Collection: Directories and Documents > Pamphlets

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Title: Julia Morgan Conservation Fundraising Mailer (PH 4-15) Collection Type: Directories and Documents Collection Name: Pamphlets Catalog #: PH 4-15 Author: Julia Morgan Conservancy # of Pages: 9 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Printed or handwritten: All printed text Date Scanned: 2024-10-30 15:03:35 Scanned By: Shelby Figueroa Scanning Equipment: CZUR Book Scanner OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: JPGs First Created: 2025-03-17 05:47:41 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 05:47:41

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 9  

NORTH STAR HOUSE (1905) Grass Valley, California A purchase and restoration project. This 18,000 square foot native stone and timber country residence was designed in 1905 for the family of Arthur D. W. Foote, manager of the famed North Star Mine in California's Gold Country, and his wife, Mary Hallock Foote, noted Western author and illustrator. One of Morgan's earliest commissions, “adi x! North Star House is part of a collecOver the years uncaring and inappropriate modifications have destroyed tion she created in the Arts and Crafts the integrity of Morgan 's original design. The house is currently abandoned style; an architectural discipline which and in grave disrepair. ; 3 encouraged the integration of a structure's natural environment in its design, and employment of local artisans in its construction. Ponderosa pine and the quarried rock tailings from North Star's shafts combined to give this residence its uniquely natural style. A mosaic of the constellation, Ursa Major, is imbedded in the floor of the front porch shown in the accompanying photographs. The constellation's two "pointer" stars direct the viewer's eye to Polaris, lode star of the North Star Mine. Thirty-three acres surround this residence which crowns a wide-sloping knoll overlooking a wetlands and a game preserve to the west and southwest. Archaeological remains on the site suggest the region's Maidu Indians occupied much of this historic acreage. The Foote's granddaughter, Evelyn Foote Gardiner, a current resident of Grass Valley and a contributor to the Conservancy, recalls ‘My first memories are of following my mother through the woods and hearing the sound of the pump of the North Star Mine. It was like a heartbeat, but I imagined giant footsteps following me...'Pump's coming, pump's coming!" DREXLER HOUSE (1913) Woodside, California A resiting and restoration project. Drexler House was designed in 1913 for Elise Kelley Drexler, widow of a wealthy California pioneering businessman Louis P. Drexler. Mrs. Drexler considered herself a capitalist whose philanthropy created a school and hospital for disabled children and provided an endowment to Stanford University. Although her main residence was on Russian Hill in San Francisco, she asked Julia Morgan to create an Arts and Crafts style summer cottage in Woodside where she could entertain her many friends and colleagues. Mrs. Drexler chose the Arts and Crafts style because it was ideally suited to the Woodside area, and promoted the dignity of commonplace materials found in abundance in the area. Rough-cut local stone, exterior redwood shingle siding and trunk columns, and interior redwood paneling and ceilings gave the home an overall sense of harmony with nature. Julia Morgan's 6,000 square foot design was sited on a knoll overlooking 23 acres of 400 year old oaks, redwood and douglas fir. Except for the surrounding formal and vegetable gardens, swimming pool and tennis courts, the property was left in its natural state for its many visitors to enjoy. In 1924, Mrs. Drexler sold the house to the Fay family, and it was later sold to Roy and Stella Bishop; owners who continued ts tradition of entertaining — teas, weddings, garden and dinner parties. Notable guests included — President and Mrs. Herbert Hoover. o ‘oo In 1968, the Bishop's grandson, = eee ae; Dennis King, inherited the house and had it remodeled for year-round living by Bay Area architect, Henrik Bull. 1994 was the turning point for this grand old house. Dennis King's widow sold the property to Lawrence Ellison who has had a 16th century Japanese village rea designed ee the land. Drexler House is not part of his master design and must be removed or it will be destroyed. Moving, resiting and restoration costs are estimated at $1.1million.