Beauty may be fleeting, sometimes unpredictably so, but while something continues to exist,
we can cherish it. Hi everyone, Ken here, welcome to "ThisHouse" Today
we are exploring an estate planned around the San Andreas Fault Line in California.
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When William Bowers Bourn was just 17 years old, his father passed away, leaving him
ownership of Empire Mine, a succesful gold mine in California. He continued growing the company
and established a bank before commisioning Willis Polk, who would become his architect of choice,
to design for him a towering red clinker brick townhouse in San Francisco's Pacific Heights
Neighborhood. He and his wife, Agnes, began starting their family, but only their daughter,
Maud, would survive into adulthood. William's companies continued making him
a fortune, but he knew that one day the mine would run dry and the bank would go belly up, so he sold
the companies for cash while he still could and founded the Greystone Cellars in Napa Valley,
also designed by Willis Polk. But the winery wasn't brining in as much money as he had hoped,
so he sold it and began exploring opportunities in natural resources playing a pivotol role
in the merger which would create the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, meanwhile investing
heavily in the Spring Valley Water Company. These investments paid off, earning William a fortune,
and with that fortune, he, one again, hired Willis Polk to design for him a lavish country estate.
He purchased 654 acres in Woodside, California to build a 54,000 square foot Georgian isnpired
mansion with a clay tile roof. The house was surrounded by 16 perfectly manicured acres of
gardens including fountains and pools connected by winding paths and separated by stretching lawns.
The ornate gardens were contrasted by the orchards which surrounded them, with fruit trees extending
towards the horizon. William named the estate, Filoli, an acronym for "Fight, Love, Live," the
shortened version of his motto, "Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life."
Entering the home, the double height ceilings of the first floor required an entire flight of
stairs to reach the landing before another full flight of stairs continued to the second floor.
The ballroom reflected light from crystal chandeliers from the freshly
waxed parquet floors while rounded archways interupted the painted wood paneled walls
punctuated with murals. At the end of the ballroom, a stage rose with space
for a grand piano and a small orchestra to entertain guests with live music.
The dining room was flooded by natural light
through rounded windows to illuminate the otherwise dark interior color scheme.
What was known as the Central Room, served as a parlor with antique wingback chairs being dwarfed
by the scale the architectural elements, such as the passage ways seen at either end of the room.
The mansion continued with collosal proportions as seen in the music room where furniture was
arranged socially on either side of a large rug deliniating a clear walk way from end to end.
The Bourns spent many years enjoying their house, and wanted to give their daughter
Maud a very special gift. They purchased Muckross House in Ireland to present to her,
which she enjoyed for a few short years before a coming down with a fatal case of pneumonia.
William and Agnes were heart broken, with no children to pass inherit their wealth,
they journied into philanthropy, first donating Muckross House with an endowment to establish
Ireland's largest national Park, Killarney National Park to serve as a memorial for Maud.
When the Bourns passed away, their estate was sold to the Roth Family
who enjoyed the estate until 1975 when they donated the estate along with a significant
endowment to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Over the last few decades,
continuing into present day, the estate and gardens have been, and are actively being,
restored. The mansion is open to the public for tours and the grounds serve as a hiking
destination where over 300 unique species of fruiting trees can be encountered around the
San Andreas Fault line which runs directly through the estate. And while it can be enjoyed for now,
we know the fault line will slip one day, swallowing up the piece of paradise.
If you have ever visited I would love to hear about your experience down below in the
comments section. And while you're there, make sure to hit that subscribe button so you never
miss an episode of "ThisHouse" I would also like to take a moment to say a very special
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