Historic Shakespeare Ranch lists for 188M

One of Nevada’s oldest preeminent properties is on the market.

The historic Shakespeare Ranch, on the east shore of Lake Tahoe, is listed for $188 million through Chase International. Buyers can purchase the entire ranch or take an a la carte approach and acquire their choice of lakefront residences and homesites starting at $9.95 million.

If the property sells in its entirety, it will break regional sales records. Another lakefront property holds the record, selling for $62 million earlier this year.

“It is one of a kind, no question,” said Shari Chase of Chase International. “It’s for the person who wants to feel the heart and soul of Lake Tahoe as you could never before with options that haven’t been offered to any buyer in our history.”

The ranch, dating back to the late 1800s, spans 130 acres, with 425 feet of lakefront frontage and significant improvements and expansions to the property. The name came from a local legend, where onlookers saw the playwright’s facial resemblance on a rock formation towering above Glenbrook Bay. The famous rock, appropriately named Shakespeare Mountain, is part of the ranch offerings.

Nestled behind the private gates of Glenbrook, the ranch and the community played a significant role in Nevada’s history. Glenbrook, the oldest settlement on Lake Tahoe, began as the region’s leading timber supplier. After the lumber mills closed, it became a New England-style resort community centered around an inn and the ranch. Guests traveled across the lake aboard a steamer ship.

“It’s quite a special community on the lake,” said Architect Marc Appleton of Appleton Partners LLP, who designed several projects on the ranch. “The golf course, I’ve been told, is the oldest in Nevada.”

The quintessential property features 17 residences and cabins, two lakeside cabanas, 14 private buoys, a 465-foot-deep water pier with two boat lifts, a 151-year-old renovated barn and root cellar, an indoor pool/spa with fireplace, an animal barn with an art loft, a rodeo and equestrian grounds. It also features a rare boat house in Tahoe City, California.

“Only 16 percent of all the land in the Tahoe Basin is privately owned,” said Mike Dunn of Chase International. “I don’t think there is a way to acquire anything like this anywhere.”

Public records show that the current owners are Larry and Camille Ruvo. Larry Ruvo founded the Keep Memory Alive Foundation and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. He also led Southern Glazer Wine and Spirits of Nevada, the state’s largest wholesale importer and wine, beer and liquor distributor.

“Larry was lucky to have the opportunity to purchase all the adjoining properties and have a compound as a result,” Appleton said. “He always refers to it as the one place on earth they would always return to.”

Properties like the Shakespeare Ranch are rare. In addition to its inimitability and spectacular lake views, the Tahoe Regional Planning Association (TRPA) manages and protects the land by restricting development. It preserves the area’s privacy and integrity for generations to come.

“The land is very treasured and highly protected,” Chase said. “There is nothing like the Glenbrook community. You come through the gates and it’s like a different world. It’s so charming and pristine and very private.”

Over the years, the Ruvos significantly improved the property, adhering to the TRPA guidelines. In 1994, they hired Appleton, an award-winning California-based architect. He was chosen based on his previous work at Martha’s Vineyard in New England, which the couple discovered featured in an Architectural Digest article.

“Glenbrook is an unusual community where the architecture harkens back to New England roots,” Appleton said. “They wanted an architect who could be responsive to the existing architecture in Glenbrook.”

His first project, Water’s Edge, is a 4,290-square-foot gabled two-story New England-style lakefront home with a lakeside cabana. The residence replaced an existing structure that was moved to a different location on the property. Appleton was tasked with designing a home that fit the original building’s footprint while taking advantage of the incredible lake views the property offered.

“The regulations around Lake Tahoe are pretty strict,” Appleton said. “We were not allowed to build outside the existing footprint of the old building.”

Appleton designed a two-story home to utilize the existing homesite fully. The main living area is on the upper level, and three bedrooms are on the lower level. He added an office and family room above the main level. Appleton incorporated hardwood floors, vaulted wood ceilings and a traditional New England-style exterior.

“We decided to go with shingles instead of clapboard or horizontal siding, which gave the home a nice distinctive look,” Appleton said.

If purchased separately, the Water’s Edge parcel lists for $35 million.

A second residence under construction will be completed next year. It is an approximately 9,213- square-foot two-story ranch-style home adjacent to the rodeo grounds. Because of its location, Appleton took a different approach.

“The house is going to take its cue from the old barns. The exterior will be clad salvaged barn siding with heavy timber porches,” he said. “The home is being constructed to be the main house for the ranch.”

The rustic gabled home features five bedrooms, 5½ baths, an open beam ceiling with clerestory windows and 1,500 square feet of garage space. The primary suite showcases a private terrace with lake views.

Another significant project involved renovating a historic barn built in 1873. Appleton transformed the rustic, dirt-floored space into an entertainment haven with a culinary kitchen, bar, dance floor, wine cellar and games.

The entertainment barn is a highlight during the Glenbrook rodeo, an annual community tradition revived by the Ruvos in 2000 after a lengthy absence. The weekend event is a fundraiser supporting the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The exhibition traditionally draws over 400 rodeo goers.

Over the years, headline acts such as Robin Williams, Jay Leno, Kenny Loggins, Michael Bolton and Lionel Richie have performed at the event.

Appleton has worked on various other projects on the ranch over the last 30 years, such as renovating the boat house, transforming a root cellar into a wine room and designing three distinct barns in a U-shape, including an indoor pool/spa, an animal barn with a playroom/art studio loft and a storage barn with an exercise room, office loft and art areas. He further renovated several cottages named after Shakespeare’s plays and famous characters.

“It’s been a long time,” Appleton said. “It’s become a friendship as well as a professional relationship for me.”

Glenbrook is the only private, gated lakefront community on Lake Tahoe with a golf course, restaurant and tennis club. It has less than 300 homes and approximately 250 residents. Only 150 of the 750 acres within the community have been developed.