Distinctive architecture, uninhibited ocean views, bold supergraphics, shared open space, and meditative tranquility — these were the beginnings of The Sea Ranch, a beacon of Modernism on the Northern California coast. Designed by a small group of Bay Area architects and designers in the early 1960s, the development was envisioned as a progressive, inclusive community, guided by the idealistic principles of good design, economy of space, and harmony with the natural environment.
This exhibition brings together original sketches and drawings from the project’s designers, along with archival images, photographs of The Sea Ranch today, and a full-scale architectural replica. The environmentally attentive design philosophies explored at The Sea Ranch, along with the now-iconic graphics, resonated globally and continue to influence architecture and design today.
On a ten-mile stretch of the Northern California coast lies the site of a radical architectural experiment. Learn the story behind The Sea Ranch, a place where environment informs geometry and buildings embody ideals.
Major support for The Sea Ranch: Architecture, Environment, and Idealism is provided by the Gensler Family Foundation and The Coastal Real Estate Company – Liisberg & Kalinoski.
Generous support is provided by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Estate of Arnold A. Grossman, The Sanger Family Architecture and Design Exhibition Fund, and the Diane and Howard Zack Fund for Architecture and Design.
Additional support is provided by Sydney and Ray Feeney.
Header image: (mobile) South entrance marker, Black Point Barn, and Condominium One; Special Collections, University Library, University of California Santa Cruz; photographed by Morley Baer, 1965; © 2018 the Morley Baer Photography Trust, Santa Fe. All rights reserved. Used by permission.