Redefining "Ranch"
An historic $60 million Brentwood estate is a ranch like no other.
by Rick Dandes
Located at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, the legendary Robert Taylor Ranch on Mandeville Canyon Road in Brentwood offers spectacular scenery, miles of riding path opportunities and luxury living on a 122-acre estate. The sheer size of the ranch has made it one of the most desirable parcels of real estate in Los Angeles, with an 11,000-square-foot main house, five guest units, a separate office compound and an in-house casino and disco.
Location: Brentwood, California
Price: $60 million
Square Footage: 11,000 square feet (main house)
Acreage: 122 acres
Special Features: It includes a championship tennis court, stables, riding trails, a spa room, wine cellar, casino, a screening room with a disco, an outdoor kitchen, cabana, and many guest bedrooms.
Additional Comments: The Robert Taylor Ranch was tied for eighth on last year's list at $50 million.
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"The most charming aspect of this property is its privacy and its rural setting, all in such close proximity to the west side," says Joyce Rey, executive director of the Estates Division for Coldwell Banker Previews International in Beverly Hills. "You have this wonderful feeling that you don't see in other houses, you're able to have horses, and it connects to riding trails and hiking trails that go all the way to Malibu. It's an idyllic lifestyle you can't find anywhere else in the area. And then, of course, you have the long-term investment possibility of holding a large parcel of land in Brentwood."
It may be all of these factors, plus "the phenomenal appreciation rate in this and the surrounding areas," that account for the $60 million asking price, up from $50 million last year. This is a part of Los Angeles, after all, where home values in general are still climbing, in some cases dramatically.
As history has it, "The Ranch" (as it is called by locals) was originally designed in 1950 by famed Los Angeles architect Robert Byrd for oil industry mogul Waite Phillips (Phillip's Petroleum). But it is best known as the former home of actor Robert Taylor, one of Hollywood's top romantic movie stars.
The design of the home is both fresh and familiar. After buying the property, the current owner turned the original stables into an office complex and doubled the size of the main house, but he kept the lodge-like interior's emphasis on heavy wood beams, hewn wood walls and brick. The private areas include a study, large master bedroom, dual baths and spa room; there is a stone fireplace, a wine cellar and a screening room with a disco.
A complement of five separate guest accommodations brings the total to about 70 rooms (including 17 bedrooms and 17 and one-half bathrooms). The most lively part of the house may be the little casino. There is also a fabulous area for entertaining, with an outdoor kitchen and extensive barbecue facilities.
"Personally, I like the ranch's informality," Rey says. "There are a lot of open beams in the living room and the master bedroom has an open pitched beam. So you have a rustic, informal, charming architectural style that goes hand in hand with a ranch style of living."
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