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California
The Van Bergens found some property available on a large tract of land in Montecito, owned by a Mr. and Mrs. John Wack who lived in the Hope Ranch section of Santa Barbara. The Wacks were quite wealthy (Mrs. Wack was a member of the DuPont family) and owned hundreds of acres of land . The Wacks sold the Van Bergens a large piece of land on which to build their house. The deed was restrictive however, and the Van Bergens would not be allowed to subdivide their land and build other houses. The site where Van Bergen chose to build was, and is, one of the most spectacular sites in the Santa Barbara area. The house, on Mountain Drive, had a circular, or more precisely, a 22 sided living room that gave a panoramic view from the mountains of the city below, the ocean and the Channel Islands. They named the home, appropriately, "Wide Horizons".
The design was so successful that it instantly gained Van Bergen a good reputation in the area, and instead of retirement, he found himself with new commissions including one of best of his career, a large estate for the Wacks themselves, down the road on Mountain Drive. The Wack commission took about three years to complete, and as he concentrated on this job, Van Bergen let other commissions go. After finishing the Wack house around 1960, work became more and more sporadic.
The house and grounds on Mountain Drive were becoming more and more difficult to maintain for the aging couple. John was beginning to suffer from diverticulitis, and prostate problems. By late 1960, John had already had two surgeries and his health was beginning to fail. Despite this, he continued to work and to retain his optimistic outlook. Reluctantly, the Van Bergens made the decision to sell their Mountain Drive home but looked forward to building their next one.
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