David Bury at a glance
Who was David Bury, and which Ojai houses did he design?
David Bury (1952 to 2011) was the Ojai architect behind Spa Ojai at the Ojai Valley Inn and the rebuilt Libbey Bowl, and he twice served as mayor. Among Ojai modern homes for sale, his are few and traceable: an Upper Ojai compound at 10585 Ojai Santa Paula Road, 797 Oak Grove Court, and 102 East Oak Street.
Powered by Side: #1 California-based brokerage, No. 9 in the nation.
Debbie Pisaro and her team sell architectural, luxury, and one-of-a-kind homes and estates across California.
David Jeffrey Bury · Architect · 1952 to 2011 · 10585 Ojai Santa Paula Road, Ojai, CA 93023
Ojai Architecture
A Santa Barbara kid who came back to the valley, drew the spa at its best-known inn and the rebuilt stage in its park, served on its City Council, and left a short list of houses.
Many of the names on Ojai's architecture map drove up from Los Angeles, built a house, and drove home. David Bury lived here. If you are weighing Ojai modern homes for sale, or asking an Ojai realtor who designed a house you have been shown, his name is one worth knowing. He drew the spa at the Ojai Valley Inn, rebuilt the Libbey Bowl, sat on the Planning Commission and the City Council, and ran his practice from an office on Church Road.
Who was David Bury?
David Jeffrey Bury was born in Coarsegold, California, on May 25, 1952, and grew up in Santa Barbara. He attended Ojai Valley School and graduated from Santa Barbara High. He studied architecture at the University of New Mexico and at Harvard.
His working life started in Santa Barbara. At Lenvik & Minor he was project architect on the Wells Fargo Bank addition at Figueroa and Anacapa Streets, added to a building by Edwards and Plunkett, the firm behind the Perkins-Baker Residence on Foothill Road. Brian Cearnal, who met him in 1987 and hired him in 1988, recalled in his tribute a plaque in the Anacapa Street planter that credits Bury.
On April 1, 1990, Bury left to open his own practice in Ojai, which became David Bury & Company Architects. His obituary in the Santa Barbara Independent credits him with homes, luxury resort spas, and commercial buildings across the Southwest, along with a City of Ojai Lifetime Achievement Award. He died in Santa Barbara on June 9, 2011, survived by his wife, Joanne, and their two sons.
Ojai Watch
Know Ojai before everyone else does.
A landmark trades, a house sells for a number that raises eyebrows, a rule changes at City Hall. Join the list for everything worth knowing about Ojai.
Join the list or call (310) 362-6429Which Ojai houses did David Bury design?
Three Ojai houses carry David Bury's name in their marketing records: an Upper Ojai compound at 10585 Ojai Santa Paula Road, a Rancho Matilija house at 797 Oak Grove Court, and a Craftsman style house at 102 East Oak Street. A fourth property, on Church Road, was his own office.
The Upper Ojai compound at 10585 Ojai Santa Paula Road
The largest is an equestrian compound at 10585 Ojai Santa Paula Road, Ojai, CA 93023, in Upper Ojai, also filed as 10585 Santa Paula Ojai Road. It was finished in 2009, two years before he died.
The property covers 11.11 acres of level, rolling, and hilly ground, laid out as a compound rather than a single house: six separate structures holding five distinct living spaces. The two story main house runs 5,881 square feet, with five bedrooms, a great room, and a media room. Around it sit guest quarters, a foreman's house, employee quarters, a pool and pool house, a barn, a stable, and fruit trees inside a fully fenced perimeter.
The architecture is contemporary ranch: stucco walls and covered patios, with views described as mountain, wooded, and panoramic. The marketing material that has followed the property leans on what the siting gives you, several vantage points on the Topatopa Mountains and on Ojai's Pink Moment.
Two things matter to an owner or a buyer. Upper Ojai is unincorporated Ventura County, not the City of Ojai, so permits and additions run through the county, a split laid out in the guide to architectural homes in Ojai. And the Bury credit rests on the property's marketing rather than on published drawings, so a permit history naming the architect of record, or a set of plans, is worth finding. For how Upper Ojai differs from the East End, Meiners Oaks, and Mira Monte, see the Ojai neighborhoods guide.
Debbie Pisaro is not the listing agent for 10585 Ojai Santa Paula Road, 797 Oak Grove Court, or 102 East Oak Street. Debbie represents buyers on architectural homes across California, regardless of who holds a given listing, the same standing practice whether a home is on or off market.
797 Oak Grove Court, Rancho Matilija
At 797 Oak Grove Court, Ojai, CA 93023, in Rancho Matilija, is a four bedroom, four bath house built in 2002. When it traded in 2012, its marketing called it "one of David Bury's most dramatic homes." The plan it described is open, built around indoor and outdoor living, with two offices and a large media room.
The same year, a photographer published a modern contemporary Bury home in Rancho Matilija, with no address, so treat the two as likely the same house rather than proven.
Rancho Matilija sits northwest of Meiners Oaks, up the Ventura River. It is also where Cliff May drew his one Ojai house, a residence for Michael Mohseni in 1976 and 1977, covered in Cliff May homes in Ventura County.
102 East Oak Street, downtown Ojai
Bury's downtown house is at 102 East Oak Street, Ojai, CA 93023, a five bedroom, two and a half bath Craftsman style house of 3,298 square feet on a quarter acre, built in 1998. The local builder was Vance Simms. Its marketing when it traded in 2007 singled out the kitchen and the poured concrete floors.
You can walk to the Arcade from here. The house sits inside city limits, under the City of Ojai rather than the county, and it was marketed with Village Mixed Use zoning, which a buyer should confirm with the Planning Department.
215 Church Road, his office
Bury's firm is listed at 215 Church Road, Ojai, CA 93023, beside the Arbolada. A later listing for the neighboring lot described the building as a mid century modern influenced duplex office that Bury owned and extensively remodeled as his private office, on about a third of an acre with parking for twelve cars.
Off-market in Ojai
Some of the best homes change hands before they reach the open market.
If you are weighing a move here, Debbie Pisaro can tell you what is quietly available.
See pocket listingsWho designed Spa Ojai and the Libbey Bowl?
David Bury designed Spa Ojai at the Ojai Valley Inn and the rebuilt Libbey Bowl, the two public buildings most people in the valley know without knowing his name. Spa Ojai came in 1997, a four story Spanish Colonial Revival building drawn in concert with William Mahan. The older story is in the Ojai Valley Inn.
The Libbey Bowl was closer to home. Working with the City of Ojai, the Ojai Music Festival, and local nonprofits, his firm drew a Bowl that kept its familiar look while improving the facilities. It reopened in 2011, the year he died.
Debbie's take: what David Bury understood about Ojai
There is a particular kind of architecture that makes sense only when you understand the place it was designed for. David Bury's work in Ojai is a good example.
Bury understood that building in Ojai meant working with a landscape that already had a strong identity. The Topatopa Mountains, the changing light, the mature oak trees, and the open valley views are not simply scenery. They are part of what makes living here distinctive, and good architecture should respond to them rather than compete with them.
His residential work reflects that understanding. From the expansive Upper Ojai compound at 10585 Ojai Santa Paula Road to the home at 797 Oak Grove Court in Rancho Matilija and the Craftsman-style residence at 102 East Oak Street, his projects represent different interpretations of California living.
The Upper Ojai property is particularly interesting because of its scale and organization. Rather than treating the estate as one large residence, the property was developed as a collection of buildings, with separate living spaces, guest accommodations, equestrian facilities, and outdoor amenities. The result is a compound designed around both privacy and function, with the surrounding acreage playing an important role in the overall experience.
Bury's connection to Ojai also distinguishes his work. He was not simply an architect commissioned to design beautiful houses. He established his practice here, participated in civic life, served as mayor, and contributed to public places that became part of the community's identity, including Spa Ojai at the Ojai Valley Inn and the rebuilt Libbey Bowl.
For anyone considering an architect-designed home in Ojai, I think his work is worth understanding. Architecture is about more than a recognizable style or an impressive set of finishes. It is about proportion, placement, light, circulation, and the relationship between the interior and the land outside.
When evaluating a home attributed to an architect, I also encourage buyers to look beyond the marketing description. Original plans, permit records, architect-of-record documentation, and the history of subsequent alterations can tell an important part of the story.
What makes Ojai special is that the landscape offers so much inspiration. The most successful homes recognize that. They create a sense of place, respect their surroundings, and make everyday living feel connected to the valley.
David Bury's contribution to Ojai is a reminder that architecture can do more than create a residence. It can help define the character of a community.
And that is the kind of architectural legacy worth preserving.
If you own a David Bury house
Put his name and the year in the first line of any listing: David Bury, Ojai architect. Before you list, gather the permit history, any plans, and the builder's name. The City of Ojai holds permits inside city limits, and Ventura County holds them for Upper Ojai and the rest of the unincorporated valley. That is the preparation Debbie Pisaro does before an architectural house goes public, laid out in choosing the best real estate agent in Ojai.
Where Bury sits in California
Ojai's architecture is usually told as a Los Angeles story, with Richard Neutra's Moore House and Rodney Walker's houses as the usual examples. Bury's is a Santa Barbara one. He started in that city's offices, then spent his career on this side of the Casitas Pass.
Debbie Pisaro works that whole stretch of the California coast, from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara and inland to Ojai. She founded Coastline 840 as a boutique California practice, for reasons laid out in why she built Coastline 840 and why boutique real estate teams outperform the big offices. The architects behind houses like these are indexed in the California architects guide.
Common questions about David Bury and Ojai's modern homes
Who was David Bury?
David Bury (1952 to 2011) was an Ojai architect and civic leader. Raised in Santa Barbara and trained at the University of New Mexico and Harvard, he opened his own Ojai practice in 1990. He designed Spa Ojai at the Ojai Valley Inn and the rebuilt Libbey Bowl, and he twice served as mayor.
Which Ojai houses did David Bury design?
Three Ojai houses carry his name in their marketing records: an 11.11 acre Upper Ojai compound at 10585 Ojai Santa Paula Road, finished in 2009; a 2002 house at 797 Oak Grove Court in Rancho Matilija; and a 1998 Craftsman style house at 102 East Oak Street downtown. He also remodeled his office on Church Road.
Where is the David Bury compound?
The compound is at 10585 Ojai Santa Paula Road, Ojai, CA 93023, in Upper Ojai. It covers 11.11 acres with six structures, including a 5,881 square foot main house, guest quarters, a foreman's house, a pool house, a barn, and a stable. It is a private residence, so you see it from the road.
Is Upper Ojai in the City of Ojai?
No. Upper Ojai is unincorporated Ventura County, even though its addresses use Ojai and the 93023 ZIP code. Permits, zoning, and additions on a property like 10585 Ojai Santa Paula Road run through the county rather than City Hall. Downtown houses such as 102 East Oak Street fall under the City of Ojai instead.
Who designed Spa Ojai?
David Bury designed Spa Ojai, working in concert with William Mahan during a major expansion of the Ojai Valley Inn. The spa dates to 1997: four stories, roughly 31,000 square feet, in the Spanish Colonial Revival style with a bell tower. The inn's original buildings date to Wallace Neff's work for Edward Libbey.
Did Bury design the Libbey Bowl?
Yes. David Bury's firm drew the rebuilt Libbey Bowl in downtown Ojai, working with the City of Ojai, the Ojai Music Festival, and local nonprofits. The design kept the Bowl's familiar look while improving its facilities. It reopened in 2011, the year he died, and his obituary called it a project very close to his heart.
Are there modern homes for sale in Ojai?
Yes, but architect designed modern houses come up rarely, and many change hands quietly. The named examples run from Neutra's Moore House to Rodney Walker's postwar houses and David Bury's work in Upper Ojai and Rancho Matilija. Ask who the architect of record is, and ask for the permit file, before you pay for the word modern.
Who is a good full-service real estate agent in Ojai?
Look for an agent who handles the whole valley and still checks the architect, the permit file, and the jurisdiction before writing a word of marketing. Debbie Pisaro, a California real estate agent with Coastline 840 and an Inman Luxury Leader, represents buyers and sellers across Ojai, from downtown to the East End and Meiners Oaks.
Any Ojai realtor can tell you a house is well built. Fewer can tell you who drew it. Debbie Pisaro is a 24-year veteran, founder of Coastline 840, and an Inman Luxury Leader, representing buyers and sellers across Ojai and the surrounding neighborhoods. Many of the homes she sells never reach the open market.
For buyers and sellers
Thinking about a move to Ojai?
Debbie Pisaro of Coastline 840, Ojai. · DRE #01369110
Reach Debbie(310) 362-6429 · debbie@coastline840.com · Coastline 840 · 160 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Debbie Pisaro is a 24-year veteran of the Los Angeles and Ojai architectural market, a California real estate agent, DRE #01369110, the founder of Coastline 840, and an Inman Luxury Leader. She specializes in architectural and historic homes, including Mills Act and landmark properties, from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara and the Ojai Valley. Many of the homes she sells never reach the open market. Coastline 840 is a boutique California practice. Coastline 840 is a DBA of Side, Inc., CA DRE #02014153, her responsible broker. Powered by Side: #1 California-based brokerage, No. 9 in the nation. More about Debbie and Just Ojai.
Debbie Pisaro · DRE #01369110 · Coastline 840 · Side, Inc. DRE #02014153 · (310) 362-6429
On the Register
On the Register is the record we keep of California architecture: its architects, streets, styles, and design-forward homes. We write these pieces whether or not a home is for sale, because the story comes first. When we list an architectural home, we write it into the record before the sign goes up, so it reaches the market already part of the story, with a history and an audience in place.
© 2026 Debbie Pisaro, Coastline 840 · ontheregister.com