The Zorthian Ranch | Our Legacy
For over 70 years the Zorthian Ranch has existed as a haven for artists & intellectuals, a community + arts center, and a natural respite from the city. It has also been used as a Movie Location for over 20 years, with many popular TV shows, movies, and music videos filmed here. Looking for a unique and versatile location for your next project? Let us know your project and location needs – we will get back to you right away!
Conveniently located 15 miles from Downtown Los Angeles in beautiful Altadena California, Zorthian Ranch rests on 45 acres of mountains, valleys, forests, structures, and sculptures. It’s distinctive architecture was hand built by the great Jirayr Zorthian (wikipedia), once a popular and eccentric artist in the area. Vintage vehicles, a variety animals (including a Llama), agriculture, and a diverse landscape provides unequaled potential for film & photo, community happenings, art, music and permaculture.
Alan Zorthian
Son of Jirayr and Dabney Zorthian, Alan grew up on Zorthian Ranch before leaving to study Architecture. Alan stays busy running operations at Zorthian Ranch as well as maintaining a private architecture practice (commercial and residential).
Caroline Zorthian
Oldest daughter of Alan, Caroline moved up to the ranch in 2014. She helps run operations at Zorthian Ranch and gives frequent tours of the ranch. She enjoys creating spaces and is inspired by the rich history and legacy of Zorthian Ranch.
Julia Zorthian
Youngest daughter of Alan, Julia is a versatile ceramicist, community organizer, and resident of the Zorthian Ranch. She manages the ranch’s Airbnb as well as operations and meetings. You can find some of her beauitful work for sale at the Zorthian Ranch gift shop.
Brian Carlson
Ranch foreman and long time assistant of Jirayr Zorthian, Brian Carlson has personally made a lot of the architecture and sculptures around the ranch.
Phillip De-Avila Molina
Power house of the ranch and resident blacksmith, Phil has been an essential and incomparable part of the ranch since his arrival.
David Apodaca
Expert in all things plant, Apo has been a friend and component of the ranch for years. He tends to hundreds of plants around Zorthian Ranch.
Max Josephson
Max Josephson is part of Zorthian Ranch’s tech support team. He also leads regular mindfulness meditations here, and programs apps – meditation, psychology, interactive art. Follow us on instagram to find about about one of his free guided meditations at Zorthian Ranch.
Tara Zorthian
Tara is a vibrant and colorful member of Zorthian Ranch. An uninhibited artist and musician, Tara’s music and art can be found at Zorthian Ranch. You can also find her music on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BHZHu9cgMX7aevva3tysS
Ireland Wisdom
Ireland is classically trained oil painter, trained in Italy. As an oil painter, she is inspired by Jirayr Zorthian’s work and the legacy that he left behind. She hosts figure drawing classes (with live models) at Zorthian Ranch every Sunday. Follow us on instagram @zorthianranch for more details.
