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Historic Place of the
Month - October 2011
We were
finally able to stump everyone on October’s Historic Place of the
Month, which was:
The Warner Ranch
Stables
Located between the 11th
and 15th holes at the Calabasas Golf and Country Club
golf course, the buildings are the last remaining structures from
Warner Ranch, the studio’s movie ranch, which was located where
Calabasas Park is now located. Warner Ranch was the only movie
ranch located within the present-day boundaries of Calabasas. In
1935, Warner Brothers purchased 500 acres near Calabasas Creek and
the vicinity of Mulholland Drive and Valmar Road. Dubbed Warner
Ranch, it eventually grew to 2,800 acres with numerous outdoor sets.
One of several movie stars under contract with Warner Brothers was
Errol Flynn. He filmed several motion pictures on the Warner Ranch
in Calabasas, the first of which was The Adventures of Robin Hood.
While he thought he was too British to play a cowboy, Warner
Brothers cast him in several Westerns, which were all filmed at
Warner Ranch. They include: Virginia City, San Antonio,
Montana, and Rocky Mountain. Other movies filmed at
least in part on the ranch included: Casablanca, National
Velvet, The Santa Fe Trail, and Sergeant York.
Associated Southern
Investment Company, a subsidiary of the Edison Company, purchased
Warner Ranch in 1959 and began planning an all-electric subdivision
for 15,000 inhabitants. The plan was stifled for several years by a
battle with environmentalists. Today, the community includes an
18-hole golf course, 21-acre lake, and several types of housing.
Julian George designed the landscaping of the lake area in 1968.
Robert Trent Jones and his son Robert Trent Jones, Jr. laid out the
golf course that same year. The surrounding condominiums and town
houses (1974 and later) were designed by Dorman/Muselle Associates
in the Late Spanish Colonial Revival style.”
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