Journey to the Sea Ranch

This project was funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) Access to Historical Records: Archival Projects grant program.

The Environmental Design Archives (EDA) at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB)  collaborated with The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design (PennDesign) to digitize images from collections that highlight the development of The Sea Ranch, a breakthrough example of environmentally sensitive design that continues to grow in influence and relevance to architects and the public at large.

The 12-month project, Journey to the Sea Ranch (commencing September 1, 2017), has resulted in this interactive virtual collection documenting the unique and prescient design and development of The Sea Ranch, through the inclusion of digitized primary sources including: drawings, photographs, essential documents, and ephemera, from the holdings of the EDA collections of William Turnbull, Jr./MLTW, Joseph Esherick (EHDD), Marquis & Stoller, Dmitri Vedensky, and Barbara Stauffacher Solomon; and drawings, notebooks, moving images, photographs, and project files from the Lawrence Halprin Collection at PennDesign.

The EDA and Architectural Archives are incredibly grateful to the donors who have made these collections possible. Using Omeka as a platform, this virtual collection portal encourages users to interact with the development of The Sea Ranch through the rich and diverse holdings of the EDA and UPenn creating a robust research experience.