Peter Strauss Ranch: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, National Park Service

Hammond, John; Babalis, Timothy

Peter Strauss Ranch, named for the actor who owned the property from 1976 to 1983, is a 78-acre historic site in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area thirty miles northwest of Los Angeles, California. The site is significant for two periods in its history. First, it is significant for its association with Harry Miller, a pioneering automotive engineer whose many innovations contributed to the development of automobile technology. Harry Miller maintained a retreat ranch at the site from 1923 until his bankruptcy in 1933. The site is also significant for its association with the emergence of regional recreation parks in the years following WWII. After Miller lost the property in the 1930s, it was transformed into Lake Enchanto, an amusement park and retreat. The period when Lake Enchanto occupied the site represents an important transition period between exclusive private country clubs and large corporate amusement parks. Two periods of significance correspond to the two Register criteria: the first period, from 1923 to 1933, covers the years the site was associated with Harry Miller, and the second period, from 1939-1955, covers the development and popularity of the Lake Enchanto resort. Located in Triunfo Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains, Peter Strauss Ranch occupies a mostly wooded parcel near the town of Cornell. The southern portion of the property is remote and mountainous.This portion was largely undeveloped during the historic periods and contributed to the remote character of the site. Mulholland Highway forms the northern boundary of the parcel. Triunfo Creek enters the property from the north and winds southeast across a broad flood bed. The majority of the development of the property occurred on the flat areas on either side of the creek and on the lower slopes of the surrounding hills. These areas are characterized by oak savanna and coastal scrub and contain many mature oak and sycamore trees from the historic period. Beneath the oaks, understory shrubs, including elderberry, ash, and young oaks are scattered in dense thickets, but the forest floor is mostly free of vegetation. Coastal scrub occupies the flat areas on either side of the creek. Harry Miller preferred a rustic architectural style that featured stone and mortar construction. The extant structures that date from the Miller period, including the house and radio house, are constructed of small round stones. When Lake Enchanto was being developed, the designers retained many of Miller’s structures and continued the rustic stone-and-mortar style in many of the new structures. This style can also be seen in the retaining walls and steps, terraced hillside, and amphitheater. Other features, such as the large circular swimming pool with center concrete platform, exhibit a distinctly modern style. Peter Strauss, who owned the property from 1976 to 1983, modified the property to function once again as a residence. Strauss repaired and rehabilitated many of the structures, including the main house and radio house. Strauss removed debris from the property, as well as a number of auxiliary structures from the Lake Enchanto (and possibly the Harry Miller) period. He restored the lawn area, an important feature of the Lake Enchanto period, and he planted ornamental trees and shrubs. Today the property represents a continuum of historic and non-historic uses, but it retains integrity related to both periods of significance. Contributing features include Harry Miller’s house, radio house, gate tower, and aviary; the terrazzo dance floor and large concrete pool from the Lake Enchanto period; and numerous stone retaining walls and stairs from both periods. Patterns of circulation and spatial organization reveal the site’s design and historic associations, and native and introduced vegetation, topography, natural systems, and views contribute to the setting of the historic site.

Peter Strauss Ranch: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, National Park Service

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