Paramount Ranch Fire Patrol Station Historic Structure Report

If you’ve ever watched a “Western” movie, chances are you’ve seen Paramount Ranch. Nestled in the Agoura Hills north of Los Angeles, it was leased by Paramount Pictures in 1927 and since then has been the scene for hundreds of movies and television shows, including “Gunsmoke,” “The Texan,” “Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman” and, more recently, “Westworld.” It’s one of the last extant “movie ranch” properties that were part of Hollywood’s Golden Era.

MIG partnered with historical architect Siegel & Strain to complete a Historic Structure Report (HSR) for the former Fire Patrol Station on the site. Originally designed as a caretaker’s house in about 1915, it was converted into a fire station in the late 1920s, and was active until 1978. The National Park Service then purchased the property and the building underwent further alterations to accommodate its current residential and office uses. It’s now part of the Paramount Ranch Historic District, which is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

MIG provided archival research, historic context development, and significance evaluation of the building. The building was not well documented in the historic record, but we were able to decipher clues from visual inspection, historic photos, newspaper articles, and maps to understand the chronology of alterations to the building over time.

The HSR will assist and guide NPS with preservation and continued maintenance of the building, as well as future rehabilitation of the building for improved park housing.