'
Uplands', the
C. Templeton Crocker estate designed by
Willis Polk between 1911-1917 in
Hillsborough, California. Crocker was the grandson of
Charles Crocker, one of the builders of the
Central Pacific Railroad. He built the house upon his marriage to
California and Hawaiian Sugar Company heiress Helene Irwin at a cost of $1.6 million. Crocker sold the house in 1942 only to have his family reacquire it in 1956. They then sold the house and 10 acres to
Crystal Springs School which made it their permanent home. Click
HERE for a detailed history of the house with current photographs and floor plans. Click
HERE to see '
Uplands' on bing.
'Uplands', the C. Templeton Crocker estate designed by Willis Polk between 1911-1917 in Hillsborough, California. Crocker was the grandson of Charles Crocker, one of the builders of the Central Pacific Railroad. He built the house upon his marriage to California and Hawaiian Sugar Company heiress Helene Irwin at a cost of $1.6 million. Crocker sold the house in 1942 only to have his family reacquire it in 1956. They then sold the house and 10 acres to Crystal Springs School which made it their permanent home. Click HERE for a detailed history of the house with current photographs and floor plans. Click HERE to see 'Uplands' on bing.
Photos from Architecture, 1917.
9 comments:
Grand home indeed. Its nice to see that even with limited acreage someone took care to not destroy the views of the home from the front lawn and the rear garden. A new addition could easily have obliterated a facade or two. Also of note, if you go directly eastward on Bing, between Craig Rd and Remillard Drive one can see the beautifully restored Carolands mansion, saved from almost certain destruction about 25 years ago after years of abandonment. Its history and close calls with the wrecking ball are a very unique and successful preservation story.
Oops meant to say that Carolands is located west of Uplands. Still amazing to think that both these very large homes survived the vast suburban encroachment that consumed their estate acreage.
Uplands, and its maturing gardens, is nicely featured in "Gabriel Moulin's San Francisco Peninsula: Town and Country Homes 1910 - 1930" ~ A beautifully illustrated book of 208 pages featuring photographer Moulin's wonderful images published by Windgate Press, of Sausalito, California, in 1985 ~ with a second printing in 1990. Featured are the city and country homes, and clubs, of San Francisco's Great Folks !
It is my understanding from a contemporary article that I once read that 'Rosecliff' in Newport was Polk's design inspiration for this house, and indeed if one strips it down to the basic mass, one sees the similarities. Very grand indeed---sort of Trumbauer Goes West in overall effect. The second and third floors on the garden front don't sit easily together, but oh well...
Another survivor in the neighborhood is the superb Tobin Clark house by David Adler, one of my favorite houses of all time.
There was an entire book written about Carolands a few years ago. Apparently very limited in circulation and printing. I've never been able to get my hands on a copy.
Also, it's worth mentioning that about a dozen years later, after this late exercise in French classicism, the Crockers discovered French modernism, and built a very famous Art Deco apartment in San Francisco---a little about it can be found here: http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2011/11/templeton-crocker-breakfast-room-at.html
And a picture of the living room, by Jean Michel Frank, here: http://thepeakofchic.blogspot.com/2008/05/new-look-at-jean-michel-frank.html
Beautiful, beautiful home. I'm so happy to see it survived without the same humiliation as others of it's kind.
I've been in this house and the school has done a good job of keeping it up. The gardens are reduced, but in certain spots, one can still feel like a visitor to another era. The interiors are still impressive too, especially on a first visit.
http://www.carolands.org/book.htm
DED - is this the book you are looking for?
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