Pardee Home
Encyclopedia
The Pardee Home is a house
in Oakland, California
that was home to three generations of the Pardee family. It is now a non-profit museum
, showing over 100 years of the life of a prominent California family. The house, a well-preserved example of Italianate architecture
, is a city landmark, a California Historical Landmark
(#1027), and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The house was constructed in 1869 by California State Senator
Enoch H. Pardee
. His son, George Pardee
, a Governor of California
, also inhabited the house, inheriting it after his father's death. After George's death in 1941, it passed on to his two daughters, Madeline and Helen (the same name as her mother), who lived in the house until their deaths in 1980 and 1981 respectively.
The interior of the house is the main attraction of the museum. George's wife Helen collected knick-knacks from all over the world, including scrimshaw
from Alaska
, tobacco pipes from the Philippines
, and a giant elk
head. She was fond of giving house tours to show off her collection. All of the furnishings are original and the house looks as it did in 1981.
The original carriage house
and stable
are still standing and the entire complex is part of Oakland's Preservation Park Historic District. The house was to be demolished for the construction of Interstate 980
, but conservationists were able to save the building. It opened as a public museum in 1991.
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
in Oakland, California
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...
that was home to three generations of the Pardee family. It is now a non-profit museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, showing over 100 years of the life of a prominent California family. The house, a well-preserved example of Italianate architecture
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
, is a city landmark, a California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
(#1027), and listed on 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...
.
The house was constructed in 1869 by California State Senator
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
Enoch H. Pardee
Enoch H. Pardee
Enoch Homer Pardee was an American medical doctor and politician. Pardee served as the 18th Mayor of Oakland, California from 1876 to 1878.-Biography:...
. His son, George Pardee
George Pardee
George Cooper Pardee was an American doctor of medicine and politician. The 21st Governor of California, holding office from January 7, 1903, to January 9, 1907, Pardee was the second native-born Californian to assume the governorship, after Romualdo Pacheco, and the first governor born in...
, a Governor of California
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
, also inhabited the house, inheriting it after his father's death. After George's death in 1941, it passed on to his two daughters, Madeline and Helen (the same name as her mother), who lived in the house until their deaths in 1980 and 1981 respectively.
The interior of the house is the main attraction of the museum. George's wife Helen collected knick-knacks from all over the world, including scrimshaw
Scrimshaw
Scrimshaw is the name given to handiwork created by whalers made from the byproducts of harvesting marine mammals. It is most commonly made out of the bones and teeth of sperm whales, the baleen of other whales, and the tusks of walruses...
from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, tobacco pipes from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and a giant elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
head. She was fond of giving house tours to show off her collection. All of the furnishings are original and the house looks as it did in 1981.
The original carriage house
Carriage house
A carriage house, also called remise or coach house, is an outbuilding which was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and the related tack.In Great Britain the farm building was called a Cart Shed...
and stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
are still standing and the entire complex is part of Oakland's Preservation Park Historic District. The house was to be demolished for the construction of Interstate 980
Interstate 980
Interstate 980 is a short Interstate Highway spur entirely within Oakland, California, connecting Interstate 580 and State Route 24 to Interstate 880 near Downtown Oakland. I-980 passes the Oakland Convention Center and near the famous Jack London Square. I-980 is commonly considered the dividing...
, but conservationists were able to save the building. It opened as a public museum in 1991.