across the u.s.mid-century moderncalifornia

Cliff May’s Rancho Estates, Long Beach

Rancho Estates in east Long Beach is a tract of about 700 single-story ranch houses designed by Cliff May and Chris Choate and built by developer Ross Cortese in 1953–1954. Sold as Lakewood Rancho Estates and annexed to Long Beach in 1954, the houses were built with May and Choate’s pre-cut panel system and have board-and-batten siding, clerestory glass and glass doors opening onto courtyards. The tract has its own zoning district (PD-11) but isn’t a designated historic district.

The housesThe rulesBefore you buy

  • built1953–1954some sources say from 1952
  • homesabout 700one source says 950
  • designMay & Choatebuilt by Ross Cortese
  • zoningPD-11not a historic district

the houses

What makes them distinctive

  • Pre-cut panel systemIn 1952 May and Choate designed and copyrighted a low-cost house building system: pre-cut lumber, wall panels and prefabricated utility and bathroom units.
  • Fast assemblyThe LA Conservancy cites the Los Angeles Times: four men could put up a house’s basic structure in a day.
  • Ranch exteriorShallow gabled roofs, clerestory windows and board-and-batten siding, with houses set well back behind fenced front courtyards.
  • Glass to the courtyardLarge windows, floor-to-ceiling doors and paired French doors open onto patios paved in grids of aggregate concrete.
  • Open-beam interiorsVaulted living rooms with exposed beams, and many gable ends filled with clerestory glass.
  • Five-foot moduleHouses are laid out on a five-foot module, mostly L-shaped with three or four bedrooms, attached to or set slightly back from garages and carports.

protection

Designation and the rules

  • Not a historic districtLong Beach lists 18 designated historic districts, and Rancho Estates isn’t one of them, so the city’s Certificate of Appropriateness review doesn’t apply. Residents have discussed seeking designation.
  • PD-11 zoningThe tract is zoned as the PD-11 Rancho Estates planned development district. Dwell and the Long Beach Post report that second-story additions have been barred since about 2008; confirm current limits with Long Beach planning.
  • Mills ActLong Beach offers Mills Act contracts only for properties in a historic district, designated landmarks or properties eligible to be landmarks.
  • No National Register listingWe found no National Register listing for Rancho Estates.

before you buy

What to check before you buy

  • Check PD-11 firstBefore planning an addition, ask Long Beach planning how PD-11 applies to the lot.
  • Earlier two-story housesThe Long Beach Post counted about a dozen two-story Ranchos, all added before the ban; ask for the permit history on any addition.
  • Original materialsOriginal features include redwood board-and-batten siding, birch interiors, brick chimneys, clerestory glass and exposed-beam ceilings; check what survives.
  • Garage frontsMany garages have lost their original sided fronts to roll-up doors, so compare the street face with the original design.
  • Insulation and storageOwners report thin insulation and limited storage; some have added ceiling insulation or bumped out bedrooms under the eaves.
property nerd note

Sources differ on the home count (about 700, or 950 built or ordered by Ross Cortese) and on the start year (1953 or 1952), and the scanned PD-11 ordinance couldn’t be read, so the second-story limit rests on press reports.

sources

Where this comes from

Checked October 20, 2026.

questions

Questions we hear

Is Rancho Estates a historic district?

No. Long Beach lists 18 designated historic districts and Rancho Estates isn’t one of them; residents have discussed seeking designation.

Can a second story be added?

Dwell and the Long Beach Post report that second-story additions have been barred in the tract since about 2008. It’s zoned PD-11 Rancho Estates, so confirm current rules with Long Beach planning.

How many Cliff May houses are there?

The LA Conservancy and the Long Beach Post say about 700; Eichler Network says builder Ross Cortese built 950 of the May–Choate houses in Long Beach.

more to learn

Keep going

General information from the sources listed, checked October 20, 2026; not legal, preservation or construction advice. Confirm designation and permit rules with the local preservation office before you buy or remodel. The Boyenga Team represents buyers and sellers in Santa Clara County, bay-side San Mateo County and San Francisco.

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