‘National Geographic’ Documentarians List Their 11-Acre Santa Cruz Ranch for $4.3 Million
- Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom, renowned National Geographic photographers, are selling their beloved Santa Cruz estate for $4.3 million after owning it for three decades.
Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom, a husband-and-wife creative team who have produced stories for National Geographic , travel to some of the most stunning locations on the planet. But it's their Santa Cruz estate, which they've owned for three decades, that may be their favorite spot of all.
"We have documented many of the most beautiful places on our planet for National Geographic," Lanting said in a statement. "But every time we come back from abroad, we marvel at the place we call home."
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The primary suite's bathroom looks out toward the Pacific Ocean.
Despite this, the couple is listing their property—dubbed Rancho Refugio—for $4.3 million, with Tim Allen at Coldwell Banker Realty holding the listing . Over the years, Lanting and Eckstrom have transformed the 11-acre spread into a home for not just themselves but also more than 150 species of plants and animals, such as coyotes, deer, and rare birds.
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The centerpiece of the nature-focused retreat, just five minutes from Highway 1 and 90 minutes from San Francisco, is the two-bedroom, two-bath main residence. The contemporary Craftsman was inspired by the work of Greene & Greene, the influential early 20th-century Pasadena-based architecture firm well known for their Arts & Crafts style. Natural accents adorn the home, including century-old redwood beams across the ceiling, stained pine flooring, and Douglas fir and maple touches. A gas fireplace anchors the living room, adjacent to the chef's kitchen with granite countertops. The primary suite, meanwhile, includes a bathroom where the soaking tub looks out on the Pacific Ocean.
The caretaker's studio includes a lofted sleeping area and a full kitchen.
A courtyard connects the main house to a two-bedroom guest house with its own kitchenette, laundry, and library shelving. A smaller and more contemporary caretaker's studio is a stone's throw away, with a full kitchen and bath, plus a fun sleeping loft accessible by ladder. Among the structures, there's a hot tub that looks out on the meadows, a wildlife pond that attracts frogs and birds, and more than 2,000 square feet of decks, pathways, and paved terraces for taking in all of the outdoors.
For those looking to build on Lanting and Eckstrom's work on the property, there's a garage/workshop and a detached greenhouse for seasonal cultivation and propagation. Currently, the on-site habitats include seasonal wetlands, redwood forest, oak woodland, and coastal prairie, with much land still available for whatever you may want to do with it.
Click here to see all the photos of the Santa Cruz property.
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