In 1965, a group of young architects- inspired by the local Pomo Indians’ belief in “living lightly on the land”- began planning a community where the buildings blend with the terrain and instead of yards, there are “commons”: miles of shared fields, oceanfront and walking trails.

“It’s about experiencing the place rather than following a golf ball or something,” explains Sea Ranch architect Donlyn Lyndon. “One of the things most important about The Sea Ranch is that half of the land is held in commons. When you get a deed it describes your property and that you own an indivisible portion of the commons which is to say you can’t sell that, but you are an owner of the commons.”

Donlyn's book "The Sea Ranch": Buy here

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Opening remarks provided by Kyle Normandin, senior project specialist, Getty Conservation Institute.

Presented by Donlyn Lyndon, FAIA, Eva Li Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Urban Design, UC Berkeley. Donlyn focused on long-term conservation strategies for the Sea Ranch development and the ways architects Lawrence Halprin and Garret Eckbo each directed their designs through the integration of landscape and setting.

Presented in conjunction with Getty Conservation Institute's Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative, which seeks to advance the practice of conserving twentieth-century heritage.

More on Getty's Conservation of Modern Architecture Initiative