White House West

THE PRESIDENCY

Like many American families, the mobile Richard Nixons have had no permanent home. Since World War II, Nixon's career has taken them to Washington, California, New York and now Washington again. But Dick and Pat Nixon were raised in California, and last week they were wrapping up final details to buy a house that could re-establish their roots in their old state.

Their White House West will be Cotton Point, a spacious adobe villa in the resort town of San Clemente, 50 miles south of Los Angeles. The location appeared ideal for a presidential retreat. The weather is dry and sunny nearly year-round, offering a respite from muggy Key Biscayne summers. There is privacy; the house sits on 20 sequestered acres on a bluff between the ocean and the coastal highway. There is even the convenience of nearby Camp Pendleton, with a handy helicopter pad for presidential commuting.

Wooded Seclusion. The classic red-roofed Spanish house was built 45 years ago by Henry Hamilton Cotton, millionaire real estate developer and prominent California Democrat. His widow, now 90, still lives there. Cotton brought Mexican artisans to lay the tile floors and build furniture and thick, wood-pegged doors. The house encloses a warm, sheltered patio with a fountain, outdoor fireplace, lawn and shrubbery. All five bedrooms open on the patio. Nixon likes seclusion and is especially fond of a semicircular library, reachable only from an outside stairway. Wide living room windows overlook the ocean.

Initially, Nixon wants to buy the seven waterfront acres, including the house and gardens, with their flourishing trees, for an estimated $400,000. He is also dickering for an option on the remaining 13 acres of the estate, to assign to a "friendly" buyer of his choice. One of the last points to be worked out was the purchase of some of the handmade furniture. The President has also been negotiating the sale of his 12-room New York City apartment, and Pat said they have had 16 offers. It is expected to bring the President about $350,000; when he bought it in 1963, the list price was $135,000. The Nixons are not planning beyond the White House years, but San Clemente may well become their permanent home; they are planning to use it as their voting address. Although they spent a househunting weekend there in March, they were not the first presidential visitors. One summer afternoon in 1935, Cotton hosted a barbecue for 4,000 guests, among them Franklin Roosevelt.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.