Photo approximately March, 1985

This is the story that I promised you about the house. There were two articles written on it; the first one was by an Earthquake Preparedness Publication, that article I can no longer find, the second article appeared in the Monterey Herald Newspaper. Most of what follows is from that article.

Barns converted into homes are far more common in the East than in the West,but that didn't stop Richard Cross of Salinas from taking advantage of an opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream. It all started one rainy afternoon, in 1985, Cross saw an add for a barn, in a sunny area, ready for conversion to a house. A native of Arizona, he was attracted by the word "Sunny." After four weeks of negotiations the Barn was his. Long a landmark on Corral de Tierra Road, the 1,500-square-foot steel-framed structure had housed the large animal clinic of Dr. Robert Malloy, the husband of actress Kim Novak. Malloy had built the structure to service Kim's many Llamas and the needs of the ranchers in the area. It was equipped with horse stalls, examination room, and an office.

Though the structure bears little resemblance to Midwestern or Eastern barns, it nonetheless provided a starting point for Cross, age 47. Likewise, the home today bears little resemblance to the Malloy Clinic. His first step was to design a home that would utilize the form of the existing structure and yet yield his vision of his dream home. To complete the project to a point that it could be lived in took three years; that required the structure to be gutted and raised six feet to accommodate a second floor; now 3,000-sq.-ft. Taking on such a project was perhaps a bit easier for Cross than it might have been for others. His father was a contractor and a jack-of-all-trades and had passed this ability onto his son. An air traffic controller at Monterey Airport, Cross was able to work on the house during the day and work at night as an air traffic controller. To cope with the task at hand Cross purchased a tractor to help lift materials and to excavate the lot for lawn and drainage. He cleared out the banks of the stream that runs by his front door so he could listen to the babbling brook at night. Cross, who is divorced (again), also saved money by living in a 19-foot motor home on the property during construction. He recalls going to Chamisal Tennis Club for his daily shower. Three years later he was allowed to move into the house as construction continued. At this point he bartered the motor home for a new driveway and parking area.

The result of his years of work produced a large Swiss Chalet type home with a two story, dramatic staircase of Philippine mahogany to greet visitors to this bright, open, four bedroom, four bath home. The home's inside walls are white, as is the carpet and furniture; all accented with colors and designs of the southwest Indians. A beautiful balance of color is achieved through the decorations and the ceiling. The color and beauty of natural redwood covers the ceiling, giving a feeling of a mountain cabin. If you listen you can hear the creek just out side. Cross admits that it would have been less expensive to tear down the old barn and start from scratch but that would not have been his dream, and we do not get that many chances to live a dream. The heavy steel "I" beam superstructure of the barn was incorporated into the house to make the house earthquake resistant. The walls were reinforced with extra wood where ever possible to further enhance the structures strength. The fireplace sits on a ten-foot deep foundation. Thousands of screws were used in place of nails. The proof of how well all of this planning would hold up came a few years later; The Loma Prieta Quake; it was the worst in years for northern California and was centered forty miles north of Cross' barn. The house shook and the driveway rolled like jelly, and the house suffered nary a crack. Sweat equity and acting as Owner/Builder, Cross was able to build a much better home than would have been possible had he paid a contractor to build the house for him.

The elegant home is a place of beauty and a source of pride for Richard. The home sits on an acre and a half, most of which is lawn, and flowers are growing on each of the three decks as well as in every nook and cranny of the property. Two additional patios are under construction, both will include planters for more flowers and one is located on the stream and will give the feeling that you are where you are: in the heart of Steinbeck Country. John would have been proud. Lisa and I have seen Bobcat, Mallards, Egrets, Peacock, Deer, Fox, and Mountain lion around the property. We do not let our dog out alone because a neighbor had his dog eaten by a mountain lion. We are only twenty hi-way minutes from town, which is close enough to civilization for me. Lisa drives thirty minutes to Carmel-by-the-Sea for work and I drive four miles to the tennis club. All of this and I am still alive to enjoy it, what a lucky guy indeed.