Ranch Houses Living the California Dream

Withitsarchetypalopenplanandreverenceofindoor-outdoorliving，theRanchhouseisattheveryheartoftheCaliforniadream.WhenwepictureCaliforniaRanchhouses—thelow-slung，informaldwellingsthatengulfedsuburbsafterWorldWarII—wearethinkingofjustonepartofaphenomenonthathasitsrootsinearly-nineteenth-centuryranchos，andwhichcontinuestodayinhousesthatarestartlingandup-to-the-minute.Examplesofthetypehavebeencalledranchos，ranchers，andCaliforniaramblers.TheyhavebeenstyledSpanish，Japanese，andFrench;MontereyandInternational;Vernacular，Minimalist，andModernist.Fromthe1797RanchoLosAlamitosofLongBeachtosuchcontemporaryhomesastheMillerResidenceofCorteMadera，RanchHousesunveilsthegreatvarietyandtheveryfinestexamplesofthismultifacetedform.IncludingtheworkofsucharchitecturalluminariesasCliffMay，RichardNeutra，JohnLautner，andCharlesMoore，RanchHousesisanessentialresourceforarchitects，homeowners，andallthosewhoaspiretotheindoor/outdoorlifestylethatistheCaliforniaDream.