McEvoy Folly
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Location
Petaluma, CA
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Owner
McEvoy Ranch
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Builder
Morita Construction
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Photographer
Read McKendree
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Team Members
Michael Booth
A Pagoda in the Grove
Perched amid rolling hills and olive groves, the pavilion defies expectations. It has a pagoda-like silhouette inspired by classical Chinese garden architecture and modeled in part after the Chinese Pavilion at Marble House in Newport.
What might seem incongruous at first glance becomes, upon arrival, entirely fitting: a spirited counterpoint to the ranch’s traditional forms, and a deeply personal reflection of McEvoy’s global perspective and imaginative sensibility.
Designed as a shelter from the sun and a venue for lively gatherings, including the renown family’s annual olive harvest fête, the structure now anchors the landscape both visually and socially. The intricate pebble-mosaic floor, assembled stone by stone by a craftsman brought in from New Zealand, was built with materials sourced from the ranch itself. Overhead, Venetian lanterns glow softly beneath a scalloped ceiling of beaded boards, evoking the billow of a silk canopy.
At once whimsical and rooted, the pavilion honors its natural surroundings while offering a bold gesture of individual expression: proof of the enduring magic that can come from a long-term creative partnership.
