Dunsmuir House
Encyclopedia
The Dunsmuir House and Gardens is located in Oakland, California
on a 50 acres (202,343 m²) site. The Dunsmuir House has a neoclassical-revival architectural style and is listed in the US National Register of Historic Places
. It is now used primarily for weddings, receptions, business gatherings and historical reenactment events.
, a wealthy coal magnate from Victoria, BC
. Dunsmuir, who came to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1878 to manage the family business, intended the house to be a wedding gift for his new bride, but didn't get to live in it with her as he fell ill and died while on his honeymoon in New York. His new bride returned to live in the home, but soon died herself in 1901.
I.W. Hellman Jr. purchased the estate in 1906 as a summer home for his family and by 1913 the mansion was remodeled for the larger family's needs as well as to hold their growing acquisitions from European travel.
Mrs. Hellman kept the estate well into the 1950s after her husband's death in 1920. During this time additions included the swimming pool and Dinkelspiel House and a good deal of landscape development on the northern end of the estate.
In the early 1960’s, the mansion and lands were purchased by the City of Oakland with the intention of using it as a conference center. When this project didn't work out, a non-profit organization was formed in 1971 to preserve and restore the estate for the public benefit and for many years, the non-profit group and the City jointly operated the estate.
In June 1989, the non-profit organization took over most of the administrative duties, and dubbed the grounds the Dunsmuir House and Gardens with its primary function to be as an educational, historical, cultural, and horticultural resource. The mansion has been designated a National Historic Site by the United States Department of the Interior and both the mansion and the Carriage House have been designated Historic Landmarks by the City of Oakland.
, is rumored to have assisted the Hellmans in designing the Dunsmuir gardens which includes a wide variety of trees, including Camperdown Elms, Bunya-Bunya and Hornbeam trees. In addition, the Hellman estate contained a golf course, formal croquet court, tennis court, swimming pool with Mission-style bathhouse, glass conservatory with grotto, an elaborate aviary, formal garden maze, and Japanese garden. Deer, wild turkeys and water fowl also make the estate their home.
The non-profit organization rents out all or part of the property for various occasions such as weddings, corporate engagements, auctions, and historic reenactment gatherings. However, the estate has also been used as a location or background for several movies and television shows, such as:
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
on a 50 acres (202,343 m²) site. The Dunsmuir House has a neoclassical-revival architectural style and is listed in the US National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. It is now used primarily for weddings, receptions, business gatherings and historical reenactment events.
History
The house was built in 1899 by Alexander Dunsmuir, son of Robert DunsmuirRobert Dunsmuir
Robert Dunsmuir was a Scottish-Canadian coal miner, railway developer, industrialist and politician. -Origins in Scotland:...
, a wealthy coal magnate from Victoria, BC
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
. Dunsmuir, who came to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1878 to manage the family business, intended the house to be a wedding gift for his new bride, but didn't get to live in it with her as he fell ill and died while on his honeymoon in New York. His new bride returned to live in the home, but soon died herself in 1901.
I.W. Hellman Jr. purchased the estate in 1906 as a summer home for his family and by 1913 the mansion was remodeled for the larger family's needs as well as to hold their growing acquisitions from European travel.
Mrs. Hellman kept the estate well into the 1950s after her husband's death in 1920. During this time additions included the swimming pool and Dinkelspiel House and a good deal of landscape development on the northern end of the estate.
In the early 1960’s, the mansion and lands were purchased by the City of Oakland with the intention of using it as a conference center. When this project didn't work out, a non-profit organization was formed in 1971 to preserve and restore the estate for the public benefit and for many years, the non-profit group and the City jointly operated the estate.
In June 1989, the non-profit organization took over most of the administrative duties, and dubbed the grounds the Dunsmuir House and Gardens with its primary function to be as an educational, historical, cultural, and horticultural resource. The mansion has been designated a National Historic Site by the United States Department of the Interior and both the mansion and the Carriage House have been designated Historic Landmarks by the City of Oakland.
The grounds & gardens
Golden Gate Park's landscape architect, John McLarenJohn McLaren (park superintendent)
Dr John Hays McLaren served as superintendent of the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA for 53 years.Born at Bannockburn, near Stirling in Scotland, and worked as a dairyman before studying horticulture at the Edinburgh Royal Botanical Gardens where he worked as an apprentice gardener's helper...
, is rumored to have assisted the Hellmans in designing the Dunsmuir gardens which includes a wide variety of trees, including Camperdown Elms, Bunya-Bunya and Hornbeam trees. In addition, the Hellman estate contained a golf course, formal croquet court, tennis court, swimming pool with Mission-style bathhouse, glass conservatory with grotto, an elaborate aviary, formal garden maze, and Japanese garden. Deer, wild turkeys and water fowl also make the estate their home.
The mansion
The Dunsmuir mansion was designed by the San Francisco architect, J. Eugene Freeman, and is an example of Neoclassical-Revival architecture which was popular in the late 1800s. The 37-room mansion is 16,224 in square feet and features 10 fireplaces, a Tiffany-style dome, wood paneled public rooms and inlaid parquet floors. The servant quarters in the house are designed to accommodate 12 live-in staff.Current uses
Docents lead tours of the estate grounds and the 37-room Dunsmuir Mansion on Wednesdays and the first Sunday of the month from April – September (except for July).The non-profit organization rents out all or part of the property for various occasions such as weddings, corporate engagements, auctions, and historic reenactment gatherings. However, the estate has also been used as a location or background for several movies and television shows, such as:
- Burnt Offerings (film)Burnt Offerings (film)Burnt Offerings is a 1976 horror film based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Robert Marasco. It is about a family who moves into a haunted house that rejuvenates itself with each injury and death that occurs inside of it...
(1976) - Phantasm (film)Phantasm (film)Phantasm is a low-budget "cult classic" horror film produced in 1977 and released in 1979. The film was directed, written, photographed, co-produced and edited by Don Coscarelli...
(1979) - Partners in Crime (tv series) (1984)
- A View to a KillA View to a KillA View to a Kill is the fourteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming's short story "From a View to a Kill", the film is the fourth Bond film after The Spy Who Loved...
(1985) - The Vineyard (1989)
- So I Married an Axe MurdererSo I Married an Axe MurdererSo I Married an Axe Murderer is a 1993 American comedy-horror film starring Mike Myers and Nancy Travis. Myers plays Charlie McKenzie, a man afraid of commitment until he meets Harriet , who works at a butcher shop and may be a serial killer...
(1993) - Gloria (1999 film)Gloria (1999 film)Gloria is a remake of the 1980 film written and directed by John Cassavetes. It was directed by Sidney Lumet and starred Sharon Stone as Gloria. It is also notable as George C. Scott's final film...
(1999) - True Crime (1999 film)True Crime (1999 film)True Crime is a 1999 American mystery drama film directed by Clint Eastwood, and based on Andrew Klavan's 1997 novel of the same name. Eastwood also stars in the film as a journalist covering the execution of a death row inmate, only to discover that the convict may actually be innocent.-Plot:Steve...
1999