{"id":1401,"date":"2026-06-07T09:05:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T09:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1401"},"modified":"2026-06-07T09:05:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T09:05:52","slug":"dr-seuss-former-california-home-gets-new-owners-in-9-million-sale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1401","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Seuss\u2019 former California home gets new owners in $9 million sale"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>The La Jolla estate that once was the home of famed children\u2019s author Theodor Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) and his wife, Audrey, has new owners, one of whom also has a strong connection to children\u2019s literature.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1399\">CIF NorCal baseball, softball: Championship game scores<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The approximately 5,000-square-foot house at 7301 Encelia Drive sold May 29 for $9 million, below the initial price of $9.95 million sought by the seller, UC San Diego, which obtained it via donation after the Geisels\u2019 deaths.<\/p>\n<p>The new owners are Bird Rock residents Ralph and Jodi Bratch. Jodi is no stranger to children\u2019s books, as she owns and operates Bird Rock Bookshop at 5604 La Jolla Blvd. The store is intended for children and young adults, with a mix of classic books and book-related gifts.<\/p>\n<p>The Geisel house comes with a pool and pool house on 1.51 acres offering sweeping ocean views. The Jason Barry Team of Realtors at Barry Estates handled the sale.<\/p>\n<p>The estate, designed in 1950 by master architect Thomas Shepherd, \u201cwas thoughtfully built around a pre-existing Spanish Revival observation tower dating back to 1923-24, created to showcase the site\u2019s remarkable outlook,\u201d according to the Jason Barry Team.<\/p>\n<p>As many as 42 of Theodor Geisel\u2019s 68 published works were written at the house, including \u201cThe Cat in the Hat,\u201d \u201cThe Lorax\u201d and \u201cGreen Eggs and Ham.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jodi Bratch opened Bird Rock Bookshop in October, roughly two years after moving from Florida.<\/p>\n<p>With more time on her hands and a desire to connect more deeply with her new community, Bratch got to work on launching the store.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI felt the community had space for it and it filled a need,\u201d Bratch told the <em>La Jolla Light<\/em> in November. \u201cThere\u2019s a charm and an identity that Bird Rock has, and a little children\u2019s bookstore seemed like a good fit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bratch said the couple plan to ensure the integrity of Dr. Seuss\u2019 former home with minimal remodeling indoors. Their goal, she said, is to pursue historic designation for the property and preserve what she describes as \u201ca time capsule.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1397\">Dear Abby: Our friend\u2019s behavior around our grandchildren is worrying<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Both the home\u2019s tower and office have been designated as historic by the San Diego Historical Resources Board and must remain through any future renovations.<\/p>\n<p>The property\u2019s appeal, Bratch said, stems largely from its history and \u201cspectacular views.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Theodor Geisel lived in the house for some four decades until his death in 1991. Audrey died in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Afterward, the house was donated to UC San Diego, which put it on the market in January this year. According to the Stull Act \u2014 which regulates the sale of any surplus property owned by the University of California \u2014 certain steps had to be taken to sell the house. Sealed bids were accepted until April 15.<\/p>\n<p>UCSD spokeswoman Melinda Battenberg said the property \u201cwas a gift to the university by Audrey Geisel, and the sales proceeds will go to the Geisel Fund, which will be used to benefit the university as directed by the gift agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Battenberg did not immediately elaborate on how the agreement directs the fund to be used.<\/p>\n<p>UCSD previously put the house up for sale in 2022 and followed the same process. None of the bids was accepted.<\/p>\n<p>The university sold two of the lots surrounding the house last year for a total of $9 million.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014 La Jolla Light staff writer Ashley Mackin-Solomon contributed to this report. \u2666<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1396\">First-time homebuyers face hurdles despite gradual improvement<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jodi Bratch, who owns the children\u2019s bookstore Bird Rock Bookshop, teams with her husband, Ralph, to buy the 5,000-square-foot ocean-view house from UC San Diego<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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