Rebuilt 1950s ranch house in Montecito asks $16 million
A rebuilt 1950s ranch house known as Rockbridge Oasis is asking $16 million in Montecito’s gated Riven Rock enclave. The roughly 2.5-acre estate, finished in 2022 after a studs-out rebuild, spans five bedrooms plus a guesthouse in a neighborhood shared by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The contemporary ranch-style home sits beneath 200-year-old oaks on Rockbridge Road, with stone bridges and water features that still echo the area’s Gilded Age past. For more luxury listings, browse BlasterPost’s Luxury Real Estate & Dream Homes hub.
Key Takeaways
- The rebuilt 1950s ranch house lists for $16 million through Riskin Partners Estate Group of Village Properties.
- Owners Shahram and Brittany Bijan bought the 1958 home for $2.7 million in 2020, then rebuilt it with designer Xorin Balbes.
- The main residence offers 4,873 square feet with five bedrooms and five bathrooms, plus a roughly 500-square-foot guesthouse.
- Outdoor amenities include a stone-encased pool, fire pit, yoga platform, and a chef’s garden with fruit trees.
- Riven Rock is an exclusive gated Montecito enclave with deep McCormick-family history and high-profile residents.
Why does this rebuilt 1950s ranch house matter?
Montecito’s Riven Rock was already storied long before the Sussexes arrived in 2020. Their chateau sits on land that was once part of an 87-acre estate purchased in the 1890s by the McCormick family, heirs to the International Harvester fortune.
As recounted in T.C. Boyle’s novel Riven Rock, Stanley McCormick was largely confined to the main home from 1908 until his death in 1947. That house was later razed after a 1925 earthquake, and the estate was subdivided into 34 parcels. The namesake oak that split a sandstone boulder has since died, but the neighborhood’s legacy remains a draw for buyers chasing privacy and pedigree.
According to Robb Report, Rockbridge Oasis is the latest showcase of that address: a fully rebuilt ranch that pairs contemporary finishes with the enclave’s wooded setting and Santa Ynez Mountain views.
What does the Rockbridge Oasis property include?
Interiors feature stone floors, vaulted shiplap ceilings, and hand-troweled Venetian plaster behind large steel-framed windows. A peaked-roof great room centers on a massive four-sided glass fireplace, with floor-to-ceiling sliders opening to a covered terrace.
The dining area is topped by a Noguchi light fixture and adjoins a matte black kitchen with brass accents, an island that seats five, integrated appliances, and a walk-in pantry. Two opposite wings maximize privacy: one holds an en-suite bedroom, laundry, and a primary suite with office, walk-in wardrobe, dual-sink vanity, oval soaking tub, and veined-marble shower; the other includes a media room, half-bath, an en-suite bedroom, and two bedrooms that share a bath.
Outside, highlights range from the stone-encased swimming pool and fire-pit lounge to a yoga and entertaining platform and raised vegetable beds. The standalone guesthouse adds a bedroom, full bath, and kitchenette.
Who bought the home and how was it rebuilt?
Shahram and Brittany Bijan acquired the 1958 house through a trust in 2020 for $2.7 million. They took the structure down to the studs and rebuilt it with real estate developer and designer Xorin Balbes, completing the all-new main residence and guesthouse in 2022.
That transformation—from a midcentury purchase into a polished contemporary ranch—helps explain the jump from $2.7 million to a $16 million ask in one of California’s most tightly held gated communities.
Where is Riven Rock, and who lives nearby?
Riven Rock is a gated pocket of Montecito known for seclusion, mature oaks, and remnant estate landscaping. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have lived in the enclave since 2020, adding global attention to an address already prized by privacy-minded buyers.
For shoppers tracking California dream homes, this rebuilt 1950s ranch house packages acreage, a full rebuild, and Riven Rock cachet into a single headline listing.