Well-known, historic equestrian estate on 50 acres near California ocean for sale: $6.6M
A well-known, 50-acre Northern California equestrian estate and Spanish-style home that was built with a chapel inside has hit the market for $6.599 million.
Orginally part of a Spanish land grant, Villa Munrás was built near Monterey, California, in 1941 by the Munrás family for Maria Antonia Field, great granddaughter of Spanish diplomat Estéban Munrás, according to Compass real estate firm, which holds the listing.
The 4,000-square-foot main residence sits 15 minutes from the ocean at 1014 Monterey Salinas Highway in Salinas, California. The property has gorgeous views of rolling hills and the valley.
Field was a devout Catholic and built a chapel inside the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom residence. The original chapel has been remodeled into a family room with a high wood-beam ceiling and French doors leading to the courtyard and pool — a great spot for entertaining. The entrance to the home features custom murals, the name Villa Munrás above the family crest and a statue of La Virgen Maria in an alcove in front of a Carmel Mission mural painting.
Outside, the property has 10 large, fenced pastures that can accommodate up to 50 horses. The largest pasture encompasses 10 acres with a lake. Multiple shelters with salt licks provide shade for the horses when they’re in the pasture. High up on top of the property, there are two barns with eight stalls and a tack room.
“As a child, I can’t count the number of times I passed this property, dreaming from the backseat of what it might be like to live amongst such beauty,” Compass co-listing agent Dillon Staples said in a statement. “To watch the horses as they galavant around the property, troping under the mature oaks and grazing by the pond, it brought about such a mystique of what lie beyond the iron gates.”
After Fields died, the estate was sold to a satellite tracking services company, according to Compass. An original concrete structure, which housed the satellite company, is still intact on the property, and now functions as grain storage for horses, according to a Compass representative.
Ronald and Whitney Stolich bought the property in 1972 and operated the horse farm and boarding facility until January 2023, when Whitney died, according to Compass.
The property is a refuge to a variety of wildlife: mallard ducks, Canada geese, egrets, herons, deer and more.
“Not only is this property extremely well known by most on the Peninsula, but that which is unknown is tremendous,” Staples said. “Most know the property for its beauty that is visible from the road, but few have seen just how exquisite these 50 acres are. From the 1940s-era Spanish home to the soaring views from every point on the property, it’s hard to imagine any estate on the Monterey Peninsula could lay claim to all that this has to offer.”
Compass co-listing agent Denise Paulson said the property is a rare opportunity to own land near the Northern California coast.
“Finding 50 acres of land with the infrastructure to support an equestrian ranch, the tastefulness of European elegance, within 15 minutes of the coast and all that exalts the Monterey Peninsula, is astounding,” she said in an email. “There is still something so exciting about having that which exists eternally in the minds and hearts of all that travel West and East between Monterey and Salinas. Luxury is attainable, acquiring a piece of history is achievable, but rarely is one able to purchase a thing of legend.”
The estate even houses a Verizon cell transmitter, which brings in income of $2,300 a month.
