Richard Requa, an architect from San Diego designed the Spanish Colonial Revival house.

The complex sits on 25.9 acres of heavily wooded with pine, scrub oak and many varieties of evergreen.

[3] Richard Requa's designs were a "Southern California Style" of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture which he defined in his book Architectural Details: Spain and the Mediterranean:[3] The house was first built as a residence for Albert E. Carlton and his wife Ethel Frizzell-Carlton.

In 1928, Carlton purchased the property from William A. Otis to build a home for his wife.

[3] Mrs. Carlton had become enamored of the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture during her travels across Southern California.

[5] The auditors found that there were unwarranted expenditures and that there had been inconsistent tagging of public (Academy) vs. private (residential) space and resource usage, which affects which budget is used to pay the expenses.

However, there were about 1.4 functions per month that required the use of the kitchen and most of the improvements were thought to have benefited the residential occupants.

[5][6] The audit stipulated that "Air Force guidance on historical housing facilities states bases should consider major upgrading, alternate uses, or disposing of historic housing if repair and maintenance costs become excessive.