34°04′19″N 118°30′47″W / 34.072°N 118.513°W
The Murphy Ranch is a ranch built in Rustic Canyon, Los Angeles in the 1930s by Winona and Norman Stevens.[1][2] According to a long-running urban legend, they were sympathizers of the fascist Silver Legion of America.[3][4] The owner of record in 1933 was Jessie M. Murphy.[2] Supposedly designed as a base for Nazi activities in the U.S.,[5] it was intended to be capable of being self-sustaining for long periods. The compound had a water storage tank, a fuel tank, a bomb shelter, and various outbuildings and bunkers. The estate's main gate was designed by Paul Williams, a well-known African-American architect in the Southern California area.
According to the legend, with no supporting newspaper accounts or other hard evidence: on Monday, December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, law enforcement agents raided the compound and detained members of the 50-strong caretaker force.[citation needed]
As of 1990, it was abandoned and in a state of disrepair, and covered in graffiti.[2] The site is currently owned by the city of Los Angeles. In early 2016, many of the ranch buildings were demolished, as they were deemed unsafe. A few buildings remain, including the power house, an all-concrete building that once contained the diesel generators. All entryways have been sealed.
