The Sea Ranch Weekend

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The Sea Ranch Weekend

Credit

Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

It was three hours north of San Francisco, two by Porsche. It was like finding paradise at the end of the world.

 Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, graphic designer

Along ten miles of rugged Northern California coast is a radical architectural experiment that embodies the idealism of the 1960’s. Built on a former sheep ranch, The Sea Ranch housing development was envisioned by its founders to be a unique second home community that brought together a range of hearty like-minded individuals, who through collective ownership and place-driven design, sought to conserve the natural environment.

 

Docomomo’s The Sea Ranch travel tour begins with a stroll through the meadow via an iconic cypress hedgerow, where we explore the original development ideas as laid out by Larry Halprin. Tour the early buildings by Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull and Whitaker, and Joseph Esherick and Associates, and learn how Barbara Stauffacher Solomon’s Supergraphics put The Sea Ranch on the map. Visit buildings by William Turnbull, Obie Bowman, and James Hubbell, discover how The Sea Ranch evolved through the 1970’s through the 1990’s. Our tour culminates in a stunning private home, where we dine on the bounty of Sonoma County, while the sun sets over the Pacific.

 

SCHEDULE

Thursday, October 17

Travel day

We recommend guests arrive to The Sea Ranch no later than Thursday. It is a long 3-hour drive up the coast from San Francisco. Airports include SFO and Santa Rosa.

 

Friday, October 18

Start your weekend “living lightly on the land” at a leisurely pace. In the afternoon, we suggest guests experience The Sea Ranch on their own. In the evening, we meet as a group at The Sea Ranch Lodge for a welcome cocktail reception.

 

Saturday, October 19

Gather in the morning for a light breakfast and a full day of site visits. After morning tours, guests are treated to lunch and then head back out as a group for an afternoon of site seeing. We cap our exciting day with a special group dinner at Tom and Karin’s Place designed by Obie Bowman. Guests are asked to wear their favorite Marimekko or festive modernist attire. 

 

Sunday, October 20

For our final day, gather for breakfast. In the morning, visit the Moonraker Recreation Center by William Turnbull Jr., and stroll through Lawrence Halprin’s inspirational and minimally intrusive design in the native environment. Enjoy a light lunch before our final afternoon stops. 

HOUSES AND SITES

The two-and-a-half-day tour to The Sea Ranch includes stops at a number of houses and sites. A final list to be provided one month prior to the trip.

Sites include but are not limited to:

 

  • The Sea Ranch Condo 9 (Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull + Whitaker)
  • Baker House (William Turnbull Jr.)
  • Reverdy Johnson House (William Turnbull Jr.)
  • Esherick Residence (Joseph Esherick)
  • Haring Magoules House (Joseph Esherick)
  • Mini-Mod #3 (Joseph Esherick)
  • Walk-In Cabin (Obie Bowman)
  • Vendensky House (Dimitri Vendensky)
  • Miglio House (Charles Moore)
  • Moonraker Rec Center (William Turnbull Jr.)
  • Ohlson Rec Center (Charles Moore & William Turnbull Jr.)
  • The Sea Ranch Chapel (James Hubbell)
  • The Sea Ranch Lodge (James Hubbell)
  • Hines House (William Turnbull Jr.)
  • Tom and Karin’s Place (Obie Bowman)

REGISTRATION

The Program Rate* includes: a comprehensive educational land program as detailed; special The Sea Ranch-inspired gift (approx.value $50); Friday evening wine and light bites reception; light breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday; and communal dinner on Saturday evening.   

Program Rate

Members: $1895 per person

Non-Members: $2095 per person

 

*Not included: Accommodations at The Sea Ranch; meals and drinks where not described; transportation to and from The Sea Ranch.

 

Deadline for deposits is August 31.  

Note: All schedules and program details are given in good faith, based on information available at the time. Circumstances may arise that prevent us from operating a tour exactly as advertised. Itinerary, accommodations, and arrangements are subject to change, with or without notice, at the discretion of Docomomo US.

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATIONS

 

Guests participating in Docomomo’s The Sea Ranch Weekend tour should consider adding a day to each end of the weekend for travel. California’s Coast Highway 1 is a National Scenic Highway with some of the most beautiful vistas winding through historic towns, redwood forests, and ending at the sandy beaches in the south. It is also exceedingly winding with hairpin turns, steep drop-offs on one side, and in-your-face grassy hills. Guests are urged to take their time and plan for occasional one-lane closures.

 

We are visiting many of The Sea Ranch’s most significant and rarely seen homes and sites. Due to the private nature of the community, this is a caravan (car-pooling) type tour. Details regarding driving and car-pooling will be collected and organized prior to the trip.

 

Accommodations at The Sea Ranch include rooms at the Lodge or home stays such as the Redwood Rise, Walk-in Cabin, Tarp House – all designed by Obie Bowman. Guests may find accommodations through Airbnb, Vacasa, Vrbo, Sea Ranch Escapes (Paradiso by Lawrence Halprin is currently available), or through Coasting Home (Backpack by William Turnbull Jr. is currently available). If you have booked a home and would like to share a home with other guests, please contact Docomomo US staff for assistance.

 

For more information on this and other Docomomo travel tours please contact us at info@docomomo-us.org.

TOUR GUIDE

Chad DeWitt

Chad DeWitt is the founder of Framestudio, a small architecture and design practice that specializes in the preservation of architecturally significant homes from the 20th century. It was while studying architecture at California College of the Arts in San Francisco that he was first exposed to The Sea Ranch. A weekend trip with classmates turned into an annual pilgrimage, and in 2017, he purchased one of the early Sea Ranch demonstration homes. A few years later, that home was awarded a Citation of Merit in the Docomomo Modernism in America Awards.

CANCELLATION POLICY

 

Docomomo US reserves the right to cancel this event at any time if we feel that it cannot be held safely, for any reason including but not limited to current COVID-19 health metrics and guidance. In this case, Docomomo US would refund participants the cost of their registration, but will not be responsible for any other costs incurred as a result of our decision to cancel the event.

 

Registrants may cancel through September 1, 2024, for a full refund. Cancellations after September 1, 2024, will not receive a refund. Email info@docomomo-us.org to cancel your registration.

 

Attendees may wish to consider purchasing travel insurance, which may reimburse certain costs in the event that the event is canceled or you are unable to participate. Docomomo US does not recommend any specific insurer or insurance product, and is not able to provide guidance.