708 Acres in Ashland, OR - $5,895,000

Centrally located along the I-5 corridor, between the San Francisco Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest metropolitan areas of Portland and Seattle, this spectacular one-of-a-kind home, on 700 awe-inspiring acres, offers magnificent sanctuary and adventure, as well as convenience. One of the most naturally beautiful regions of the country, this area of southern Oregon is known for a developing wine industry and phenomenal outdoor recreation opportunities. Characterized by four distinct seasons and mild winters, the climate is one of the most sought-after in North America. Designed to reflect and honor the majesty of this natural environment, this home sits on a high bench with open terraces that bring the view so close, you feel like you could reach out and touch it. Unique features like all rounded corners and smooth edges, a perfectly balanced use of the natural elements, and purposeful architectural design, create a remarkable effect, both peaceful and expansive. This home is beyond custom: it is a work of art. This property is an unparalleled place to rejuvenate and become inspired.Home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, Oregon is a delightful art town with unique shopping, a bountiful farmers’ market, mineral hot springs, and outdoor eateries alongside the bubbling Ashland Creek, which flows past the open-air Elizabethan Theatre and through Lithia Park designed by John McLaren, developer of Golden Gate State Park. The town enjoys the annual Ashland Independent Film Festival, ScienceWorks hands-on museum, and the Britt Music Festival in historic Jacksonville, which welcomes international acts on an outdoor stage. Local produce, meats, cheeses, and wine from the region’s numerous award-winning wineries can be found at area restaurants or at the breathtaking wineries themselves. Twenty minutes north, nearby Medford offers the nation’s superstores, major medical facilities, and Rogue Valley International Airport.West of the Cascade Mountain Range and just north of the Siskiyous, the Rogue Valley boasts outdoor adventure all year round - for all levels, young families and adrenaline-chasers alike.Hundreds of glorious hiking and biking trails, including a section of the Pacific Crest Trail, criss-cross through the region, abundant with wildlife, and great for bird-watching with osprey, bald eagles and red tail hawks. Kayaking and rafting, on Class II to Class V rapids, are easily enjoyed on the world-renowned Rogue River and other rivers and creeks that wind through thick forests, volcanic geography, and jaw-dropping gorges. Downhill and cross-country skiing and other snow sports can be found at Mount Ashland Ski Area. Skinner Aviation at Ashland Municipal Airport offers scenic charters, hangar leasing, and other services to private and commercial pilots. A number of lakes are just a short drive away, and southern Oregon offers hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands for recreation. Three hours west, through redwoods, farmland, or expansive inland dunes, lies the mythical Oregon coast where the Pacific crashes onto monolithic sea rocks, and fern, spruce, cedar and fir-covered cliffs.A few minutes drive from I-5, the property immediately embraces you in a sanctuary of wilderness, where magnificent elk herds can be seen roaming the rolling meadows and oak savannas. The property is easily accessible year-round. Two enormous rock faces rise from a blanket of green and greet you as you gently climb higher and approach this spectacular home.The arresting view encompasses the highest peaks on the other side of the valley and the sparkling lights of Ashland nestled below. From Wagner Butte in the north to Mount Ashland in the south, the Siskiyou Mountain Range stretches out before you. Furthest south, the prominent Pilot Rock juts into the sky, and over its shoulder, on the clearest day, Mount Shasta can be seen glittering in the distance.This astonishing home is one of a kind. Earthen tiles cascade down four distinct, rounded roofs crowned with small cupolas, capturing the geometrical beauty of Byzantine architecture. Beneath the tiles, the outer walls are smooth stucco, accented with a myriad of windows, rounded and flowing, reminiscent of the graceful and curvaceous architecture of Antoni Gaudi. Domes and crests of stucco stand against the sky, giving the impression of a white-washed chapel on the island of Mykonos. But despite its references to world-class art and architecture, this home has its own distinct and extraordinary style, borne out in every detail. Brazilian mahogany double doors, hand-carved by local artist Russell Beebe, introduce you to the essence of the home’s unique design: a celebration of nature.The sculptural carving depicts a traditional Native American theme with animals of the region including salmon, coyotes and eagles. The doors are framed by sinuous sculptures of trees, wrought in copper, a theme which continues throughout the house and the encircling stone patio. Inside the landing, the granite floor suggests the sandy shore at a river’s edge. A low accent of river rocks that flows around the house and into the front landing, ushers you forward to a second set of glass doors wrapped in copper design that stretches out like tree branches onto the glass walls at either side. All the depth and color of the interior and the natural beauty reaching through multitudinous windows, can be seen from this grand entryway, welcoming you home.As you step forward, a custom-designed hardwood floor winds like a river, carrying you in, as it flows and eddies around two free-standing staircases and continues deep into the home. The first staircase captures the eye, curving upward from the left and featuring two carved hawks at the base of a black walnut and glass railing, designed like a treehouse with copper accents. The low river rock wall from the foyer snakes out, supporting an abundance of house plants, and creating a border between the river path floor and a sunken living room on the right. As you curve around the rock wall and plants, the floor gently slopes down, past double glass doors that open to the front terrace and two wide floor-to-ceiling windows that let in the sky. A colorful mosaic of two dragons forming a heart wraps up a wood-burning fireplace. A miniature door to the right of the fireplace houses a wood closet that can be accessed from outside. The exalting cedar ceilings above, and throughout the house, are expertly crafted with tapered tongue-and-groove planks and cedar beams.To the immediate left of the entrance way is the guest bathroom. A translucent blue glass sink drips toward the tiled floor mimicking the water it is home to. Just beyond, rounding out from the first staircase is the dining room. Five large windows let ample light spill into this gracious space, which is embraced by numerous preserved manzanita trees that seem to grow out of the walls and tickle the ceiling. A glass door leads to a back patio and terraced garden that rises up the slope of the hillside. The garden is colorfully landscaped with rose bushes, lavender, rosemary, small needle-leaf trees, and low river rock walls.Continuing through the dining room and further into the house, a wall of windows wraps around a second free-standing staircase featuring two exquisitely carved salmon, and leads to the open, airy center of the home, the kitchen. Beautiful curved granite provides ample counter space and a home to top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances. The floor transitions to a warm earth-tone travertine featuring pewter inserts embossed with a spiral design, also found on the pewter drawer pulls. Natural manzanita tree trunks support a large kidney-shaped center island with seating for four. The earthy rose and red tones of this welcoming space are complemented by the blue of the sky and the ever-green of the trees that seem to enter through the abundance of windows. A breakfast bar with seating for four extends part-way into the space, creating a small divide between the kitchen and a relaxed open living space that enjoys five custom skylights, sculptural windows and two sets of glass double doors that open to the stone patio.From here you notice a remarkable quality of the home: every direction provides anawe-inspiring vista, to the natural environs and endless view, but also to the beauty of the home itself. You can see deep into the house from almost any point and enjoy the extraordinary appointments and artwork in the foreground, mid-ground and distant background. It is perfectly cinematic. The sensation is expansive, without being overwhelming, like wandering through a magical wood or the narrow, promising streets of that white-washed Greek isle.The journey continues along the winding hardwood floor to a third living space with magnificent eastern light. There is a full guest bath around the corner. A second passageway from the kitchen leads to an ample pantry and laundry room, and a stunning spiral staircase, built on a single beam of laminated oak that serves as the second entrance to the master suite. The main entrance to the master suite is the second staircase from the entrance. At the top, a row of copper trees curves along the bannister and opens up to a wonderful, airy hideaway. Sculptural windows in the shapes of windswept pines, spruce, and buoyant clouds frame a wall of windows that looks onto the panoramic view - perfect to watch the radiant sunrise and the beautiful shale pink light at sunset. A second wall of windows gazes on the rising terraces of flowers and trees and lets in the bubbling sounds of the garden water feature. The vaulted clear oak ceiling of this rounded room gives a grand sense of spaciousness and privacy.Two arched doorways on the east side lead to a landing area and the master bath. The bath features a bidet and a double sink set in a curved countertop of gorgeous blue Van Gogh granite. A lush teal carpet leads into a second room with so many windows, you almost feel like you’ve stepped outside. Floor to ceiling glass doors open into a double headed shower. Adjacent is a steam shower in Van Gogh granite, whose greys, blues, rust red, and teal, are beyond luxurious when kissed by the sun. A bell-shaped copper light fixture hangs at the center of the space. A jetted tub is perfectly placed to take in the southern view. A glass door leads to a stone tiled terrace.The master suite terrace features a custom glass railing with a copper bannister that continues the design of the copper trees. The stone tile features spiral designs and a border of large pebbles that form an elegant draining system. The landscaped pond below is circled with a similar border of rounded stones, echoing the terrace design and the river rock wall on the first floor.Further around the terrace, a second door leads back into the house. Crowned with a skylight, this landing area features convenient storage, a closet, and a hidden laundry chute that delivers clothes and sheets straight down to the pantry and laundry area below. A balcony overlooks a sunny first-floor room that might serve as office or yoga space.The spiral staircase gives private access to the kitchen from the master suite, and to the eastern egress. Just outside, the stone terrace leads to an endless pool inside a glass gazebo whose shape reflects the roofs of the home. To the left is a staircase down to the basement level, and beyond, a path to the terraced garden.The first staircase from the entrance leads to the guest bedroom, which is also surrounded with windows and graced with a vaulted cedar ceiling. A glass door opens to another terrace, and here, you are engulfed by the view. It is breathtaking. You might spy any of the abundant wildlife in this 180-degree immersion - wild turkeys, golden eagles, falcons, grazing deer and elk. The full bath is well appointed with granite, framing a large window that shares the glorious vista.The basement level is accessed from the kitchen. Stairs lead to a 3,000 square foot level that is open to the next owner’s imagination. The possibilities for this space are vast - from a kingly wine cellar and tasting room, to a Turkish or Russian bath, to a magnificent editing suite and screening room. The four large rooms and half-bath are completely wired and ready for transformation. The egress on the east side leads up a grotto-like stone staircase to the patio with access to the pool gazebo and back garden.Also found below is the control room for the elaborate electrical system, the geothermal temperature control, and the in-floor radiant heating system which has 21 zones in the house. A significant investment to install, the geothermal system is extremely efficient and lends maximum cost efficiency to controlling the temperature of the home.The 700 acres of land surrounding the home played an important role in the lives of the indigenous peoples who inhabited the area for centuries. A small rise nearby, known as The Wedding Knoll was the site of marriage ceremonies. Two oak trees that were once tied together to represent union now form a natural sculpture with the rope marks still visible.A few minutes drive on the property finds a lovely off-grid cabin, fully equipped with solar power and generator. An open plan living room soars high to a large sleeping loft. The downstairs bedroom features large closets, and the full bath, a claw foot tub. The galley kitchen is equipped with a washer and dryer. A lovely porch wraps around a wall of front windows that looks upon the sweeping view.Whether embraced by the graceful curves and exquisite artistry of the main home, or gazing anywhere on this extraordinary land, you’ll find that this property is a place to expand, and be held and nurtured by the incomparable beauty and power of nature.