The Historic 175-Acre Converse Ranch Lists in Southern California for $10 Million
- The $10 million Converse Ranch in Santa Paula, California, is a 117-year-old riverside property spanning over 174 acres, originally built by U.S. Steel and banking heir Edmund C. Converse Jr.
The siren song of the American West often leads to visions of vast ranches in the Mountain West. And while Utah, Montana, and Wyoming are home to many epic rural spreads, Southern Californians can find a similarly spectacular ranch much closer to home, just 90 minutes outside of Los Angeles.
Located in Santa Paula, the $10 million Converse Ranch is a 117-year-old riverside expanse of more than 174 acres. It gets its name from Edmund C. Converse Jr. , the U.S. Steel and banking heir who had the ranch built out in 1908, when it spanned a whopping 6,000 acres. Converse was nicknamed "the Millionaire Cowboy," and his former spread sure lives up to that name. John Galich of Sotheby's International Realty—Beverly Hills Brokerage holds the listing .
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The living room in the main house includes original details like etched wood beams and stained-glass windows.
The centerpiece of the property is the 6,500-square-foot main Craftsman residence, which includes five bedrooms and two bathrooms. While it's been restored and updated over the years, it retains many original details, such as etched wood beams that line the ceilings and the walls and white latticework throughout the grand foyer. Outside, there's a 40,000-gallon stone swimming pool that was added by the second owners, one of whom was a member of the Doheny family, whose patriarch set off Southern California's oil boom in the late 1800s.
As for additional living spaces for friends, family, and staff, the Converse Ranch isn't wanting in that regard. An updated carriage house sits apart from the main home, as do three additional bungalows. The Rose Cottage, situated on the eastern of two parcels that make up the property, overlooks the Santa Clara River valley with views that stretch all the way out to the Channel Islands.
The screened-in porch is wrapped in latticework detailing also found in the grand foyer.
While the land originally served as a cattle ranch, it now has a more diverse range of uses. An original barn from 1908 is accompanied by a more modern 5,000-square-foot steel barn, along with pastures and a riding arena. Among the grounds, you'll also find citrus and avocado groves—some of California's finest produce. Perhaps best of all, the offering includes pre-1914 riparian water rights, allowing the owners to irrigate the agriculture with water pumped from the river. If that's not enough nature and distance from encroaching suburbia for you, a 1,000-acre preserve sits just to the west of the ranch.
Click here to see all the photos of the Converse Ranch.
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