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It has been about 40 years since the inception of The Sea
Ranch and there can’t be a better way to celebrate The Sea Ranch at middle-age (or to staunch a
mid-life crisis) than with a picture book. “The Sea Ranch” by Donlyn Lyndon and
Jim Alinder is a beautiful book that celebrates the past two decades at this
famous vacation home destination. For those who don’t know, The Sea Ranch is
located on a bit of Northern California coastline about 100 miles north of San
Francisco. Access is gained by a winding coastline route or a winding inland
route—both of which restrict access to the area and thereby keeping that part of
California as pristine as one might expect.
The history of The Sea Ranch is too long and lengthy to go
into detail here, but suffice it to say that something special happened when a
landscape architect (!) and a developer (!!!!!!!!) somehow got together in the
early 60’s to forge a successful coherent development plan that made the natural
surroundings master over architecture. Then--this is where it gets
interesting--this landscape architect
had the vision and luck to hire two local extremely talented architecture firms that designed
environmentally-sensitive buildings. Not unusual one might think, at first,
until one realizes that 1) Architects usually hire the landscape architect as an
afterthought (unfortunately) and 2) when developers are involved, the
bull-dozers usually arrive first and Mother Nature gets a major-league derm-abrasion.
Under the
guidance of Lawrence Halprin, the famed landscape architect (and a citizen of
the Sea Ranch), natural features were protected, preserved while new streets and
facilities were placed in and around these features. And how
did Mr. Halprin know to ask Joseph Esherick (AIA Gold Medalist 1989) and MLTW
(led by Charles Moore, AIA Gold Medalist 1991) to design the two first and
highly influential buildings that still withstand the test of time? Their architecture is a perfect fit
with the natural surroundings. Mr. Esherick was well known by then, but MLTW had just formed and was somewhat of a
risk. Both firms went on to fame and fortune, and some of their best work
resides at The Sea Ranch.
The authors tell us this story and show how the Sea Ranch
architectural style originated, and how it has evolved over time. By use of
gorgeous exterior and interior photographs of numerous houses, one understands
the original allure of the area and of the architecture it inspired. One
finally gets to see the insides of not one, but three different condominium
units in the famous Condominium No. 1, by MLTW. We have all seen Charles
Moore’s Unit #9 so many times that we have forgotten its initial impact on the
architecture world. But the other
units, without Mr. Moore’s hip-mod kitschy decorations, allow the building to
shine through again and remind us how original these interiors were and still
are.
We also get to visit the inside of not one but three
different homes by Joseph Esherick (including his own). We are reminded that
Mr. Esherick is the master of Bay Area Region Architecture when we see the quiet
grace of his work. We are also reminded that not all architecture needs to be
loud to be successful. Mr. Esherick’s work gently pushes and pulls us to
understand the quality of light, the beauty of the landscape as we move through
gorgeous spaces, move up
gentle stairs , and peek through special windows. Charles Moore himself has
written quite abit on Esherick’s work and for good reason: Esherick’s work is
exceptional and I hereby nominate Mr. Lyndon and Mr. Alinder to do a book on
Esherick’s residential work—they have demonstrated that they have the chops to
do this kind of work. (Note: a monograph featuring the work of Joseph
Esherick by Marc Treib is due in Spring of 2008....finally. Publisher:
William Stout Architectural Books, San Francisco, CA)
The book also inadvertently reminds us of how times have
changed at The Sea Ranch in the last 40 years. At one time, it seemed that a
first houses were basically small wooden tents; just a couple of notches above
car-camping. Tiny kitchens, creative sleeping quarters, and vertigo-inducing
lofts were the norm; And the structures were about as minimal as one can get.
An “almost-shanty” quality permeated the designs, along with references of
California Barnes and even abandoned mining buildings. And, in the case of MLTW,
some Aalto and Louis Kahn is thrown in for good measure.
But, a certain roughness was expected. By that I mean
that if you could wear your boots in the house and not worry-- these houses
could take it. Finishes and detailing were simple. And where else to put
your old furniture to good use? My guess for this is
because budgets were tiny and one could put up with “inconveniences” just for
the weekend. Also, what would be the point of going on vacation and finding
your own home on the other end?? Vacations are escapes from everyday life.
Nowadays, the newer Sea Ranch houses are much nicer and
well-appointed with the finer things in life like wet-bars (wet bars?????!!!??),
some fancy-pants detailing, and some spiffy kitchens. There is even an air
of "retirement community" about the place as many retirees live there. These houses are simply more
posh—so don’t track sand indoors in these houses—leave your Smith-and-Hawkins
boots outside. Mr. Halprin’s article about the loss of his MLTW-designed cabin
in 2001 and its subsequent replacement by Moore Ruble Yudell is a good example
of this evolution. His first house (and subsequent additions..) had that
“wooden tent” feel, but his second home is pretty darn nice--even
luxurious--craggy tough guy Mr. Halprin has gone soft on us. I suppose that
we as a culture just expect more comfortable accommodations when we are on
safari.
My complaints about the book are minor. I’m not sure why
colored maps showing the featured homes are presented in the book. And what is
the point behind the thumbnail pictures when the main pictures are just a few
pages away with only the incomplete floor plans ??? We architects love to see
the all the floor plans, not just the ground level. Finally, I wonder why some of the homes were included
in the book—some just simply aren’t very good even though we are led to believe that
all these houses are good examples of The Sea Ranch—but that's my opinion and I’ll let you decide
which ones I’m talking about.
For those architects who live outside of Northern
California and want to know about Bay Area Regionalism, the book will be a nice
addition to their library. Since Bay Area architects have trouble defining
“Bay Area Regionalism”, the photographs may help end this trouble. But
since you asked, Bay Area regionalism is modern architecture that helps one gain a better understanding of the surroundings. Local
history, local materials, local weather patterns, and the natural beauty of the
Bay Area all have a role in the building design. Started by Bernard Maybeck;
crystallized by Wurster; continued by
Joseph Esherick, and culminating in the work of MLTW, and proved at The Sea
Ranch, Bay Area Regionalism has a reason for being. As of today, no
one seems to have picked up the baton
It should be pointed out that Donlyn Lyndon is a founding
member of MLTW and continues to practice architecture. Mr. Alinder is a
gifted photographer who once worked for Ansel Adams. The audience for this book
is for architects and the general public and I believe that the authors have
created an excellent balance that should satisfy both. I'm sure there's a
copy in every Sea Ranch cabin by now...maybe two...
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