Sign In

Extremely rare promotional brochure, advertising lots for sale in the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Course Estates, shortly after the completion of the Golf Course.

Rancho Santa Fe was California's second master planned community and expanded significantly upon the original concept for Palos Verdes Estates.

In 1926, the owners of the Ranch, the Santa Fe Company, hired Charles H. Cheney, a nationally renowned city planner and the author of the Palos Verdes Protective Covenant. Cheney modified the Palos Verdes document to reflect the larger estate-sized lots, the Hispanic design motif and the influence of citrus agriculture and horse keeping found in Rancho Santa Fe. Cheney's plan was put to the vote of the existing homeowners and adopted in 1928.

The history of Rancho Santa Fe dates to 1833, when Juan Osuna Alcalde ( Mayor) of San Diego obtained a grant for 8,825 acres of land then known a Rancho San Diegito. In 1906, the Atcheson, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad acquired the majority of the land, with a plan to develop a tree farm to supply the railroad with railroad ties. The Company planted the land with Eucalyptus Trees, but the venture ultimately failed. As an alternative use, the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company was formed to develop a planned community of gentlemen's ranches in the style of the Spanish and Rancho eras.

In 1921, L.G. Sinnard was hired to managed the project. Sinnard and his staff spent the next five years plotting estate subdivisions and laying out and constructing some fifty miles of winding rural roadways. Also beginning in 1921, all purchasers of Ranch property were required to agree to design controls in the form of deed restrictions. In 1922, the Company hired the architectural firm of Requa and Jackson to design the downtown Civic Center. Under the direction of architect Lilian Rice, the Civic Center was designed as a mixed use, public/commercial/residential area and developed architecturally in the Spanish Revival style.

In 1926, the Company hired Charles H. Cheney, a nationally renowned city planner and the author of the Palos Verdes Protective Covenant. Cheney modified the Palos Verdes document to reflect the larger estate-sized lots, the Hispanic design motif and the influence of citrus agriculture and horse keeping found in Rancho Santa Fe. Cheney's plan was adopted in 1928, making it one of the first planned communities in California.

The present map and brochure provide one of the earliest promotional depictions of the newly organized community. An image of the verso can be seen here: /gallery/enlarge/37452a

The map is of the utmost rarity, with no examples listed in OCLC or otherwise. This is the first time we have ever seen this promotional brochure.