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Sea Ranch, Mini-Mod #3

Excellent
  • California Modernism
  • Late Modern
  • Identity of Building/Site

Sea Ranch, Mini-Mod #3

Sea Ranch Mini-Mod #3 after restoration

Credit

© Adam Rouse

Site overview

Along the rugged Sonoma coast, 110 miles north of San Francisco, lies The Sea Ranch, a weekend community and cultural experiment based in 1960s idealism. Predating current conversations about “small space living” and timber construction technology by almost 50 years, developer Al Boeke and landscape architect Lawrence Halprin envisioned an ecologically minded community that sought to preserve the 10-mile stretch of the California coastline through innovative planning. They tasked two architecture teams, Moore Lyndon Turnbull Whitaker (MLTW) and Joseph Esherick and Associates, with creating housing prototypes. Mini-Mod #3 was designed by Joseph Esherick with his associate George Homsey. The exterior is unassuming, blending with the natural surroundings while the interiors were conceived to be playful, dynamic spaces, full of colorful Marimekko patterns popular at the time.

Awards

Design

Citation of Merit

Residential

2020

The jury awards a Design Citation of Merit for the restoration of Sea Ranch Mini-Mod #3. Many of Sea Ranch's original homes were expanded, leaving Mini-Mod #3 as the only one that retains its original size and layout. Owned for 49 years by John and Carol Marchant, the home became less used over time, leading to deterioration. In 2011, the Marchants enlisted George Homsey, one of the original designers, for a minimal restoration. In 2017, architect Chad DeWitt of Framestudio and his partner saw the opportunity to further restore the significant property and purchased the home. With the original plans as a guiding document, they restored plywood cabinets, rebuilt bunk beds, upgraded mechanical systems, completed the previously unrealized exhaust system and spice shelf above the cooktop, and incorporated colorful Supergraphics in discrete locations in a nod to Barbara Stauffacher Solomon. In keeping with the original spirit of Sea Ranch, the home is available as a part-time vacation rental affordable on “an architect’s salary.” 

“The project achieves subtle updates for modern living while staying true to the affordable appeal of the original Mini-Mod design.”
-Bob Hruby, 2020 Jury member

“To memorialize the Late Modern era, Sea Ranch, with its ideals of environmental design and modest design, is a great place to start.”

- Alan Hess, 2020 Jury member
Client

Chad DeWitt and James Cook

Restoration Team

Chad DeWitt and Leila Ghaz of Framestudio (Design), Jesse Ososki (Contractor), Dimensions Unlimited (Cabinetry)

Location

Sea Ranch, CA, 95497
More visitation information

Case Study House No. 21

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Sea Ranch Mini-Mod #3 after restoration

Credit:

© Adam Rouse

Designer(s)

Lawrence Halprin

Nationality

American

Joseph Esherick

Moore Lyndon Turnbull Whitaker

Other designers

George Homsey

Related chapter

Northern California

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