RanchoLogo

Opening Doors

The Opening Doors Capital Campaign that began in 2018 was completed in 2023, raising $7.2 million, more than double its original goal of $3.5 million. We are grateful to Senator Lena Gonzalezโ€™ office for an award in the amount of $1.75 million and to Assemblymember Josh Lowenthalโ€™s office for a $250,000 award. These funds allowed us to conclude our Opening Doors Capital Campaign and moved forward with implementing important initiatives such as fire protection, security and technology, restoration and furnishing, and program development.

Group holding giant checks for historical site funding.

Our Generous Donors

Ron & Phyllis Arias

Bess J. Hodges Foundation

Bixby Land Company

Barbara Blackwell

California Arts Council

California Cultural and Historical Endowment

Craig Carter

City of Long Beach

Gene & Gail Dermody

John & Elissa DiCarlo

Andrew Dudley

Stephen & Nancy Dudley

Dennis Eschen

Farmers & Merchants Trust Company

John Fielder & Donita Van Horik

Alan & Cheryl Fox

Junior League of Long Beach

LGA Family Foundation

Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association

Martin A. Clancy and Clarisse Clancy Foundation

Daniel & Pamela Munzer

National Endowment for the Humanities

Margie & Frank Newell

Vicki Pard

Robin Perencevic

Craig Smith, PhD

Jean Bixby Smith

State of California

San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy

The Earl B. and Loraine H. Miller Foundation

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

The New L Family Fund

The Rudolph J. and Daphne A. Munzer Foundation

Laurence & Janet Watt

Susan Anderson & Erich Wise

Fran Woods

Rancho Los Cerritos recently embarked on a 3-year campaign to restore previously unseen rooms of the historic adobe and open doors to a dynamic learning experience for generations to come. Through the Opening Doors campaign, Rancho Los Cerritos will complete Phase Two of its Master Plan, which will nearly double access to the Rancho and transform the experience for visitors into true โ€œliving history.โ€

The mission of the Rancho Los Cerritos is to restore and preserve the structure and grounds, collect appropriate resources, and interpret the relationship of the Ranchoโ€™s diverse peoples to the development of the Long Beach area.

Our current room expansion project allows us to continue to uphold this mission. By adding exhibit rooms to illustrate what the Rancho looked like in the early 1930s after Llewellyn Bixby II and his wife Avis purchased and restored the historic home, we are able to build on the stories we already tell here.

The siteโ€™s 20th century features demonstrate what life was like once Long Beach became a burgeoning city thanks to the development of the port, oil discoveries, and a thriving tourism industry. Visitors will be brought back to early 1930s Long Beach when they view the following spaces:

Llewellyn Jrโ€™s bedroom: The space will be restored and furnished to look as it did when Llewellyn Bixby IIโ€™s son occupied this bedroom as a young adult in the 1930s.

  • Living room: Currently housing the siteโ€™s archival collections, the living room space will be restored to its 1930s glory. Featuring a stunning vaulted ceiling and large fireplace, visitors will be able to compare the 1930s leisure space with the existing 1870s parlor.

Sleeping porch: The window-lined room on the Ranchoโ€™s second story offers beautiful views of the Ranchoโ€™s gardens. This was an extension of Llewellyn II and Avisโ€™s master bedroom and provided a transitional space from the homeโ€™s interior to the exterior veranda.

Bathrooms: Indoor plumbing was one of the modern features introduced in the home during the 1930 remodel. Three period bathrooms will be restored and furnished to illustrate how the spaces looked during this time.

Llewellyn II and Avisโ€™s closets: The Bixbysโ€™ walk-in closets will be furnished with period clothing and personal items to reflect how the space looked in the early 1930s.

We are also adding an 1870s space to the historic homeโ€™s exhibit areas: the closet under the stairs. This space will be furnished to match the description offered by Sarah Bixby Smith in Adobe Days, which was her account of life at the Rancho during this period. This supply closet housed bridles, old coats and boots, boxes of mixed nails and bolts, tobacco, matches, candles, and soap.

Opening Doors to RLCโ€™s Future

Rancho Los Cerritos is not only a National, State and Local Historic Landmark, but also a living and breathing testament to our heritage. A place where the young and the young at heart can connect with our shared past, and, through its unique offerings, make sense of issues facing us today.

Southern California has a rich and vibrant history. From the Tongva, who were the areaโ€™s earliest known inhabitants, to the Spanish explorers, Gold Rush miners and the migrants fleeing hardship during the Great Depression, Southern California has seen its share of booms and busts, floods and droughts, missionaries and migrants. And through it all, Rancho Los Cerritos has stood witness to our shared history.

Now, as we embark on a new era, the Rancho has an opportunity to continue to evolve, to share this rich history in new ways, opening doors to a dynamic learning experience for generations to come. Thatโ€™s why weโ€™re reaching out to the Rancho Los Cerritos community, and all of Southern California, to raise funds to open these doorsโ€”with physical upgrades, new construction, and inventive educational programsโ€”so that our rich heritage will remain vibrant and relevant, well into the future.

Make a Donation

Your generous donation ensures the continued operation and preservation of one of California's most important historical and cultural sites