First, it was just a dairy ranch tucked away in a quiet Marin County valley.
asserted
it → tuck → valley
Today, it is a 4,700-acre moviemaking retreat, with its own fire brigade, a vineyard and a lake named after the Ewoks!
asserted
it → name → Ewoks
In 1978, filmmaker
George Lucas bought the first parcel of what would eventually become Skywalker Ranch, using money he had made from
Star Wars.
asserted
he → buy → Wars
All he wanted was a private filmmaking haven away from Hollywood.
asserted
he → want → Hollywood
Nearly five decades later, that idea has grown into a sprawling creative compound with more than a dozen buildings, a 50,000-square-foot main house and Skywalker Sound at its heart.
asserted
idea → grow → heart
But despite its futuristic name, the ranch looks like an old Northern California estate, with Victorian architecture, gardens, farmland and handcrafted details woven into the landscape.
asserted
ranch → look → landscape
“I've never been into science fiction,” the creator of
Star Wars told AD.
asserted
Wars → tell → AD
I think my heart lies at about the year 1910.
asserted
heart → think → year
I love that style.”
asserted
I → love → style
A Victorian-style house at the centre
The centrepiece is a Victorian-style main house finished in 1985.
asserted
centrepiece → finish → 1985
The main house spans 50,000 square feet, more than an acre under one roof, according to the
LA Times.
uncertain
house → span → Times
Lucas does not live there.
asserted
Lucas → live → ?
It is a space dedicated to his work and business meetings.
asserted
It → dedicate → meetings
“I’ve always worked out of my house.
asserted
I → work → house
I think a lot of writers do.
asserted
lot → think → writers
It’s just a much more friendly atmosphere, more comfortable and calming.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
I wanted a nice, quiet place to come up with ideas, because, really, we’re in the ideas business.
asserted
we → want → business
So when I got the opportunity and the wherewithal to do it, I thought, Well, I’m going to do it myself,” he told the outlet.
asserted
he → get → outlet
The creamy white house was designed in the style of a grand Victorian residence, complete with turrets, verandas, stained glass and fireplaces.
asserted
house → design → turrets
Lucas also did his filmmaker thing.
asserted
Lucas → do → thing
He created a fictional history for the building.
asserted
He → create → building
In his version, it was built in 1869 and extended in 1910 with a library wing in the style of the architects Greene and Greene.
asserted
it → build → architects
To make it look real, he set up an art-glass studio and a mill shop on the grounds.
asserted
he → make → grounds
Hired craftsmen built the staircase and stained-glass windows there.
asserted
craftsmen → hire → staircase
But I couldn't get past the maths,” he said.
asserted
he → get → maths
The ranch also has a research library.
asserted
ranch → have → library
It has a leaded-glass dome and redwood shelves made from timber salvaged from an old bridge.
asserted
It → have → bridge
Lucas bought the book collections of both Paramount and Universal.
asserted
Lucas → buy → Paramount
The shelves cover military history, costumes and insects, along with a large geography section.
asserted
shelves → cover → section
In 1987, Skywalker Sound moved onto the ranch.
asserted
Sound → move → ranch
It operates from the Technical Building beside Lake Ewok.
asserted
It → operate → Ewok
It is a building dressed up to look like an ivy-covered brick winery.
asserted
It → dress → winery
The studio, set against the backdrop of picturesque mountains, is a dream place for the technicians as well.
asserted
studio → set → technicians
It’s kind of crazy-beautiful.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
It looks like a very well-shot movie, just driving up to it,” award-winning sound designer and re-recording mixer Bonnie Wild, who started work at the studio in 2012, said.
asserted
who → look → 2012
Directors have long used the place as a retreat.
asserted
Directors → use → retreat
The guests stay at an on-site inn where rooms are themed after people Lucas admires.
asserted
Lucas → stay → people
The
John Ford room allows smoking because, well, Ford smoked.
asserted
Ford → allow → smoking
The Frank Lloyd Wright room displays a rare Wright drawing of a resort that was never built.
asserted
that → display → resort
The inn is the place where art meets comfort.
asserted
art → meet → comfort
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
