The Valley of the Moon Ranch in Montana is a collection of structures looking almost like space ship fragments scattered over a quiet green valley. This perfect artists’ retreat is now on the market priced at $12.5 million.
The partially subterranean main house is measured at 10,300 square feet with five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a kitchen, dining room with fireplace, living room, a library with a fireplace, recreation room, office with fireplace, and an exercise room with an indoor swimming pool. An art gallery on the other side of the lake with its circular sculpture garden entryway is also partially subterranean. The 1,800-square-foot guest home has multiple glass walls for viewing the mountains, creeks, and meadows, and an in-ground sculpture by James Turrell emitting a slow-motion light show.
The listing of the Valley of the Moon Ranch in Montana is handled by Hall and Hall Real Estate in Montana.
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- This is the front view of the main house with a curved design and lots of glass walls that glow warmly from the interior lights. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
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- Upon entry of the house, you are welcomed by this foyer that has two curved stairs, light hardwood flooring and beige tones on its walls and tall ceiling. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
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- The living room has a couple of red sofas that stand out against the light hardwood flooring and the large glass wall. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
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- This other view of the living room shows more of the tall shed beige ceiling with recessed lights. On the far side, you can see the large entryway to the bedroom. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
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- This other living room has a sofa set illiminated by the circular skylight above and warmed by the fireplace. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
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- This is a view of the family room with a variety of cushioned sofas and armchairs adorned with potted plants and wall-mounted paintings. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
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- This is the library with a couple of large wooden built-in bookshelves on the walls flanking the fireplace across from the sofa. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
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- The dining room has a large wooden dining table surrounded by wooden chairs and adorned with a large painting of a moose on the side. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
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- This is a closer look at the large entryway that leads to the bedroom. Here you can see the large bed with a cushioned headboard flanked by bedside drawers and table lamps. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
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- This is the exterior view of the guest house with a round design, glass walls and a built-in light art exhibit in the middle. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
All photos are used with permission from TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
Valley of the Moon Ranch is antithetical to the typical rustic ranch retreat given over to cows, horses, and rough and tumble ranch hands and log estate homes. Instead, it’s an artists’ retreat with the structures looking almost like space ship fragments scattered over a quiet green valley.
Designed by award-winning Argentinean architect and industrial designer, Emilio Ambasz, who was also the curator of design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York from 1970 to 1976, one can expect something a little different. Ambasz was one of the early pioneers of green architecture and was able to experiment with his ideas in perfect freedom away from opinion, naysayers, or yea sayers within his 1,400 acres in this private green valley.
According to historical records, the earliest recorded history on Gilbert Creek that flows through the ranch dates back to 1909 when William Gould, a 60-year old bachelor from Georgia, applied for a patent on his homestead where he had been living for the previous 16 years. The story of Valley of the Moon Ranch specifically is even more recent. Historical documents show that James Finlen, Sr., a mining financier from Butte, Montana, bought Valley of the Moon Ranch from the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1921, some years after the railroad had received a large congressional land grant.
A politician by the name of McDowell bought the property from Finlen, Sr. only to later sell it to Finlen’s son, James Finlen, Jr. in the 1930s. Finlen, Jr. sold the ranch in 1959 and since then it has only had a couple of owners.
Just outside of Clinton, Montana, the ranch is surrounded by forest lands at the end of a very discreet road, with extensive frontage on Rock Creek, one of Montana’s most famous blue-ribbon trout fisheries. The five-bedroom, eight-bath, 10,300-square-foot main house is partially subterranean, helping to maintain a steady year-round temperature and contains a kitchen, dining room with fireplace, living room, a library with a fireplace, recreation room, office with fireplace, and an exercise room with an indoor swimming pool.
An art gallery on the other side of the lake with its circular sculpture garden entryway is also partially subterranean. The 1,800-square-foot guest home has multiple glass walls for viewing the mountains, creeks, and meadows, and an in-ground sculpture by James Turrell emitting a slow-motion light show. A manager’s home is stationed as a “gatekeeping” structure along the drive to the owner’s compound. For more information.
Designed in 1993 by award-winning architect and former curator of design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Emilio Ambasz, the 1,400-acre Valley of the Moon Ranch in Clinton, Montana is now for sale, priced at $12.5 million.
Source: hallhall.com