History

From Movie Stars to Royalty

How did Fairbanks Ranch get its name? This former Spanish land grant was purchased by Douglas Fairbanks in the 1920's. Fairbanks was a silent film star who became famous for such roles as Zorro and Robin Hood. He and his wife, movie actress Mary Pickford, known as “America’s Sweetheart”, owned more than 3,000 acres of this area. They named their land Rancho Zorro, inspired by Fairbanks’s film The Mark of Zorro.

From Rancho to Estate Homes

In 1977, home builder Ray Watt got his first glimpse of the verdant Rancho Zorro. Seeing what an exquisite place it was, he purchased land from eight different landowners to secure management of the property. He established Fairbanks Ranch with two components. One was a residential community with 619 estate residences. Another was the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club (FRCC), with 341 production homes. Fairbanks Village Plaza, a 58,000 square foot office and retail center, sits between Fairbanks Ranch and the Country Club. The center currently has a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and business offices.

The Scene of Olympic Athletics

Prince Phillip of Great Britain selected Fairbanks Ranch Country Club over six other locations to serve as the site for the endurance portions of the equestrian events during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. A bronze sculpture on display at the entrance gate commemorates the event, which took place on August 1, 1984.

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