Page 4 - Rancho San Carlos Brochure
P. 4
Through grand gates where giant palms stand as silent sentinels is the magnificent Ranch San
Carlos, a 237 acre estate property that for nearly 100 years has been under the ownership of one
family. This extraordinary property cascades down the foothills of Montecito and offers
panoramic vistas across the valley to the shimmering blue Pacific. A long, gently curving
driveway over a half-mile long is edged with Santa Barbara stone and ascends through acres of
citrus groves to the sprawling hilltop manor home designed in 1931 by master architect Reginald
Johnson for one of America’s most prestigious families. Johnson was the pre-eminent architect
of the era and continues to be celebrated for the many notable homes he designed in Pasadena
and Montecito.
His spectacular Monterey Colonial of approximately 29,483 square feet is comprised of over
thirty rooms. From the vast motor court one passes through the front door and into the grand
entry hall where one is immediately transported back in time to an era of elegance and refinement;
where men wore formal dress and women donned Parisian couture gowns to welcome dinner
guests to glittering soirees. The home is infused with an atmosphere of sophistication and
refinement. The barrel vaulted central gallery which connects the sumptuous public rooms to
the upper bedroom wings is lined with hand-painted period murals and windowed display cases.
This grand hall sets a tone of luxury and attention to detail for which Johnson was so well known.
Reginald Johnson’s architectural ingenuity is no better showcased than in his brilliant use
of the natural slope and contours of the property. He astutely sited the home on two natural
terraces. By planning the formal living rooms around a central courtyard and placing the
Master and family bedroom wings on the upper terrace he effectively created a spatial
separation that afforded privacy, calm and exceptional views.
Carlos, a 237 acre estate property that for nearly 100 years has been under the ownership of one
family. This extraordinary property cascades down the foothills of Montecito and offers
panoramic vistas across the valley to the shimmering blue Pacific. A long, gently curving
driveway over a half-mile long is edged with Santa Barbara stone and ascends through acres of
citrus groves to the sprawling hilltop manor home designed in 1931 by master architect Reginald
Johnson for one of America’s most prestigious families. Johnson was the pre-eminent architect
of the era and continues to be celebrated for the many notable homes he designed in Pasadena
and Montecito.
His spectacular Monterey Colonial of approximately 29,483 square feet is comprised of over
thirty rooms. From the vast motor court one passes through the front door and into the grand
entry hall where one is immediately transported back in time to an era of elegance and refinement;
where men wore formal dress and women donned Parisian couture gowns to welcome dinner
guests to glittering soirees. The home is infused with an atmosphere of sophistication and
refinement. The barrel vaulted central gallery which connects the sumptuous public rooms to
the upper bedroom wings is lined with hand-painted period murals and windowed display cases.
This grand hall sets a tone of luxury and attention to detail for which Johnson was so well known.
Reginald Johnson’s architectural ingenuity is no better showcased than in his brilliant use
of the natural slope and contours of the property. He astutely sited the home on two natural
terraces. By planning the formal living rooms around a central courtyard and placing the
Master and family bedroom wings on the upper terrace he effectively created a spatial
separation that afforded privacy, calm and exceptional views.
