In 1979, actor Steve McQueen moved to a ranch in Santa Paula, California, with his partner, later wife, Barbara Minty. The property included a historic house and an aircraft hangar associated with his collection of cars and motorcycles. Later real estate listings described the approximately 15-acre property as having Syrah vineyards, fruit trees and equestrian facilities, although the available accounts do not establish when all these features were added. McQueen, known for films such as “Bullitt” and “The Great Escape”, pursued interests in motor racing and aviation alongside his acting career. The ranch was his final home before his death in 1980. Accounts of the property differ slightly on its total acreage and the size of its hangar, but contemporary real estate reports document its principal features and the couple’s brief time there.
The Steve McQueen ranch: A ranch near Santa Paula Airport
The Los Angeles Times reported in 2009 that McQueen and Minty moved to the 15.5-acre ranch in 1979. A later report by the newspaper, published when the property sold in 2012, described it as covering 15.3 acres. The 2009 report also identified 3 acres of Syrah vineyards, fruit trees and a 3-acre equestrian facility among the property’s features. These figures come from separate real estate reports, so the acreage is best described as approximately 15 acres rather than as a single definitive measurement.The house was described as a Victorian-style residence built in 1892. Property coverage described the house as a Victorian-style residence dating to 1892, with period detailing that included antique stained-glass windows. The property’s rural setting and proximity to Santa Paula Airport suited McQueen’s interest in aviation. The 2009 property listing reported that the ranch hangar housed his car and motorcycle collection, along with a yellow Stearman biplane. McQueen’s connection to Santa Paula began before he bought the ranch. A 2008 Los Angeles Times retrospective discussed McQueen’s earlier stay in an airport hangar before he acquired the nearby ranch. This was a separate structure from the hangar on the ranch itself. That airport hangar should not be confused with the separate hangar on the ranch itself.
The hangar and his collection of vehicles
The ranch’s hangar was a major feature of the property. The Los Angeles Times reported in 2009 that the 4,500-square-foot structure housed McQueen’s car and motorcycle collection. In a 2011 report, Inman also described a 4,500-square-foot hangar containing dirt bikes, Indian motorcycles and sports cars.Not every account gives the same measurement. Some automotive coverage has described the structure as 4,200 square feet, while the Los Angeles Times and Inman reported 4,500 square feet. The available accounts therefore support describing it as a hangar of roughly 4,200 to 4,500 square feet, rather than treating one measurement as universally agreed upon. The reports consistently identify it as space for McQueen’s vehicles. McQueen had become widely associated with cars and motorcycles through both his screen roles and personal pursuits. His films included “The Great Escape” (1963), “Bullitt” (1968) and “The Cincinnati Kid” (1965). Away from acting, he devoted time to motor racing and flying. Inman reported that he acquired 2 vintage Stearman biplanes and arranged to learn from a local flight instructor after settling in the Santa Paula area.
His marriage to Barbara Minty
The ranch was also the setting for McQueen’s marriage to Minty. The Los Angeles Times reported that the couple married in the living room of the house in January 1980, a few months after moving to the property. McQueen had been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer associated with asbestos exposure, shortly before their marriage, according to Inman. His time at the ranch was short. McQueen died in November 1980, aged 50, following surgery in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Inman reported that a memorial service for McQueen was held at a pond on the property.
