48 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {due west} The environmentallyfocused sensibility of the community as well as its distinctive architecture has inspired numerous articles in publications ranging from Dwell to The New York Times, as well as a major exhibit at SFMOMA. Not surprisingly, like-minded individuals continue to be drawn to the setting. Maynard and Lu Lyndon have been “Sea Ranchers” for over five decades. “Even before we knew each other, we both came up to The Sea Ranch in the 1960s,” recounts Maynard. After meeting in 1972, the couple bought their own lot in The Sea Ranch in 1997, and designed and built a house with the help of Maynard’s brother, Donlyn Lyndon, one of the community’s original architects. “We live here full-time and are quite connected to The Sea Ranch in various ways,” he says. “We love it.” community planner Al Boeke visited the area and recommended that his firm purchase the land— then called Rancho Del Mar—to build a coastal town that would be designed in harmony with its natural surroundings. Guided by the overarching principle of “living lightly on the land,” Boeke and an esteemed team of architects and design professionals embarked on plans to bring the community to life. Landscape architect Lawrence Halprin studied the area’s topography, weather and vegetation. Architectural firm Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull and Whitaker designed the first condominium building along the bluffs. And architect Joseph Esherick designed Sea Ranch’s first houses. Abiding by the philosophy of dynamic conservation, each landscape element was acknowledged and nurtured, reinforcing natural forms and scale, while building materials were kept simple and drawn from nature. PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF THE SEA RANCH LODGE / COURTESY OF THE SEA RANCH
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