Sea Ranch

Binker Barn, National Register of Historic Places Nomination (2018)

Brewster Historic Preservation prepared a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for a modern ‘Binker’ Barn in Sea Ranch, Sonoma County, California. Completed in 1968 and designed by master architect William Turnbull, Jr., this single-family residence shares many of the same design principles of the nationally recognized Condominium 1 at Sea Ranch in which Turnbull was also involved while he was a partner with the architecture firm of MLTW, including harmony with the landscape realized by borrowing from local vernacular building forms and native materials, as well as a sense of the great expanse of nature outdoors matched with a sense of visual and spatial adventure indoors.

Winning many architectural design awards and general acclaim in local and national publications, both Condominium 1 and the Binker Barns quickly became synonymous with the iconic image of Sea Ranch. Its Modern, Shed Style architecture was widely imitated throughout the country in the 1960s and 1970s for both residential and commercial buildings. This property, in particular, is the embodiment of that style and is representative of an important movement in Modern architecture. It was one of the first of such buildings to be constructed at Sea Ranch and retains an exceptionally high level of integrity. Where physical changes to this residence do exist, they are minor and sympathetic to the core design principles of Sea Ranch, including design and siting of all structures to blend into the natural setting while minimizing the visual and physical impact upon the landscape.