Frederick Mitchell Mooers House
Encyclopedia
The Frederick Mitchell Mooers House, also known as the Wright-Mooers House, is an ornately-detailed Victorian house
built in 1894 at 818 South Bonnie Brae Street in the Westlake
area of Los Angeles, California
. The house, which combines elements of Queen Anne
, Richardsonian Romanesque
and Moorish Revival, is named after the wealthy gold miner who owned the house from 1898 to 1900. The house has been designated as a Historic Cultural Monument and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
.
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In their book, "An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles," authors David Gebhard and Robert Winter note that the home's overall design is in the Queen Anne style, though are also elements of Richardsonian Romanesque (the two pairs of small columns) and Islamic design (the elongated domed roof) (Moorish Revival).
in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Mexico, New Mexico and Arizona. He moved to Southern California in 1885 and spent years traveling through the Mojave Desert
on a burro with a pickaxe
and grub-kit searching for his big strike. In 1895, while working with two other prospectors who became his partners, Mooers picked a spot in Randsburg, California
that proved to be the site of the Yellow Aster mine, the richest in the area. Mooers became a wealthy man and bought a house in one of the finest neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
after he died at age 52 in 1900. At the time of his death, Mooers' interest in the Yellow Aster Mining and Milling Company was valued at $755,050; the family house on Bonnie Brae was valued at $10,000. Mooers' wife, who was given only one-sixth of the estate, had not lived with him for 18 years prior to discovery of the Yellow Rose mine. Mrs. Mooers said she had tried living with him over the years, but his alcoholism had caused him to desert his family, leaving her to run a boarding house in New York. On making the big strike in 1895, Mooers wrote asking her to join him in California. Mrs. Mooers came to California and had Mooers deed his interest in the Yellow Rose to her. Mrs. Mooers than granted an option in the property to another, spawning litigation over the mine's ownership. Though Mrs. Mooers had filed for divorce (on grounds of desertion) in 1898, the two remained married, and upon Mooers' death it was revealed that he had recently signed a new will – limiting Mrs. Mooers to one-sixth of the estate and leaving the house on Bonnie Brae to his mother. Prior to his death, Mooers was living at the house on Bonnie Brae with his brothers, and Mrs. Mooers alleged that Mr. Mooers was suffering from severe alcoholism prior to his death and had been coerced by one of his brothers to sign the new will. Mrs. Mooers noted that her husband had been hospitalized for delirium tremens
and was not in a proper mental state to sign a new will. The Los Angeles Times reported that Mooers was "shattered by drink" and had come under the delusion that his wife was trying to kill him. Mooers' brother, who along with two other brothers and their mother were the principal beneficiaries of Mooers' will, contended that Mrs. Moers had not been "a good and faithful wife" and should receive nothing from the estate. The dispute was settled the day before it was to be tried, after Mrs. Mooers met with her late husband's brother at the family home on Bonnie Brae.
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Though the surrounding neighborhood is no longer an upper class neighborhood as it was at the turn of the 20th Century, the Mooers House and other Victorian
s in the South Bonnie Brae Historic District
have been well-preserved. The Mooers House has often been used as an illustration of West Coast Victorian architecture, and was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM #45) in 1967 by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission. It was also listed in the National Register of Historic Places
in 1976. The historic marker at the house calls the home "A Prototype of Distinctive Architecture of the Boom of the 80’s".
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
built in 1894 at 818 South Bonnie Brae Street in the Westlake
Westlake, Los Angeles, California
Westlake is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. It should not be confused with Westlake Village, an independent municipality in Los Angeles County near Thousand Oaks and close to the Ventura County line....
area of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The house, which combines elements of Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture (United States)
In America, the Queen Anne style of architecture, furniture and decorative arts was popular in the United States from 1880 to 1910. In American usage "Queen Anne" is loosely used of a wide range of picturesque buildings with "free Renaissance" details rather than of a specific formulaic style in...
, Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
and Moorish Revival, is named after the wealthy gold miner who owned the house from 1898 to 1900. The house has been designated as a Historic Cultural Monument and is listed in the 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...
.
Architecture
The Wrights and Mooers
The Mooers House was built in 1894 for May Gertrude Wright and F. L. Wright. However, the Wrights sold the house in 1898 to Frederick M. Mooers (1847–1900) for $5,200. Mooers, known as the "Yellow Aster mining king," was the home's most famous occupant, and the house is commonly known by his name despite his having lived there for less than two years. Mooers came from a wealthy family, but reportedly had an adventurous spirit and spent years prospecting for goldGold prospecting
Gold prospecting is the act of searching for new gold deposits. Methods used vary with the type of deposit sought and the resources of the prospector...
in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Mexico, New Mexico and Arizona. He moved to Southern California in 1885 and spent years traveling through the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
on a burro with a pickaxe
Pickaxe
A pickaxe or pick is a hand tool with a hard head attached perpendicular to the handle.Some people make the distinction that a pickaxe has a head with a pointed end and a flat end, and a pick has both ends pointed, or only one end; but most people use the words to mean the same thing.The head is...
and grub-kit searching for his big strike. In 1895, while working with two other prospectors who became his partners, Mooers picked a spot in Randsburg, California
Randsburg, California
Randsburg is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. Randsburg is located south of Ridgecrest, at an elevation of 3504 feet . The population was 69 at the 2010 census, down from 77 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Randsburg is located at . It is on the west side of U.S...
that proved to be the site of the Yellow Aster mine, the richest in the area. Mooers became a wealthy man and bought a house in one of the finest neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
Will contest over Frederick Mooers' estate
The Mooers House and the Mooers entire estate became the subject of a bitter and widely publicized will contestWill contest
A will contest, in the law of property, is a formal objection raised against the validity of a will, based on the contention that the will does not reflect the actual intent of the testator...
after he died at age 52 in 1900. At the time of his death, Mooers' interest in the Yellow Aster Mining and Milling Company was valued at $755,050; the family house on Bonnie Brae was valued at $10,000. Mooers' wife, who was given only one-sixth of the estate, had not lived with him for 18 years prior to discovery of the Yellow Rose mine. Mrs. Mooers said she had tried living with him over the years, but his alcoholism had caused him to desert his family, leaving her to run a boarding house in New York. On making the big strike in 1895, Mooers wrote asking her to join him in California. Mrs. Mooers came to California and had Mooers deed his interest in the Yellow Rose to her. Mrs. Mooers than granted an option in the property to another, spawning litigation over the mine's ownership. Though Mrs. Mooers had filed for divorce (on grounds of desertion) in 1898, the two remained married, and upon Mooers' death it was revealed that he had recently signed a new will – limiting Mrs. Mooers to one-sixth of the estate and leaving the house on Bonnie Brae to his mother. Prior to his death, Mooers was living at the house on Bonnie Brae with his brothers, and Mrs. Mooers alleged that Mr. Mooers was suffering from severe alcoholism prior to his death and had been coerced by one of his brothers to sign the new will. Mrs. Mooers noted that her husband had been hospitalized for delirium tremens
Delirium tremens
Delirium tremens is an acute episode of delirium that is usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol, first described in 1813...
and was not in a proper mental state to sign a new will. The Los Angeles Times reported that Mooers was "shattered by drink" and had come under the delusion that his wife was trying to kill him. Mooers' brother, who along with two other brothers and their mother were the principal beneficiaries of Mooers' will, contended that Mrs. Moers had not been "a good and faithful wife" and should receive nothing from the estate. The dispute was settled the day before it was to be tried, after Mrs. Mooers met with her late husband's brother at the family home on Bonnie Brae.
Ownership by Mooers' mother and brothers
The Mooers House on Bonnie Brae ultimately was conveyed to Mooers' mother, Eliza A.R. Mooers, who lived there until her death in January 1902. The house was then inherited by her surviving sons.Historic designation
Victorian house
In the United Kingdom, and former British colonies, a Victorian house generally means any house built during the reign of Queen Victoria...
s in the South Bonnie Brae Historic District
South Bonnie Brae Tract Historic District
The South Bonnie Brae Tract Historic District is a historic district of Victorian houses in Los Angeles, California, along the 1000 block of South Bonnie Brae Street and the 1800 block of West Eleventh Street, Pico Union section of the city. The homes in the district date to the 1890s and reflect...
have been well-preserved. The Mooers House has often been used as an illustration of West Coast Victorian architecture, and was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM #45) in 1967 by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission. It was also listed in the 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...
in 1976. The historic marker at the house calls the home "A Prototype of Distinctive Architecture of the Boom of the 80’s".
See also
- Queen Anne Style architecture (United States)Queen Anne Style architecture (United States)In America, the Queen Anne style of architecture, furniture and decorative arts was popular in the United States from 1880 to 1910. In American usage "Queen Anne" is loosely used of a wide range of picturesque buildings with "free Renaissance" details rather than of a specific formulaic style in...
- "vs." - Queen Anne Style architectureQueen Anne Style architectureThe Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century... - List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles