History

Originally built in 1874, The Lavender Inn was Ojai’s first schoolhouse. Over the years, it has transitioned from a community center to Ojai Manor Hotel and more recently, Moon’s Nest Inn. The Lavender Inn was renamed in 2003 to reflect the prevalence of lavender being grown in Ojai.  Along the kitchen wall above the stove is the original brick (now painted) that was originally the exterior of the back of the school house.  Lavender Inn was named Landmark #14 and the Mills Act, only the 2nd building in Ojai so far to be awarded this title.

Marion described how they lived in the large house. Upstairs had only 5 bedrooms; rooms 5 and 6 did not exist yet. There was only one large bathroom that everyone shared. Gertrude hired “live-in help”, young women from the Ventura School for Wayward Girls. to work in their home to “put them back on the right path”. Marion remarked that her grandmother was very kind to them. The girls, usually one or two, lived in room number 1, which at that time had linoleum flooring. Room 2, now known as the Ojai Meadow, was Marion’s grandmother’s room. Gertrude was served breakfast in bed everyday and was the matriarch of the house. Marion lived in room number 3, and her mother lived in room 4, both without a bathroom or a balcony (added on 50 years later). Marion remembers how she used to stare out her window at the acacia tree that was rooted where the balcony now is located. Marion recalled having to go through room 1 to get to the screened in “sleeping porch”. The porch reached from the outside of room 1 to the outside of room 7, to Mr. Drown’s bedroom which was the largest.

On the first floor, Lavender Inn’s library was then Mayor Drown’s office while the current Lavender Inn office and guest check-in area used to be their walk-in pantry with drawers for flour and hanging slabs of bacon. Marion recalled the Drown’s celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in the house in the downstairs rooms.

Marion stated when she returned to The Lavender Inn for the first time in decades, she felt “connection” as she drove in and saw the latticework and the front flower garden. The now beautiful back garden had a tank house out back filled with water to help increase the water pressure and push it into the building. Being here reminded her of her grandmother Gertrude working in their garden. Marion fondly remembered peaking through the kitchen door and sneaking in with her grandfather while her grandmother made donuts. She said they would only get away with sneaking two donuts out of the kitchen before they were caught and their hands were jokingly slapped. Marion recalled the summers were so hot that they used to soak their sheets in the bathtub. Fruit was delivered to the screen porch and they always preserved their own fruits. There were no buildings next door just a pasture where she kept her horse, Dixie. Dixie would follow Marion to school and wait there until she was ready to walk home. The school was at the end of the street was Ojai Elementary and is now called Chaparral.. Marion noted a fun fact when she lived in Nordoff – there was a well-known author named David Lavender. Before leaving Lavender Inn, Marion tearfully claimed there was “a lot of love in this house” and we at the inn are happy to report there still is!