Mableton

Mableton. The McDonald Mansion. , The McDonald Mansion, originally called "Mableton", was built in 1879 as a summer home for the McDonald Family, whose primary residence was in San Francisco. The family chose the name "Mableton" in homage to the Mississippi family home of Ralphine North McDonald. Colonel Mark L. McDonald, one of Santa Rosa's most prominent early citizens was a Kentucky native who came west as captain of a wagon train in the early 1850's. Trained in engineering, he first built roadways servicing gold and silver mines. This and other early successes allowed him to buy a seat on the San Francisco Stock Exchange, during which time he joined the ranks of the rich and powerful, including Randolph Hearst, Leland Stanford and Charles Crocker. By the late 1860's, McDonald had begun to apply his wealth, influence and entrepreneurial spirit to new business opportunities in Santa Rosa. These included purchase and subdivision of 160 acres of land in what became known as McDonald's Addition. During the 1870's, the new development flourished and McDonald Avenue became the premier residential street of Santa Rosa. The neighborhood's popularity was enhanced by a range of amenities including gas and water service, and a new streetcar line established by Colonel McDonald. He also implemented an extensive tree planting program throughout the neighborhood with the assistance of famed local horticulturalist Luther Burbank. McDonald was active in civic affairs and was instrumental in the development of numerous local improvements, including Santa Rosa's first library, the first steam railroad brought to Santa Rosa and the operation of the Santa Rosa Water Works Company, an early private utility. He also capitalized and built the nearby reservoir known as Lake Ralphine, which was named for McDonald's wife. His other business interests included fruit packing plants and drying yards in the area. Summering at Mableton became a McDonald family tradition. The house and grounds were the setting for many civic occasions and important family celebrations., The architectural form of the McDonald Mansion is unusual for substantial California homes of its era. Designed with a single main living level over an above-ground basement (intended as a flood precaution), it can be described as a large-scale adaptation of a "Raised Southern Cottage". In this case, the second story is at the attic level with sloping ceilings and dormer windows in the upstairs bedrooms. The family chose the name "Mableton" in homage to the Mississippi plantation home of Ralphine North McDonald. Characteristic of the Stick/Eastlake style in vogue during that time, a signature design feature is its extravagant use of flat sawn and cut-out wood ornament. The application of California redwood ornament to such a Southern building form makes it a unique domestic American hybrid. Another defining feature of the McDonald Mansion is the context of the house in its landscape: specimen trees, spacious lawns and a balance of formal and informal spatial organization., Pollyanna (1960), a classic Walt Disney Productions full-length film, starring child actress Hayley Mills, and featuring Jane Wyman, Richard Egan, Adolphe Menjou and Agnes Moorehead, was filmed in part on location at the McDonald Mansion. While the interior locations were filmed in a studio, many of the building's exterior features and grounds are recognizable in the film., Between 2006 and 2011, Mableton was completely rehabilitated. The mansion's exterior was painstakingly restored, and the interiors were renovated and redesigned in an historically appropriate manner. Among the most visible exterior improvements are the restoration of the missing two-tiered cresting and the reconstruction of the original gazebo in its new location., The McDonald Mansion is a survivor of the 1906 earthquake, decades of neglect, an ongoing threat of demolition and redevelopment, and a serious 1977 fire. The property survived because of the dedication, persistence and hard work of numerous community members who recognized its historical and cultural significance to the City of Santa Rosa. This beloved landmark is listed in the National Register of Historic Places., Consistent with its historic use, Mableton remains a single-family private residence. , Please respect the privacy of the property owners.. , "Mableton", circa 1882. , Image courtesy of Sonoma County Library History Annex and Santa Rosa Press Democrat.. , Taken from a lithograph published in the 1880s, this is the earliest known view of the house. Note the original two-tiered roof cresting, the bands of patterned roof shingles, and the side staircase on the left. These elements were missing for decades and were recently restored. Partly visible on the far right of the image is the gazebo, which was reconstructed and relocated in the garden on the left (south) side of the house. Also visible is the carriage house, which survives in its original location (now on a separate parcel), and has been altered from its original appearance., "Mableton", circa 1910. , Image courtesy of the California Historical Society.. , Included in a promotional brochure published by the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, this photograph shows that, by this date, dormer windows had been added to the second floor bedrooms. Also, some of the original roof cresting is still visible. After 1918, following the deaths of the elder McDonalds, numerous renovations were undertaken by their eldest son, Mark L. McDonald Jr. (b. 1868-d.1932), and his wife, Isabelle Juilliard McDonald (b. circa 1870-d.1960), a Santa Rosa native from a prominent early local family. These later changes included the awning-covered extension that can be seen on the south side of the porch. Other later additions were selectively removed when the house exterior was restored to its 1910 appearance during the restoration that took place between 2006 and 2011.