Annie Leibovitz Lists a Century-Old Northern California Ranch For $9 Million
Photographer Annie Leibovitz, whose work has appeared on the glossy pages of Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair for decades, is parting ways with her historic Northern California ranch, now on the market for $8.995 million.
Leibovitz, who has shot everyone from Richard Nixon to Queen Elizabeth to John Lennon and Yoko Ono and regularly shoots covers of Vogue, purchased the incredible 65-acre ranch in 2019. Located in the famously reclusive seaside community of Bolinas, a favorite, under-the-radar Northern California hideaway for artists, Hollywood types, and the Silicon Valley set, the hilltop ranch dates back to the 1800s, when the first settlers of the area called the ranch home.
Known today as The Hideaway, the ranch brims with creative history. Photographer Ansel Adams famously shot images here that were part of a traveling Smithsonian exhibit, and later on, Warren Hellman, businessman and founder of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival, lived here.
The kitchen remodel is in keeping with the relaxed charm of the coastal ranch property.
Jacob Elliott
The rural coastal retreat is located where the Pacific Ocean meets Mount Tamalpais, and there are stunning views of the Bolinas Lagoon, Stinson Beach, Mount Tamalpais, and San Francisco, which is just an hour away. Several of the ranch’s many structures date back to the 1920s and ‘30s, and a few date back to the original settlers. After purchasing the property in 2019, Leibovitz spent nearly $2 million on renovations, which saw the addition of a new kitchen and major upgrades to the infrastructure. Still, the home retains its unassuming farmhouse charm.
In total, there are seven structures, four of which comprise the residential portion of the compound. The remodeled 1920s main residence has four light-filled bedrooms, a charming updated kitchen, and quaint living spaces. There is also a one-bedroom guesthouse, a caretaker’s residence, and a converted garage. Elsewhere on the property, a dairy barn includes a recording studio that was added during Hellman’s ownership, while the remaining structures, a hay barn and a seven-stall horse barn, are dedicated to equestrian facilities. There’s also a 100-foot x 200-foot year-round riding arena, additional horse and livestock stalls, and fenced pastures.
“The Hideaway at 605 Horseshoe Hill Road stands as a historic property with generations of notable stewardship,” said Alexander Lurie, a listing agent with Compass, who is co-listing the property with Nick Svenson, in a press statement. “During Hellman’s ownership, the agrarian and equestrian wonderland served as a gathering for musicians of his time. The site of many special events, concerts, and weddings over more than a century, The Hideaway has an indelible place in history—both for the San Francisco Bay Area and globally. This special space has served as a launching pad of creative inspiration for renowned musical and visual artists of international repute.”
Millions have been spent to update infrastructure as well as the ranch’s seven humble structures.
Jacob Elliott
In addition to panoramic water and mountain views, the ranch property is filled with rolling hills, verdant forest, lush pastures, and nearby bird and seal sanctuaries.
Leibovitz, currently serving as the first IKEA Artist in Residence, has been much in the real estate news lately. Though she still owns an equestrian property in New York’s Hudson Valley, she sold a duplex apartment in a distinguished building on New York City’s Central Park West earlier this year for $10.6 million—more than $600,000 less than she paid about 10 years ago—and her 3,200-square-foot live-work studio overlooking the Hudson River in the West Village was put up for sale in January and is now in contract with an asking price of $8.5 million.
Click here for more photos of The Hideaway.
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