There is more to Clint Eastwood’s sprawling California Ranch than meets the eye. The old Western star saved the place from being torn down in the 1980s and eventually restored the historic property to its former glory.
A 1993 article from Architectural Digest takes a deep dive into the story of Mission Ranch. According to them, Eastwood fell in love with the place as a 21-year old Army recruit stationed near Carmel, California. When he heard that a developer wanted to bulldoze the property years later, he bought it himself.
“I had always loved the place and they were just going to flatten it. They said it was obsolete. I thought it should be preserved as what it was,” Eastwood said in 1993.
He bought the 22-acre property for $5 million in 1983.
The location is idyllic. Architectural Digest writes, “the Mission Ranch property, with its dramatic views of the sea, the rocky Monterey coastline and a gleaming curve of beach, is one of the most scenic spots on the scenic northern California coast.”
The place has a deep history. It was home to one of the first dairy farms in California and famed author Robert Louis Stevenson spent time there in the 1800s, eventually using the ocean view as inspiration for his book “Treasure Island.”
Clint Eastwood Brings The Ranch Back to Life
It’s hard to blame Eastwood for wanting to fix the place up. But it wouldn’t be an easy job. The ranch was in horrible disrepair. Everything from termite damage to rusted-out gas lines made for some pretty serious renovations.
“When you open up a place like this, it’s like the bear who climbs a hill to see the next hill and the next hill. It never ends,” Eastwood said in the 1993 interview. But after years of work and a lot of money, the place was up and running.
According to Architectural Digest, “The gleaming buildings of Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch now offer thirty-one luxurious guest rooms, a renovated restaurant and bar and what are still the best views in California.”
“The place just gets in your blood. When you’ve been away and you come back here, you always feel like you’re coming home,” Eastwood told the Magazine.
The property is now home to the Mission Ranch Hotel and Restaurant. A location that remains popular for events like weddings and corporate dinners.
If you’d like to see the place for yourself, the video below contains a slideshow depicting Mission Ranch from 1850 to the present.
