In 1937, actress Barbara Stanwyck built a roughly 6,000-square-foot residence on a hilltop in Northridge, in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. The house was part of Marwyck Ranch, a roughly 130-acre thoroughbred breeding and training operation associated with Stanwyck and her business partner and agent, Zeppo Marx. The home's architectural history is disputed: it has traditionally been attributed to architect Paul R. Williams, although Robert Finkelhor is listed as the architect of record on the original building permit. Stanwyck lived at the property for about two years before marrying actor Robert Taylor and moving closer to Hollywood. In 1941, comedian Jack Oakie purchased the estate and renamed it Oakridge, eventually making it his longtime home with actress Victoria Horne. Oakie, best known for playing Benzino Napaloni in Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, maintained a citrus orchard and Afghan Hounds on the grounds. After his death in 1978, Victoria continued efforts to preserve the property. Oakridge was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1990, and she donated it to the University of Southern California in 2000. When residential development later threatened the surviving estate, the City of Los Angeles acquired its remaining 9.47 acres in 2009.
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