Cambria California



Cambria is a hot bed for artist, unique shops, great food and then there is Nit Wit Ridge.  If you like the weird then you need to see this house.

 

The page is about Nit Wit Ridge.  If you would like more infomation on Cambria Click Here.

The weird house located at 881 Hillcrest Drive in Cambria, Ca. is no ordinary house.  The term weird, unusual, strange or junk would apply but ordinary, oh no!

When I arrived in Cambria about five years ago I kept hearing about Nit Wit Ridge.  Every now and then tourist would ask me if I knew where Nit Wit Ridge was located and I always told them it is up one of the hills in the West Village.

Finally after about two years of living in Cambria I decided to hunt down this place called Nit Wit Ridge and see what it was all about.

I went to the west village and followed the signs.  I drove up Hillcrest Drive and saw what I thought was just a junkie old house perched on the hill.

At first I was not impressed.  It just looked like a run down old house that had been neglected but much to my surprise, after I stopped and got out of the car, it was much more than a junkie old house.  The house was junk to the extreme.  The house was weird plus fifty.

Don't get me wrong, it was junk but the junk seemed to be organized into some sort of sculpture.  In fact, this weird house in Cambria California has been described as an "assemblage of sculpted junk."

Scupltured junk was an understatement in my opinion.  All I could see was a bunch of toilets, sea shells and rusty car rims which cluttered the property.  My first thought, what sort of person would want to live like this?  Since that moment in time I have learned to appreciate what Arthur Beal created.  This type of art is called folk art.  I am still undecided as to what I think.

Appreciate my not be the right term.  I think I have learned that art can take on different forms and appreciation is in the eye of the beholder.  However, I have made up my mind what I think about the house.  To me, it is still just a junkie old house with trash scattered all over the place.  When you are in Cambria, ca you just have to see the house and make up your own mind.

Arthur Beal who was also known as Captian Nit Wit started this project in Cambria California around 1928 and continued to pile up junk until 1979.

Today the property is owned by the O'Malleys.  If you would like to take a tour of the house you can drive my and look at the toilet sitting on the road to find out when the next tour will be starting.  If you don't want to look at the sign on the toilet you can call (805)927-2690 and get the time of the next tour.

If you just want to see the house you can find the location on goggle maps or just stop and ask someone.

More Pictures of Nit Wit Ridge!

For more information on Cambria California Click Here.


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