Zorro Ranch Construction History: Buildings, Builders, Infrastructure, and Unresolved Claims
Snapshot
Jeffrey Epstein acquired Zorro Ranch near Stanley, New Mexico, through the Zorro Trust in 1993. The property already contained at least one older guest house. During his ownership, it developed into a compound with a large main residence, guest houses, staff buildings, recreational spaces, an airstrip, a hangar, a helipad, and extensive water and communications systems.
The New Mexico Survivors’ Truth Commission interim report identifies Bradbury & Stamm Construction as the builder of the main residence. Santa Fe County assessor information cited in that report dates the three story, 28,636 square foot house to 1999 and lists eight guest houses with construction dates ranging from 1962 to 1999.
The records also describe unusual features: a Western village, an indoor pool apparently adapted from an earlier spa design, a labyrinth garden incorporating a helipad, a proposed dental practice, and an ambulance. No construction record identified here establishes a hidden laboratory or bunker.
Key takeaways
- The ranch developed in stages. At least one guest house predates Epstein’s purchase. Several more have 1994 assessor dates, while the main house has a 1999 date.
- The main residence’s builder is identifiable. The Commission names Bradbury & Stamm. Later ranch correspondence calls the firm the original project company.
- A proposed grass landing strip on state land was withdrawn in 1994. The Commission’s interim report gives 2014 for the cited application and withdrawal, but the underlying documents say 1994.
- The pool underwent a significant design change. A later engineering assessment reportedly describes a change from an original spa room design and limited documentation for that alteration.
- Medical equipment requires careful interpretation. The record supports a proposed dental practice and ambulance related purchases or requests. It does not establish a laboratory or show how that equipment was used.
Construction timeline
| Period | Documented event or condition | Open question |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | One guest house has a 1962 assessor date. | What was its original purpose and how was it altered? |
| 1993 | The Zorro Trust arranged the ranch purchase. | What buildings and improvements were present at acquisition? |
| 1994 | Four guest houses have 1994 assessor dates. A proposed grass strip on state land was withdrawn. | Was a separate strip built elsewhere that year? |
| 1995 | Reporting describes a Western village under construction. | Who designed and built each village structure? |
| 1997 to 1999 | Zorro architectural drawing leads appear. Bradbury & Stamm supplemental sketches carry a March 1999 date. The assessor dates the main house to 1999. | Where are the complete plans, revisions, and contracts? |
| 1998 to 1999 | Three more guest houses have assessor dates in these years. | Do those dates represent original construction or substantial alterations? |
| Early 2000s | Ranch work reports discuss water, power, gates, cameras, a fountain, and entertainment equipment. | Which proposals were completed? |
| 2007 to 2013 | Records discuss stucco, pool, mechanical, and interior repairs. | What were the final scopes and costs? |
| 2015 to 2016 | A ranch dental practice was proposed, and communications infrastructure continued to develop. | Was dentistry ever practiced at the ranch? |
| 2023 onward | New owners acquired and renamed the ranch San Rafael Ranch and began renovations. | Which Epstein era features survive unaltered? |
The Commission’s assessor summary supplies the building dates. Those dates are useful chronology markers, but they do not replace permits, construction contracts, or a complete history of later renovations.
The purchase and older structures
The 1993 transaction material in EFTA00065856 identifies the Zorro Trust as purchaser. It names King Brothers Ranch, King Land & Cattle Company, and Pine Canyon Ranch among the sellers and includes material concerning agricultural leases. These documents establish land transactions, not a complete inventory of buildings.
The Commission’s assessor information dates one guest house to 1962, decades before Epstein bought the property. Witness material describes an early residence resembling a particularly well finished cabin or mobile home. The present record does not conclusively match that recollection to the 1962 assessor entry.
The Commission gives the property’s assessor acreage as 7,621.74 acres. Other published figures may count leased land or associated holdings differently. Each acreage figure should be identified by its source and method.
The Western village
Reporting on early visits to the ranch describes a Western style village with a saloon and general store during the mid 1990s. This construction appears to have preceded completion of the main residence.
The October 2013 ranch correspondence in EFTA00974633 refers to a general store sign on an adobe building. It also names the Princess Deck ceiling in a list of proposed work. A second production, EFTA01949150, contains the same correspondence. The email establishes that those features were discussed in 2013; it does not prove the proposed repairs were completed.
An FBI tactical report in EFTA00129048 repeats a 1995 newspaper account identifying a builder named Bill Powell with some ranch buildings. That information came from the earlier reporting, not a fresh FBI interview with Powell. It cannot establish that he built the main house or every village structure.
The main residence and Bradbury & Stamm
The Commission’s account of the ranch improvements identifies Bradbury & Stamm Construction as the builder of the main residence and cites EFTA00686274. The assessor describes that residence as a three story, 28,636 square foot building constructed in 1999.
The 2012 correspondence in EFTA00686274 concerns stucco repairs. Ranch manager Brice Gordon described Bradbury & Stamm as the original project company when explaining efforts to address the exterior finish. Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez’s investigation of the contractor records identifies earlier difficulties matching the original stucco and discusses March 1999 supplemental sketches bearing the contractor’s name.
The February 2001 shipment record in EFTA00219551 and May 2001 record in EFTA01315004 are leads concerning correspondence with Bradbury & Stamm personnel. They do not disclose package contents or establish additional construction in 2001.
Bradbury & Stamm’s work on institutional and government projects elsewhere does not establish that it built a classified facility, laboratory, or bunker at Zorro. That question must be answered from Zorro specific plans, contracts, invoices, and physical evidence.
Architects and drawings
The Epstein records include Zorro drawing leads associated with Cooper Robertson, including EFTA02674621 and EFTA02674622. A basement drawing lead appears in EFTA01114017. Their title blocks, dates, and revision notes are essential to identifying what each designer was responsible for.
One witness recalled an architect called “Jack Robertson” in connection with a town at the ranch entrance. The recollection does not conclusively identify that person or prove that the same architect designed the main residence. The name should not be used to assign every Cooper Robertson drawing to one individual.
A 2013 engineering assessment identified as EFTA01083777 reportedly includes March 8, 1999 Bradbury & Stamm supplemental sketches summarizing directions from the owner and design consultants. Those sketches are important, but their relationship to the complete approved drawing set remains unresolved.
Guest houses and outbuildings
The assessor information summarized by the Commission lists eight guest houses:
| Assessor year | Number of guest houses | Listed sizes |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 1 | 1,895 square feet |
| 1994 | 4 | 2,754; 1,896; 1,032; and 1,636 square feet |
| 1998 | 1 | 600 square feet |
| 1999 | 2 | 434 and 2,164 square feet |
The Commission also describes staff cabins, stables, and functional outbuildings. Witness accounts describe separate cabins or houses used by staff. Some witnesses were not permitted throughout the main house, so their observations cannot serve as a complete room inventory.
The Commission identifies a helipad incorporated into a labyrinth garden, plus an airstrip and hangar. It does not establish the construction date of each feature. It also reports an accusation concerning relocated native petroglyphs; that remains an allegation rather than an established construction event.
A ranch work report in EFTA00577633 discusses a fountain, gate cameras, water and power work, and proposed cinema equipment. A yurt work record in EFTA01975508 adds another unusual structure to the maintenance history. Proposed work must be distinguished from completed construction.
The indoor pool and original spa design
The 2013 engineering assessment identified as EFTA01083777 is described as finding that the pool area appeared to be an upgrade from an original spa room design. The engineers reportedly found little documentation explaining that particular alteration. This raises a specific question about the pool conversion. It does not establish that the entire ranch lacked plans or that an undocumented bunker was concealed beneath the pool.
A 2012 mechanical assessment in EFTA00587677 concerns pool and building equipment, including humidity control. The 2013 work list in EFTA00974633 proposes repairs to pool area walls. The records demonstrate continuing maintenance of an indoor aquatic space. The original conversion date and final design still require the complete engineering and architectural pages.
The airstrip: the original application was withdrawn in 1994
The state land file in EFTA00101481 contains a May 12, 1994 letter saying Zorro Ranch was no longer pursuing permission to construct a grass landing strip on New Mexico state land. The file also contains acknowledgment that the improvement application was canceled.
A related application reproduced in EFTA00065856 proposes a grass strip for a private plane. It gives an estimated $6,000 improvement value and an anticipated July 1, 1994 completion date. An estimate and proposed completion date are not proof that construction occurred.
The Commission’s interim report cites pages from the state file but dates the request and withdrawal to 2014. The cited original pages say 1994. The later existence of an airstrip and hangar does not establish that the withdrawn state land project was revived. The location, construction date, builder, and authorization for the strip ultimately used remain open questions.
Water, power, gates, and communications
Water project material in EFTA01305252 describes approximately 7,132 feet of pipeline and a 25,000 gallon reservoir. EFTA00299901 identifies wells and reverse osmosis equipment. Ranch reports refer to pumps, a plumbing shed, an evaporation pond, gates, cameras, and power work. Each record must be classified as a proposal, approval, inventory, or completed work before assigning it a place in the construction chronology.
The work reports in EFTA00577821 discuss security, communications, water, and maintenance issues. A ranch manager job description in EFTA02414419 assigns oversight of contractors, heating and cooling, water treatment, communications, and pool or spa systems. A confidentiality requirement for staff does not, by itself, establish a secret structure.
The Commission describes dedicated T1 internet lines, later radio equipment, and work involving Sandia Crest. It names Richard Boltz of Advanced Communications and Electronics in connection with communications work beginning in 2013. Sandia Crest appears here as a telecommunications location. The connection does not establish a project with Sandia National Laboratories or a scientific facility at the ranch.
The proposed dental practice
The Commission’s review of New Mexico dental licensing records says Karyna Shuliak applied for a license on July 7, 2015 and proposed a practice named Zorro Smiles at the ranch address. She received a general dentistry license on August 14, 2015.
The Commission also describes 2016 emails in which Epstein requested oxygen and anesthetic for a New Mexico dental office and referred to unplugging a dental chair pump at the ranch. It found no formal dental business license and no evidence to date that Shuliak practiced dentistry in New Mexico. The Commission could not establish whether the dental equipment related to survivor accounts concerning medical equipment.
The EpsteinWiki dental network article provides wider context. EFTA00521380 concerns Shuliak’s continuing education. It is not the evidence for the ranch license application, oxygen request, or dental chair pump.
The ambulance
An ambulance purchase lead in EFTA00584371 concerns a 2003 Ford F350 and equipment reportedly including a medical cot, defibrillator, and oxygen. The vehicle’s model year should not be mistaken for its purchase date.
EFTA01802067 concerns Zorro ambulance markings. EFTA02299382 refers to a request involving two ambulances. The complete purchase date, number of vehicles acquired, registration, location, and use require further documentation. These records support an ambulance related inquiry, not a conclusion about a laboratory.
Bunker and laboratory claims
The basement drawing lead in EFTA01114017 establishes a reason to examine the lower level plans. It does not turn a basement into a bunker. A reference to a “vault” in ranch maintenance material has also been associated with a sprinkler timer near a woodshop. The word alone does not identify a fortified room.
Survivor accounts concerning medical experiences must be documented with each person’s exact account, its date, and independent corroboration where available. The Commission says the relationship between reported experiences near medical equipment and the ranch dental instrumentation is unknown. The construction records assembled here do not verify a dedicated laboratory, hidden bunker, or underground medical facility.
A conclusive assessment would require the full plans and revisions, equipment inventories, location verified photographs, utility specifications, permits, invoices, or a documented physical survey tied to the historic layout.
Continuing changes and current condition
The Commission’s interim report describes frequent maintenance and improvements from the 1990s through 2019. The stucco correspondence, mechanical reports, pool records, yurt work, and 2013 repair list show that a 1999 date for the main house does not date every room, finish, or system inside it.
The Commission reports that the property sold in 2023, was renamed San Rafael Ranch, and has undergone renovations under its new owners. A present day photograph or inspection may therefore show a changed building. Historic plans should be matched to dated photographs and records before describing a feature as part of the Epstein era ranch.
Questions the records cannot yet answer
- Where are the complete Cooper Robertson and Bradbury & Stamm plans, revisions, contracts, and change orders?
- Who designed and built each Western village structure?
- When did the original spa design become the indoor pool, and what work was actually performed?
- When and on which land was the later airstrip built after the 1994 state land application was withdrawn?
- What dental equipment was installed, in which room, and was it ever used to treat anyone at the ranch?
- How many ambulances were acquired, and what do title, registration, and use records show?
- Which buildings and rooms have been changed since the property’s 2023 sale?
The Commission says the acquisition, construction, maintenance, and operating financial records are scattered and incomplete. That limitation prevents a reliable total construction cost and a definitive account of every improvement. It does not erase the detailed construction history that the surviving records do establish.
Evidence appearances
| Evidence | Construction relevance |
|---|---|
| EFTA00065856 | Purchase material and 1994 proposed grass strip improvement. |
| EFTA00101481 | State land file documenting the 1994 airstrip application withdrawal. |
| EFTA00129048 | FBI report repeating 1995 reporting about some ranch construction. |
| EFTA00686274 | Stucco repair history identifying Bradbury & Stamm as the original project company. |
| EFTA00219551 and EFTA01315004 | Shipping records involving Bradbury & Stamm personnel; package contents unknown. |
| EFTA01083777 | Pool assessment and reported March 1999 supplemental sketches. |
| EFTA02674621 and EFTA02674622 | Cooper Robertson drawing leads. |
| EFTA01114017 | Basement drawing lead. |
| EFTA00577633 and EFTA00577821 | Ranch work and infrastructure reports. |
| EFTA01305252 | Water line and reservoir material. |
| EFTA00299901 | Wells and water treatment inventory lead. |
| EFTA00587677 | Mechanical and pool systems assessment. |
| EFTA00974633 and EFTA01949150 | Duplicate productions of the 2013 proposed repair list. |
| EFTA01975508 | Yurt work lead. |
| EFTA02414419 | Ranch manager’s infrastructure and contractor responsibilities. |
| EFTA00521380 | Dental continuing education only. |
| EFTA00584371, EFTA01802067, and EFTA02299382 | Ambulance purchase, markings, and request leads. |
Sources
- New Mexico Survivors’ Truth Commission Interim Report, August 2026.
- Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez’s investigation of Bradbury & Stamm’s Zorro Ranch records. Its construction document leads are distinguished here from its broader hypotheses.
- Artnet reporting on the ranch’s early Western village.
- The Epstein records linked individually in Evidence appearances.