631 Meyers House Museum
alamedamuseum.org
Meyers House Museum 2021 Alameda Avenue
Alameda, CA 94501
Phone: (510) 521-1233
City of Alameda Monument #26, the family home of renowned architect Henry H. Meyers, responsible for many civic structures in the East Bay. Docent led tours feature main house, studio/office, architectural display, with family pieces and decorative arts from collection of Alameda Museum and the public. House sits on 3 residential lots with beautiful grounds available for daytime rental for small weddings, catered parties for volunteer or business receptions, and art events.
Designed by architect Albert Austin Bennett, the Queen Anne Cottage and Coach Barn were built for Elias J. Baldwin, a businessman in 1885, 1880 respectively. Painted red and white the buildings are listed together on the National Register as remarkable examples of Victorian architecture as well as the surrounding landscape which is a rare remnant Victorian landscape in Southern California.
December 8, 2013 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Queen Anne Cottage An Old-Fashioned Holiday at the Queen Anne Cottage Events Free with admission Stroll down memory lane and view treasures and furnishings normally seen only through the windows of the charming Victorian-era cottage, The cottage has become a Southland tradition for holiday visitors from near and far. Tours will be available throughout the day. Visitors will learn about the history of the Queen Anne Cottage. Regular admission applies; members free; Suggested $3 tour donation. Space is limited.
Bernhard Museum Complex
291 Auburn-Folsom Rd.The historic Bernhard Museum Complex has seen over 150 years of history roll by. The structure was built in 1851 by George Bishop and John Long as the Traveler's Rest Hotel and is one of Auburn's oldest surviving buildings. During the Gold Rush this rustic establishment hosted teamsters traveling the old Auburn Folsom Road and miners who were working in nearby Rich Flat
Ralston Hall Mansion was the country estate of William Chapman Ralston, a prominent and powerful San Francisco financier who founded the Bank of California. Purchasing the property from an Italian nobleman in 1864, Ralston began construction of an increasingly grand mansion, ultimately comprising over 80 rooms. He called his estate Belmont, a name that was subsequently adopted by the adjacent village.
The house was originally a hotel on another site in town and after extensive fire damage, Joseph and Catherine Fischer moved and remodeled the building for their home in 1856. The house was occupied by successive generations of the family until it was donated to the State of California in 1969. It has been restored as a completely furnished home representative of middle-class living in the late 1800's in Benicia.
Bodie State Historic Park
Hwy 270Bodie State Historic Park is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town. Visitors can walk down the deserted streets of a town that once had a population of nearly 10,000 people. The town is named for Waterman S. Body (William Bodey), who had discovered small amounts of gold in hills north of Mono Lake. In 1875, a mine cave-in revealed pay dirt, which led to purchase of the mine by the Standard Company in 1877. People flocked to Bodie and transformed it from a town of a few dozen to a boomtown.
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument # 1. Built in the Monterey style in the 1840's, it was occupied by Miguel Leonis as early as the 1870's, one of the most colorful, influential and prominent figures of early Los Angeles. Also on the grounds is an barn built in 1912 as well as the Plummer House known as the oldest house in Hollywood.
The Camarillo Ranch was originally a 10,000 acre Spanish land grant created in 1837, patented to Gabriel Ruiz in 1866, then purchased by Juan Camarillo in 1875. His son Adolfo built the Queen Anne Victorian home in 1892. Later the barn and stables were added to support the agricultural work and house the renowned Camarillo White Horses. Today the ranch is owned by the City of Camarillo and operated by the non profit Camarillo Ranch Foundation.
The Ainsley House - Beautifully restored in an enchanting park-like setting, the English Tudor style architecture of the Ainsley House transports the visitor to the bygone era of the 1920s. Built in 1925 as the home for Campbell canning pioneer J.C. Ainsley and his wife Alcinda, the home was moved to its present location in 1990. The exquisitely restored and decorated 15 rooms are furnished with much of the original furniture of the era when it was one of the grand homes of the Santa Clara Valley. The surrounding English gardens are a refreshing respite for the visitor to this unique historic house.
Bidwell Mansion
525 EsplanadeBidwell Mansion State Historic Park is a beautiful, three-story, 26 room Victorian House Museum that stands as a memorial to John and Annie Bidwell. John Bidwell was known throughout California and across the nation as an important pioneer, farmer, soldier, statesman, politician and philanthropist. Annie Ellicott Kennedy Bidwell, the daughter of a socially prominent, high ranking Washington official, was deeply religious, and committed to a number of moral and social causes. Annie was very active in the suffrage and prohibition movements.
501 Stansbury HomeLocated at 5th and Salem in Chico CA, the Stansbury Home is considered one of the most well preserved buildings in California. Built in 1883 by Dr Oscar Stansbury, the home stands today as it did at the turn of the century.
Hidden in the green oasis of Grapevine Canyon in far northern Death Valley, the Death Valley Ranch, or Scotty's Castle as it is more commonly known, is a window into the life and times of the Roaring 20's and Depression 30's. It was and is an engineer's dream home, a wealthy matron's vacation home and a man-of-mystery's hideout and getaway. Walter Scott, Death Valley Scotty, convinced everyone that he had built the castle with money from his rich secret mines in the area. Albert Mussey Johnson actually built the house as a vacation getaway for himself and his wife Bessie.
The park features seven historic buildings including the Kolb House, a 1911 Craftsman Bungalow. The house contains beautiful original Arts & Crafts furnishings that belonged to this German immigrant family. The living room and dining rooms are furnished 1911 and the Kitchen depicts the post-war era with modern electrical appliances.
In August 1908 Colonel Allen Allensworth and four other settlers established a town founded, financed and governed by African Americans. Their dream of developing an abundant and thriving community stemmed directly from a strong belief in programs that allowed blacks to help themselves create better lives. By 1910 Allensworth's success was the focus of many national newspaper articles praising the town and its inhabitants.
Located in the San Fernando Valley, this California rancho includes the original nine-room de la Ossa Adobe, the two-story limestone Garnier building, a blacksmith shop, a natural spring, and a pond.
Established in 1976, the History Center includes buildings from Escondido's early development that were relocated to Grape Day Park.
Gold Rush pioneers Joseph and Zipporah built Fern Cottage as their family home in 1866. Family members lived in it continuously for over a century. Today, it is on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the few homes in California containing the original family furniture and furnishings. Visit Fern Cottage and step back in time to the late Victorian era.
A visit to Ardenwood is a journey back to the time of the Patterson Ranch - a prosperous, 19th-century country estate including a beautiful mansion and its elaborate Victorian Gardens. Today the Historic Farm exhibits agricultural practices from the 1870s to the present, demonstrating the transition from horse-powered to horsepower.
The Meux Home is a beautiful Queen Anne Victorian, built in 1888, which still retains original fretwork, chandeliers, fireplaces and mantels, etc. since the youngest daughter lived there over 80 years.
55 The Kearney Historic SiteThe Kearney Mansion is located seven miles west of downtown Fresno. It consists of two buildings, a main residence and an adjoining servants' quarters. The two buildings are designed in the French Renaissance style, simulated through the use of materials indigenous to the area and through the use of Victorian stock moldings, all built by workers employed by owner M. Theo. Kearney. Both buildings have a basic rectangular form with walls of two-foot-thick unstabilized adobe brick, covered with a thin coat of plaster for waterproofing. The basic adobe structures are capped by a sophisticated roof structure, strongly influenced by the Schwab residence in New York City, which itself was a copy of Chateau de Chenonceaux. The high roofs, dormer windows, ornate pinnacles at the intersection of the high roofs, the simple ridgemolding, and lofty chimneys create a picturesque skyline.
Empire Mine State Historic Park is the site of one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California. The park is in Grass Valley at 10791 East Empire Street. In existence for more than 100 years, the mine produced 5.6 million ounces of gold before it closed in 1956. (5.6 million ounces of gold is equivalent to a box seven feet long, seven feet high, and seven feet deep filled with gold.) The park contains many of the mine's buildings, the owner's home and restored gardens, as well as the entrance to 367 miles (the distance, as the crow flies, from Grass Valley to Magic Mountain) of abandoned and flooded mine shafts. The park consists of forested backcountry and eight miles of trails -- including easy hikes (for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding) - in the park.
The McConaghy family built their 12-room farmhouse, tank house and carriage house in 1886. Tours of the house offer visitors a fun and informative environment to learn more about what life was like for farming families during the Victorian period.
Our Stone House is Calif. State Historical Monument #450, as the oldest building in Lake County. It is a rather small (about 30x36' outside dimensions) cut stone (luppili tuff) house of five rooms. In addition to restoration and maintenance, the Stone House Historical Society has collected donated furnishings, all period pieces unfamiliar in contemporary homes but some common as recently as the 1950s.
The Newland House Museum is the oldest residence built in the city of Huntington Beach and is maintained by the Huntington Beach Historical Society for all to see.
Heritage Hill Historical Park is composed of 4.1 acres, four historic buildings and associated structures for maintenance and public restrooms. The fully restored and furnished historic buildings span the early history of the Saddleback Valley and El Toro area from the Mexican Rancho era (Serrano Adobe, circa 1863), to the founding of the town of El Toro (El Toro Grammar School, 1890; St. George's Episcopal Mission, 1891), through the citrus farming days of the early twentieth century (Harvey Bennett Ranch House, 1908).
Bembridge House is a Queen Anne Victorian house that was built in 1906. It has 18 rooms, and has been preserved with its original high ceilings, woodwork, and many of the original furishings.[2] It is considered the most ornate Victorian residence in Long Beach with hand-carved woodwork, stained and leaded glass, and a tiled fireplace.
651 Rancho Los AlamitosThe Ranch House at Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens is a place for all time. Between 1804 and 1833, in the Spanish or Mexican era, the Nieto family built a four-room adobe on the hilltop in what is now Long Beach, California for their vaqueros and help. The adobe-core ranch house evolved over two centuries. Beginning in 1842, owner Abel Stearns brought his New England traditions to the adobe, adding wood floors and siding, gabled roofs and a north wing bunk house. When John and Susan Bixby moved to the site in 1878, they transformed the adobe's crumbling remains into a Victorian home. Fred and Florence Bixby expanded the Ranch House again in the early 20th century, extending the south wing, adding a front porch and second floor, and decorating in the regional style of the time. Filled with southwestern motifs and art, native baskets, as well as impressionist art and collectible glass, the Ranch House evokes a sense of place where others have come before.
Rancho Los CerritosRancho Los Cerritos Historic Site is a public museum open for tours, programs and events. Built in 1844, the adobe home and grounds echo with the rich history of Spanish, Mexican and American California and with the families who helped transform Southern California from its ranching beginnings to a modern, urban society. The two-story Monterey-style adobe is primarily furnished to reflect occupants and lifestyles from the 1860s-1880s.
Home to the Doheny family for nearly 60 years, the Doheny Mansion was built in 1899 for the Oliver P. Posey family by architects Theodore Eisen and Sumner Hunt. Its eclectic Romantic Revival exterior unites elements of Gothic, Chateauesque, Moorish and even California Mission styles. The opulent interior reflects the wealth and status of pioneering oil baron Edward L. Doheny, who purchased the mansion in 1901 and, with his wife Estelle, led a fascinating life within its walls.
64 Grier Musser Museum griermussermuseum.orgThe Grier Musser Museum is a turn-of-the century historic Queen Anne house which displays fascinating antique collections in monthly holiday exhibits throughout the year.
65 Heritage Square MuseumThe eight historic structures located at the museum, constructed during the Victorian Era, were saved from demolition and serve as a perfect background to educate the public about Southern California's early development. From the simplicity of the Octagon House to the opulence of the Perry Mansion, the Museum provides a unique look at the lifestyles of the people who contributed so much to the development of modern Los Angeles.
Hollyhock HouseHollyhock House is Wright's first Los Angeles project. Built between 1919 and 1921, it represents his earliest efforts to develop a regionally appropriate style of architecture for Southern California. Wright himself referred to it as California Romanza, using a musical term meaning freedom to make one's own form.
Sepulveda HouseIn 1887, Senora Eloisa Martinez de Sepulveda built a two-story Eastlake Victorian style business and residential block on her property between Main and Olvera Street. The Sepulveda House represents the architectural and social transformation of Los Angeles from its early Mexican traditions to a blending of Mexican and Anglo culture.
This classic Malibu home was built in 1930 for Rhoda Rindge Adamson and her husband, Merritt Huntley Adamson. The house shares its location with one of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California.
The 1883 house is furnished as it was in the late 19th century when it was the home of John Muir, the founder of the Sierra Club.
The house was a creative adaptation of the Gothic Revival style, designed by one of early Marysville's principal architects and prominent inventors, Warren P. Miller. Miller remained in the house from the time of its construction in 1855-56, until 1863 when it was purchased by Edgar Woodrow, a Marysville carpenter. It remained in this ownership until January 16, 1875 when William Latham purchased the property, apparently as part of its transfer to Francis William Aaron. The Francis Aaron family with its new son purchased it the same day and moved in. Both generations of this family were also significant to the development of the community, and occupied or owned the property until it was left to the City of Marysville upon the death of its last member, Charles Francis Aaron, in memory of his mother Mary. The house has remained n the ownership of the City of Marysville since that time, serving as a focus for the appreciation of the important heritage of Marysville and Yuba County through educational exhibits, programs, and visitation as a house museum.
The Kelley House Museum is an historic house museum in the heart of Mendocino, California, a picturesque town of 1,000 people. The home was built in 1861 by William Kelly (sp), one of Mendocino's founding fathers, and now contains 19th Century furniture.
The Ford House Museum mendoparks.orgThe Ford House, located in historic Mendocino Village, offers both historic and current information about the area, with a broad selection of brochures, books, cards and other visitor center items. The Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce designated Ford House as the official Visitor Information Center of Mendocino Village.
The McHenry Mansion, built in 1883 by Robert McHenry, prominent local rancher/banker, is a fine example of the Victorian Italianate style of architecture. In 1923, it was converted into apartments and remained as such until 1976 when the Julio R. Gallo Foundation purchased it and donated it to the City of Modesto for restoration and for community use. The Mansion is decorated and furnished with antiques appropriate to the period when Robert and his wife, Matilda inhabited the Mansion (1883-1896).
Monterey State Historic Park is a collection of significant historic houses and buildings interspersed throughout Old Monterey. The inside of the Stevenson House, Larkin House, Cooper-Molera Adobe, and Casa Soberanes can ONLY be viewed with a State Park Guide. These four guided house tours, the Guided Walking Tour of Old Monterey, the Pacific House Museum and Custom House are all FREE. Guided Walking Tours begin at the Pacific House Museum in Custom House Plaza -- a great way to start your discovery of Monterey.
The Rengstorff House is Mountain View's oldest historic house. It is one of the finest examples of Victorian Italianate architecture on the west coast.
Fresno Flats Historic Village and Park recaptures the flavor of 19th Century life in the Sierra Nevada foothills and mountains of Central California. Eastern Madera County is the southern end of the historic Mother Lode gold fields, but the people who settled here came not so much for gold but more to build their lives and raise their families, making their living as farmers, merchants and using the rich natural resources of the mountains.
The Camron-Stanford House was built in 1876, the first of many stately homes that once encircled the Lake. During 27 years as a private residence, it was the home of some of Oakland's most notable families.
Cohen-Bray HouseThe uniqueness of this house, what makes it stand out above all others is that it is still lived in by members of the original family. They with the help of the friends and the professionals on the board have made the effort to preserve and protect the original interiors. You will find the furniture, wallpaper, pictures, rugs and personal items such as diaries, shopping lists and wedding presents are still in their places. Tours also include family stories of the neighbor hood and what life was like since the house was built in 1884.
Dunsmuir Hellman Historic EstateThe Dunsmuir mansion, designed by San Francisco architect, J. Eugene Freeman, is an example of Neoclassical-Revival architecture popular in the late 1800s. The 37-room mansion features a Tiffany-style dome, woodpaneled public rooms, 10 fireplaces and inlaid parquet floors within its 16,224 square feet. Servants quarters in the house are designed to accommodate 12 live-in staff.
Pardee Home MuseumOakland's Pardee Home is one of the greatest architectural and historical treasures of Northern California. First-time visitors might initially be attracted by the exterior beauty of the house and its gardens, but after entering the house they learn of its outstanding historical importance and of its unique interiors and artifacts from throughout the world
Although now over 150 years old, only two generations have lived in this house. Much of the original furnishings are on display to help tell the story of how the well-to-do lived out west. The collection includes antique furnishings, paintings, rugs, textiles, clothes, silver, and glassware from the period 1849-1910. A tour of the house reveals stories of the Lott family and their importance to early California (the Judge was also a State Senator). It also retells his daughter, Cornelia's, love story with Jesse Sank and their eventual happiness. The house contains some unusual features, including the surprise built into the fireplace and an art-deco bathroom.
The Museum is housed in the historic residence of Dr. Thomas Williams, a prominent Palo Alto physician. Designed by noted Bay Area architect Ernest Coxhead, this English County Style home, completed in 1907, features classic Craftsman interiors utilizing native materials and an open floor plan. A large craftsman style garage was built a few years later. One wing of the home is designed as a doctor's waiting room, office, and examining room. Although Dr. Williams began his medical practice in this wing, he soon moved his office to downtown Palo Alto. Subsequently, he was joined by other physicians and they eventually formed the nucleus of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic.
Thanks to an extraordinary family legacy, the splendid Mansion on Pasadena's famed Millionaire's Row, once home to Museum benefactors Dr. Adalbert and Eva Fenyes, is today the crown jewel among the Pasadena Museum of History's many treasures.
The Gamble HouseThe Gamble House in Pasadena, California, is an outstanding example of American Arts and Crafts style architecture. The house and furnishings were designed by Charles and Henry Greene in 1908 for David and Mary Gamble of the Procter and Gamble Company.
Built in 1891, it is one of the few houses of that era that has not undergone remodeling. It has the mansard roof construction, which makes the house unique in its style of architecture.
The Rancho San Pedro is the site of the First Spanish land grant in California. The land was granted in 1784 by King Carlos III to Juan Jose Dominguez, a retired Spanish soldier who came to California with the Portola expedition and later with Father Juniperro Serra. The original land grant encompassed 75,000 acres, including the entire Los Angeles harbor. The land has passed through successive generations and remains in the Dominguez family. Today, the descendants operate the Watson Land Company and the Carson Estates Company on the original Rancho land.
Board and Batten house built for the station master and stage agent for Yosemite Stage and Southern Pacific Railroad, Charles Miller. The home is listed as a California Point of Historic Interest and contains all local historical items from photographs to artifacts relating to Yosemite travel, ranching, local granite quarries, the early railroad and the house's history. Also of interest is the cellar, supported by columns of the local granite and a caboose being restored on the grounds as well as a doctor's buggy and a railroad baggage wagon.
Kimberly Crest, a picturesque French chateau style home built in 1897. The 7,000 square foot, three-story chateau sits on a six and one quarter acre estate.
One of the Peninsula's oldest mansions, Lathrop House is an architectural treasure built in 1863 by San Mateo County's first assessor-clerk-recorder and chairman of the Board of Supervisors, a man who later helped found the Southern Pacific Railroad and owner of a large tract of land in the Menlo Park area.
Dutra Museum of Dredging
345 St. Gertrude AvenueThe Dutra Museum of Dredging is a private collection of materials representing the history of side draft clamshell dredging in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the role the Dutra family and Dutra companies have played in building the Delta infrastructure. The collection, unique in its scope and size, spans the century that has elapsed since the introduction of steam-powered dredging equipment to the California Delta. The collection is housed in a craftsman style mansion built in 1907 and located in Rio Vista, California. The museums content includes many photographs, log books, ledgers, dredge models, original engineer drawings on linen, mammoth bone extracted from a Delta island and a family history mural that details the Dutra family's beginnings as Portuguese whalers. Noted Delta artist and family friend, Marty Stanley, painted the mural. The home is currently owned by the Dutra Museum Foundation.
The park pays tribute to the citrus industry and features a grove of orange trees.
Heritage HouseCalifornia's executive mansion, popularly known at the Governor's Mansion, was built in 1877 for Albert and Clemenza Gallatin. Albert was a partner in the Sacramento hardware store of Huntington & Hopkins. The State of California purchased the house from Joseph and Louisa Steffens to use as a home for California's first families in 1903 for $32,500. Victorian architecture was somewhat out of style by then, but the house was suitably impressive, conveniently located, and comfortable.
92 Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic ParkAfter a 14-year, $22 million restoration and rehabilitation, the Mansion is now open to the public as a museum. It also serves the citizens of California as the state's official reception center for leaders from around the world.
Established in 1912, Rosecroft Estate has housed guests such as Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and Dr. Seuss, even hosting his 80th birthday party here. The estate is now used for charity events, weddings, and small photo shoots. Owner Scott Clifton is the sole occupant of the mansion, leaving 8 rooms left in their Italian-style decor. We are just starting out as a museum.
Marston House Museum & GardensThe George and Anna Marston House Museum & Gardens is a beautiful estate that has the main house museum, formal gardens, canyon gardens, planned cultural landscape and museum store in the Carriage House. Listed as one of the top 25 Arts and Crafts buildings in the United States by Style 1900 magazine.
Old Town San Diego State Historic ParkOld Town San Diego State Historic Park pays tribute to the cultural influences that make California special. Restored and reconstructed buildings in central San Diego are now museums, shops and restaurants that capture the energy of Old Town between 1821 and 1872. The central plaza is lined with buildings some dating back to the 1820s that offer a glimpse of the lifestyles of both ordinary residents and the most wealthy and influential.
The Whaley House MuseumThe building was started with the construction of a granary that later became the courtroom. The two-story house and store addition was designed by Thomas Whaley himself and constructed in 1857. It was the first two-story brick edifice in San Diego, and was built from bricks made in Thomas Whaley's own brickyard. Whaley boasted, My new house, when completed, will be the handsomest, most comfortable and convenient place in town or within 150 miles of here.
The exuberant Haas-Lilienthal House is a Queen Anne-style Victorian, and was completed in 1886. It is the only intact private home of the period that is open regularly as a museum, complete with authentic furniture and artifacts. The House has elaborate wooden gables, a circular corner tower and luxuriant ornamentation.
99 Octagon HouseOctagon House, with a view of the Golden Gate from its cupola, was built only a few years after the Gold Rush. The house was a family residence until the late 1920s, when it was acquired by a utility company. Its purchase by the California Society in 1952, for one dollar, and subsequent restoration in 1953, saved this charming landmark for future generations. Octagonal in shape, the exterior remains essentially in its original condition, while the interior has been extensively modified for use as California Society headquarters and a hospitable setting for social occasions.
With 27 original and reproduction homes, businesses and landmarks History Park highlights Santa Clara Valley's past. Complete with paved streets, running trolleys and a cafe, this 14-acre site has the charm and ambiance of times gone by.
458 New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum
Recently restored, the Casa Grande was built in 1854 as the residence for the manager of the New Almaden Mines, the mercury mine that was the first and richest of all mines in California. Located in the New Almaden National Landmark Historic district, the 3-story Casa Grande was designed by prominent San Francisco architect Gordon Parker Cummings as brick covered by stucco and fronted with a veranda supported by slender wooden columns. The grounds were landscaped to include exotic plants, a lake for boating and swimming, and a sweeping lawn ideal for playing croquet. In the past, Casa Grande has been used as a club, restaurant, bar, and commercial business. Today it houses the New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum as well as period rooms furnished to reflect wealthy Victorian tastes in the late 1880s.
Peralta Adobe - Fallon House Historic SitePeralta Adobe - Fallon House Historic Site
175 West Saint John StreetThe Peralta Adobe is San Jose's oldest address. Built in 1797, the Peralta Adobe is the last remaining structure from El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe. The exquisite Fallon House was built in 1855 by one of San Jose's earliest mayors. The Victorian mansion showcases 15 fully furnished rooms typical of the Victorian period.
Winchester Mystery HouseIf you can look past all the hype about how crazy Sarah Winchester was, and instead concentrate on what she did with the incredible wealth she inherited, what you'll see is an amazing Victorian filled with some of the finest woodwork, lincrusta, and art glass of the period, plus a beautiful collection of doors and windows that never made it into Sarah's plans. If you want to see the house at its best, visit during the Christmas holidays, when many of the rooms get decorated by local non-profit groups.
The park includes several structures built in the 1800s. The four main historic museums are the Plaza Hotel, the Zanetta House/Plaza Hall, the Plaza Stables, and the newly reopened Castro-Breen Adobe. Many of the interiors are arranged as furnished vignettes or with colorful and informative exhibits that help create a unique learning environment for people of all ages. The park also features a blacksmith shop, the historic jail, and an early American settler's cabin.
In 1997, Ruth Quayle Boone bequeathed the 16-acre Boone family farm known as Forest Home Farms to the City of San Ramon for use as a municipal historic park in memory of her husband, Travis Moore Boone. The 16-acre farm is located at the base of the East Bay Hills and Oak Creek divides it in two almost equal parts. The southern portion of the property is home to the Glass House Museum, a Victorian style home and its tank house built in 1877. The Glass House is a two-story, wood frame dwelling with a one-story rear wing. The tank house, somewhat modified from historic condition, is a two-story, wood-frame structure that is probably slightly later in date than the house. The Glass House has recently been restored to its original beauty and is open for tours and a Victorian Life education program
William Randolph Hearst hired Julia Morgan to build him a little something. They ended up with a mansion that has 165 rooms filled with magnificent artwork and furniture. The estate has 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways. Several different tours are available. Take them all!
The Heritage Museum of Orange County is a cultural and natural history center dedicated to providing hands-on educational programs that emphasize history, heritage, and diversity of Orange County and California. The Museum is also committed to preserving and restoring the historic buildings and artifacts that have been entrusted to our care.
Fernald Mansion & Trussell-Winchester Adobe are currently closed for restoration.
It is the last farm site in the city of Santa Clara and is named for the two families who owned and lived on the property for 125 years. The museum consists of the house, a classic California barn, summer kitchen, tank house and landscaped gardens. The house was built in 1865 in the Italianate style balanced and symmetrical. In the 1890's it was extensively enlarged and remodeled, changing the symmetry of the original design. It is fully furnished, most of the furniture and contents having belonged to the Lass family.
Luther Burbank was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, on March 7, 1849. In California, his birthday is celebrated as Arbor Day and trees are planted in his memory. The famed horticulturist made his home in Santa Rosa for more than 50 years and it was here that he conducted plant-breeding experiments that brought him world renown.
This pioneer cottage was built in the 1850's and is one of the oldest homes in Saratoga. Built by blacksmith Henry Jarboe, the house was sold to another blacksmith, James McWilliams in 1864. The house is made of local redwood using single-wall construction; there are no studs.
105 Villa Montalvo montalvoarts.orgSet on 175 stunning acres of open space with 2.5 miles of hiking trails in the midst of Silicon Valley, Montalvo Arts Center occupies a historic Mediterranean-style villa and hosts three performing arts venues, a 10-studio artist residency complex and a formal Italianate garden. Built in 1912 by Senator James Phelan, California's first elected senator, Montalvo was bequeathed by Phelan to the state of California to serve as a site for the advancement of art, music, literature and architecture.
In 1850 General Vallejo, now an elected State Senator, purchased some acreage at the foot of the hills, one-half mile west and north of Sonoma's central plaza. The land surrounded a fine, free- flowing spring that the Indians had called Chiucuyem (tears of the mountain). Vallejo retained this name for his new estate, but translated it into Latin, Lachryma Montis.
In 1897, San Francisco businessman I. W. Hellman began buying property at Sugar Pine Point and by 1913 had acquired nearly 2000 acres. His grand but informal summer home, called Pine Lodge, was completed in 1903 and was considered to be one of the finest in the high Sierra. His daughter, Florence Hellman Ehrman inherited the estate and she and her husband Sydney spent many summers here entertaining family and friends.
61 Tallac HistoricA century ago, what is now the Tallac Historic Site held the Grandest Resort in the World and the summer retreats for three of San Francisco Bay Area's socially elite families. Today, the remains of the resort and the restored estates attract thousands of visitors annually to recapture this bygone and significant era in Tahoe's history. The Tallac Historic Site offers something for everyone and is adjacent to Kiva picnic area and the Taylor Creek Visitor Center. Many paths and most buildings are accessible.
Built by Walnut Creek pioneer Hiram Penniman (1824-1907), the main house on the Shadelands Ranch grounds is a 1903 Redwood-framed Colonial Revival structure that now showcases numerous historical artifacts, many of which belonged to the Pennimans. It also houses a rich archive of Contra Costa and Walnut Creek history in its collections of old newspapers, photographs, and government records.
The 23-room residence remains the finest example of domestic Greek Revival architecture in Southern California. The house interiors have been carefully restored to their Victorian beauty, and 18 rooms are open to the public.
The Gibson House is unique because it is the only historic home in Yolo County open to the public. The main themes of the museum are the establishment and development of farming and ranching in Yolo County, as shown through the life and work of William Byas Gibson and his family. The Gibson House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Recognized as one of the finest remaining country estates of the early 20th century, Filoli welcomes the public to this remarkable 654-acre property, including the 36,000 sq. ft Georgian country house and spectacular 16-acre English Renaissance garden. Filoli is a historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Victorian Preservation Association - P.O. Box 586 - San Jose, CA 95106-0586