See it: Vast ranch near Santa Barbara, once owned by Ray Kroc, listed at $29 million
A 554-acre ranch, once owned by Ray Kroc, in the Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara has hit the market for $29 million.
Kroc, who built up the McDonald’s fast-food restaurant brand, named the property J & R Double Arch Ranch, a reference to the McDonald’s arches. After Kroc’s death in 1984, the ranch was purchased by Gerald Kessler of NaturesPlus Vitamins in 1990 and renamed the Circle K Ranch, according to the listing.
Kessler’s widow Meadow Williams is now the sole seller of the property, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“The 554-acre ranch has a smorgasbord of residences, recreational amenities, barns, a spacious and versatile conference hall and spaces for entertaining large groups of guests,” writes TopTenREalEstateDeals.com.
The main residence, a lodge spanning more than 17,000 square feet, has 20 bedroom suites, a commercial kitchen and a dining room that will seat up to 100 guests. The listing says the property has 52 bedrooms and 58 baths in all. The lodge’s living room—3,000 square feet itself—has a massive fireplace.
The Founder’s Building features a library, two bedroom suites, offices and a complete gymnasium. There are five single residences on the property, two bunk houses, barns, corrals and paddocks.
The 5,200 square-foot Conference Hall seats 62 people and serves as both an auditorium and theater.
Water for the ranch is provided through two lakes, five wells and three cisterns which store 90,000 gallons of water, according to the listing.
Kroc and his then-wife Jane Kroc bought most of the property around 1965 after McDonald’s went public and Kroc, a former milkshake mixer salesman, became an overnight millionaire.
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 10:57 AM.
