
The Sea Ranch: Architecture, Environment, and Idealism
Jennifer Dunlop Fletcher(Author)
Joseph Becker(Editor)
DelMonico Books/D.A.P. (Publisher)
Published on 4. June 2026
Book
Hardback
176 pages
978-1-63681-207-6 (ISBN)
Description
"This book takes a fresh look at the utopian dreams and commercial realities of one of the 1960s' most influential mergers of architecture, landscape and supergraphics, all on a 10-mile rocky reach of northern California coastline." -Curbed
Published with San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Back in print again, this generously illustrated book captures the visionary approach to the land embraced in designs for the Sea Ranch, the planned community that has become a touchstone of 1960s West Coast modernism. Situated on a 10-mile stretch of rugged Northern California coastline, the Sea Ranch was conceived by Alfred Boeke as a retreat from urban living with connection to nature as a guiding principle. This striking book examines the development of the site's master plan and iconic early designs through sketches, drawings, and contemporary and archival photographs of its astonishing landscapes and distinctive timber-framed structures. It features the work of architects Lawrence Halprin, Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, Charles Moore, William Turnbull, Donlyn Lyndon, Richard Whitaker, and Joseph Esherick. A collection of essays that consider the Sea Ranch in relation to popular leisure destinations and within the context of the architectural history of California are accompanied by conversations with designers and others associated with the project from its inception. Featuring breathtaking documentation of the famed compound by Dutch architectural photographer Iwan Baan and others, this book showcases the exemplary balance between land stewardship and modernist architecture that has made the Sea Ranch a model for living in harmony with nature.
Published with San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Back in print again, this generously illustrated book captures the visionary approach to the land embraced in designs for the Sea Ranch, the planned community that has become a touchstone of 1960s West Coast modernism. Situated on a 10-mile stretch of rugged Northern California coastline, the Sea Ranch was conceived by Alfred Boeke as a retreat from urban living with connection to nature as a guiding principle. This striking book examines the development of the site's master plan and iconic early designs through sketches, drawings, and contemporary and archival photographs of its astonishing landscapes and distinctive timber-framed structures. It features the work of architects Lawrence Halprin, Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, Charles Moore, William Turnbull, Donlyn Lyndon, Richard Whitaker, and Joseph Esherick. A collection of essays that consider the Sea Ranch in relation to popular leisure destinations and within the context of the architectural history of California are accompanied by conversations with designers and others associated with the project from its inception. Featuring breathtaking documentation of the famed compound by Dutch architectural photographer Iwan Baan and others, this book showcases the exemplary balance between land stewardship and modernist architecture that has made the Sea Ranch a model for living in harmony with nature.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Distributed Art Publishers
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
128 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 289 mm
Width: 250 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
1262 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-63681-207-6 (9781636812076)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Author
Editor
Text by
Foreword