisition and construction to operation in the 1980s, along with those about Californian architecture and notable figures in Malibu history, especially the Adamsons and Rindges. As notable Malibu residents, the Rindge family genealogy is also recorded in these papers along with several magazine clippings from the 1980s highlighting the Adamson house. The papers contain modern color photographs of the Rindge family's home in West Adams. Built in 1904, the house is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 95 and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The collection also includes 7 historic Malibu postcards from Anne Salenger's personal collection.

Biographical / historical:

Anne Salenger is a longtime Malibu resident. She and her husband, Gary Salenger, have lived on Sunset Mesa since 1970. Anne served as the Head of Recruitment and Training on the Docent Advisory Council for the Malibu Lagoon Museum in the late 1980s. As such, she was responsible for training and supporting volunteer docents at the museum in accordance with the Malibu Lagoon Museum Docent Manual, so that they could educate visitors about Malibu and the museum's history. Marge Merrick inscribed and dedicated the very first copy of "Ceramic Art of the Malibu Potteries" (1988) to Anne Salenger because of her key role as Museum Docent Chair.

The contents of these papers are primarily related to the Malibu Lagoon Museum, which is located alongside the historic Adamson House near Surfrider Beach in Malibu, California. The museum contains a collection of artifacts, rare photographs, and documents depicting the history of Malibu from the early Chumash Indian era through the development of a Spanish California culture. The Adamson House also is open to visitors. Docents, offering tours showcasing the house's unique Californian architecture, beautiful Malibu tiles, original furniture, and preserved 1930s gardens. Both the museum and house showcase Malibu's unique history with special emphasis on the influential Adamson family that lived on-site before the preservation of the site by the Malibu Historical Society. With continued support from docents and a volunteer board, California State Parks currently stewards the Adamson House and the Malibu Lagoon Museum.

The museum and Adamson house have a rich history in Malibu. Rhoda Rindge, daughter of Frederick Hastings Rindge, renowned businessman and the last owner of Malibu, married Merritt Adamson, the son of an Arizona legislator and sheep rancher. The land where the Adamson house now sits was then donated to Rhoda Rindge Adamson by her mother, May Knight Rindge, so the couple could build a vacation home outside of Los Angeles. The house, designed by well-known architect Stiles Clements for the Adamson family, was constructed in 1929 and was first used as a beach house beginning in 1930. Rhoda Adamson resided in the house until her death in 1962. As Pepperdine's Malibu campus opened, the family of Helen and Norvel Young lived in the Adamson House for 13 years. When the State of California bought the property from the Adamson family in 1968 with plans to use the land for beach parking, the house was saved by a passionate group of Malibu residents concerned about the location's unique architecture and Malibu tiles in 1977. In 1982, the house was converted into museum space in just ten months.

Acquisition information:
The collection was transferred to Pepperdine Libraries Special Collections and Archives by Anne Salenger in March 2023.
Processing information:

This collection was arranged and described by Anastasia Armendariz and Jess Kovie, January 2024.

Arrangement:

The Anne Salenger Papers were removed from the binder and postcards sleeves they were donated in and rehoused in folders for preservation concerns. The materials have been foldered in original order.

Physical location:
PAYSON 260 Row 3
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-06-20 22:31:06 +0000 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Advance notice required for access.

Terms of access:

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder# or item name], Anne Salenger Papers, Collection no. 0217, Malibu Historical Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries, Pepperdine University.

Location of this collection:
24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90263-4786, US
Contact:
(310) 506-4323
specialcollections@pepperdine.edu
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