Zorthian Ranch GoFundMe raises over $100,000 as most of historic Altadena landmark destroyed in LA fire

The Zorthian Ranch, a 48-acre artist colony located in Altadena, was just one of the thousands of structures to get decimated in the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires. The junkyard is located in the foothills of Fair Oaks Avenue and is run by proprietor Jirayr Zorthian.

Over the years, the junkyard has played host to many a resident, who would often come through to milk goats, make cheese, and exchange ideas. Notable figures include Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Charlie Parker, Segovia, Richard Feynman, and more. However, most of the property was scorched in the Eaton Fire.

The ranch owner's daughter, Julia Zorthian initiated a GoFundMe and has raised over $100k out of its goal of $200k.

---

Everything to know about the Zorthian Ranch as owners say they lost almost everything, have no money to pay docents and feed animals

Speaking with Fox News, Alan Zorthian, the owner of the Zorthian Ranch, revealed that they've lost about "80% of the structures his father had built," though two of the houses have survived. As for what he did at the ranch, he revealed that his father, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, came there in 1946.

An artist by passion, he built most of the structures on the property with recycled materials as he felt that "artists should not limit themselves to just being artists." He revealed that his dad would use materials people discarded to build most of what was on the property.

When asked about the animals the property housed, he revealed that animal control lent a hand in getting every last one off of the property.

In the wake of the destruction, Julia Zorthian, the owner's daughter and one of the caretakers of the Zorthian Ranch, initiated a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe. The goal has been set to $200K, out of which $100K has been raised. With only 50% more to go, donations have come in from over 1,000 patrons thus far.

Per the page, most of the "artwork that Jirayr created" has been burnt down, apart from most of the structure itself.

"The photos of the summer camp, the archives of videos, its too tragic to think if all the irreplacable pieces of history that were lost. My dad lost every thing he owned. He has no car, no clothes. We don't want to put this land in the hands of developers. Please help us keep this place a community space for generations of artists who've come before, and who've yet to come," the page reads.

The page is calling on everyone to help out, noting that there are,

"20 docents who called this place home, dedicated so much care and energy to the ranch, filled it completely with love, and lost so much- most lost everything beside what few things they could grab while also trying to protect and defend the ranch from the fire."

Furthermore, the Zorthian Ranch says they will have to shell out a $9k mortgage every month, despite not having an income source anymore.

"We've never in all the years of our existance had a fundraiser, we've always scraped by and found ways to continue to exist, despite all the challenges. But this time, we need help. If you've ever come to this place, heard of this place, found magic here or felt joy here, please consider donating. We really need any help we can get," the page goes on.

---

The Zorthian Ranch's GoFundMe states that out of everything raised, $108k will go for a year's mortgage, $100k will be allotted to ranch docents "for time to rebuild their lives," and $5K will go to feed the animals and keep them in stables.