The ranch life, with comforts
Seventy-five years and several generations ago, Rancho La Vista was created as a working cattle ranch in Ojai.
Now in the hands of the original owner’s four grandchildren, the property is more like a gentleman’s ranch with its 370 acres of undulating land coming to rest against the Topa Topa Mountains.
The Monterey-style main house, designed by James A. Knaefler in 1927 and completed in 1930, is filled with Western furnishings and art, some of which may be available at extra cost.
The ranch also has three houses for employees or guests, a barn or stables and a pool house. There are still some income-producing avocado orchards on the property, as well as a variety of fruit trees, including lemon, orange and grapefruit.
About the main house: It’s on a knoll with views of the Topa Topa and Sierra Madre ranges.
Asking price: $21.5 million
Size: The main house has eight bedrooms, including two master bedrooms, 6 1/2 bathrooms, an office and a basement recreation room in about 6,500 square feet.
Features: Adobe walls, plank floors and hand-hewn beams complement the Western theme of the main house. It has a great room that opens out onto a covered veranda with a fireplace and an al fresco dining area overlooking a terrace and 40-by-23-foot swimming pool. The property features formal gardens, a brick patio, a six-car garage, a motor court and a tennis court.
Where: Ojai
Listing agents: Joyce Rey, (310) 285-7529, Beverly Hills; and Victor Plana, (805) 895-0591, Montecito. Both are with Coldwell Banker Previews.
To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, please send color interior and exterior photos on a CD with caption information and a description of the house, including what makes the property unusual, to Ruth Ryon, Real Estate Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, or e-mail homeoftheweek@latimes.com.
