The entrance to the Brock House stands peacefully above Pepperdine’s Seaver undergraduate campus in Malibu, California. Photos by Melissa Houston
Most students are familiar with the name George Pepperdine; yet, there are few who know of Margaret Brock.
Following the creation of Pepperdine’s Malibu campus in 1972, Margaret Brock generously funded the creation of a permanent residence for the University’s president, according to The Brock Collection at Pepperdine University. Brock was an influential Republican donor, known as “Mrs. California Republican,” and a member of the Board of Regents.
“She was very selfless,” First Lady Joline Gash said. “She gave a lot of her personal fortune to Pepperdine in terms of benefiting our students.”
U.S. President Gerald Ford dedicated the Brock House at Pepperdine University in Malibu on Sept. 20, 1975, honoring Margaret Brock’s contributions.
The Brock House plays an interesting role as a “home” at Pepperdine. It is both an official entertaining space for University events and the private home of the first family.
Jennifer Gash, 2022 Pepperdine alumna and daughter of President Jim Gash, said living in the Brock House was a quintessential part of her time at Pepperdine.
“There’s never a dull moment at the Brock House,” Jennifer Gash said.
The second floor of the Brock House serves as a public event space, while the downstairs is the private residence of the first family.
One of her favorite memories was during her first year of grad school when she was pursuing a Master of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary. While she worked on an exam for finals, she could hear laughing from the annual Brock House Christmas party upstairs.
“It was a cool moment where I had to keep working, but I could be in both worlds still,” Jennifer Gash said.
Even in its earliest years, the Brock House was a place for community and gathering. Guest books from the 1970s and 1980s record visits from donors, regents, civic leaders and friends of the University. From the beginning, this was a house meant to be shared.
Jim Gash said he wants to “let people know that there’s a home on campus where they’re welcome.”
A Home Built With Purpose
As Pepperdine grew, so did the role of the Brock House. Former President Andrew K. Benton, who served from 2000 to 2019, expanded the use of the Brock House to students and campus life.
Benton started “Rock the Brock,” the celebration for senior students at the start of their final year, an echo of the annual first-year President’s Reception with music, food and dancing. Today, students feel the purpose and values of Pepperdine through the house.
“Having that time at the Gash’s house was so special and fun,” first-year Lily McDowell said. “I met so many people and really felt welcomed by the president.”
Senior Hannah Snow said coming back to the Brock House was “a full circle moment.”
“It was so crazy to be back at that same place but with a completely new perspective on this place and these people,” Snow said.
Jim Gash overlooks Pepperdine’s campus from the Brock House.
The house’s dual purpose informed some of the architectural details, with two kitchens — one for catering big events and another for the first family’s personal use, Pepperdine historian Sam Perrin, also known as the Ghost of George Pepperdine, wrote in an email.
When Jim and Joline Gash arrived in 2019, they inherited not just a home but a legacy of hospitality.
“It’s a home for students as well as us,” Joline Gash said.
Shortly after Jim Gash became president of Pepperdine, the Brock House underwent renovations — completed in 2020 — to modernize the space and better support gatherings.
More Than a Residence
Across decades, presidents have used the Brock House to bring people together. The house has hosted first hellos and final goodbyes. Jim Gash started hosting baptism events at the Brock House in December 2021.
“It’s intended to be a space for joy and laughter but also a place for meaningful conversations and worship — further seeking the mission of the University,” Jennifer Gash said.
In that sense, the Brock House is exactly what it was meant to be — a home at the heart of Pepperdine, continually shaped by the people who pass through its doors and opening those doors wider for the next generation.
“It is a kingdom asset as well as a Pepperdine asset,” Jim Gash said. “This isn’t just for the University. This is for the kingdom of God.“
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Contact Clementine Metz via email: clementine.metz@pepperdine.edu