Meek Mansion and Carriage House | |
Meek Mansion in 2008, photographed from the south end of Meek Park | |
Location | 240 Hampton Rd., Hayward, California |
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Coordinates | 37°41′6″N122°6′45″W / 37.68500°N 122.11250°W |
Area | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
Built | 1869 |
Architectural style | Second Empire, Italian Villa |
NRHP reference No. | 73000393 [1] |
Added to NRHP | June 04, 1973 |
The Meek Mansion is a historic mansion in unincorporated Cherryland, California, just north of Hayward. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located on nearly 10 acres, the Victorian house was built in 1869 by William Meek.
William Meek came to the West Coast in 1846, carrying seeds and grafted trees, via the Oregon Trail. [2] He first settled in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, later moving in 1859 to Alameda County, where he spent the rest of his life.
By the time his mansion was built, Meek owned everything from Mission Boulevard to Hesperian Boulevard, and from Lewelling Boulevard to slightly past Winton Avenue, totaling around 3,000 acres (12 km2). [2] The grounds were primarily filled with cherry, apricot, plum, and almond orchards. [2] [3] One source claims that the area became known as Cherryland because of the abundance of cherry trees planted by Meek. [2] Meek became a prominent citizen during the remainder of his life, including being a trustee of Mills College and a County Supervisor for Alameda County. [2] After his death in 1880, at the age of 63, Meek left his estate to his sons and it remained in the Meek family until 1940. [2]
The Milton Ream family owned the last 10 acres of the original 3000, and in 1964 the home was purchased for $270,000 by the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD). [2] [4] In 1965, the home was opened to the public and was used for weddings, tours, workshops, and even plays re-creating local history. [2] The mansion became a California Point of Historical Interest in 1972 and placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1973. [2] [5] However, the mansion was closed in 1982 due to wear and tear because of overuse. [2] [4] In 1991, HARD began to work with the Hayward Area Historical Society (HAHS) to upgrade and reopen the home. [2]
Between 1964 and 2004, HARD spent $1.9 million in restoring the mansion, its carriage house, and grounds. [2] After decades of review, in 2004 HARD agreed upon a deal to lease the mansion and its accompanying carriage house to the historical society for 25 years. HARD would continue to manage the accompanying acreage of park land surrounding the mansion and would continue to be consulted by the historical society with respect to planning and completing renovations. [6] As of 2009, HAHS was reported to have spent about $600,000 in restorations, some of which involved upgrading the heating and plumbing systems. [6] [7] Completion of the restoration work will require an estimated $1 million to $1.5 million. [7]
Once renovations are completed, the historical society plans on opening the mansion as a house museum where people may take paid tours focusing on the different historical eras the house has gone through. [8]
An adjacent property, formerly part of the Meek estate, is being developed as a community garden. [9]
The 7,902-square-foot (734.1 m2) mansion contains somewhere between 23 and 27 rooms (sources vary [2] [3] [10] ) located on three above-ground levels, with a cupola on the third floor. [6] [8] The home also contains a basement below-ground which has an "unusual" bracing system consisting of thick, diagonally placed timber boards. [11] Having a bracing system such as this was uncommon for many area buildings, but was a wise move due to the faults in the area. [11] Other architectural assets it includes is "a mansard roof, a bull's-eye window in the central tower and paired, arched windows". [6] As of 2006, local historians were still unsure of who designed and built the home. [11]
The edifice itself currently resides on 9.75 acres (3.95 ha) of land, which functions as a park with picnic areas, paths, and benches among other things. [6]
Throughout the years, the home has undergone several renovations. In 1910, bathrooms and running water were added to the home by Meek's son who resided there. In the 1940s, the Ream family remodeled the kitchen, which is currently still intact in the home, as well as adding bedroom and ballroom space. [2] [11] Recent renovations include all new windows and a new roof to replace the last one that was put in place in 1985. [7] [11]
Alameda County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. Alameda County is in the San Francisco Bay Area, occupying much of the East Bay region.
Ashland is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 23,823 at the 2020 census. Ashland is located between the city of San Leandro to the north, the unincorporated community of Cherryland to the south, the unincorporated community of Castro Valley to the east, and the unincorporated community of San Lorenzo to the southwest.
Cherryland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Alameda County, California, United States. Cherryland is located between Ashland to the north and the city of Hayward to the south. The population was 15,808 at the 2020 census.
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The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (H.A.R.D.) is the park management agency for most of the parks in the city of Hayward, California. It was created in 1944 and is an independent special district under California law. H.A.R.D. is the largest recreation district in California. It also manages parks in the bordering unincorporated communities of Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Fairview, Ashland and Cherryland. It manages the park grounds for numerous schools in the region. Events and classes are scheduled and listed in a quarterly brochure. The parks' 2021 budget is $24,306,495.
The Green Shutter Hotel is a historic hotel building located in downtown Hayward in Alameda County, California, United States. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, and is on the California Register of Historical Resources.
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Hayward Area Historical Society(HAHS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to documenting the history of the city of Hayward, California and adjacent communities. These areas include San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, Castro Valley, Fairview, the former communities of Russell City, Mount Eden, Schafer Park, and other parts of unincorporated Alameda County. The society was founded in 1956. Their museum in Downtown Hayward closed in 2012. Their new facility opened nearby in 2014.
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The Meeker Mansion Museum is a historic house in Puyallup, Washington, United States. It is the second of two homes in the city which were resided in by Oregon Trail pioneer Ezra Meeker, the first one being a cabin on the homestead claim which Meeker purchased from Jerry Stilly in 1862. This was a one-room, 8 by 16 feet square cabin to which Meeker added a second room, doubling its size. After the move to the mansion, Meeker donated the cabin site to the city, which they turned into Pioneer Park. The wooden cabin disappeared over time. Several steel and concrete pillars outline the dimensions of the original cabin. The Baltic ivy vine, originally planted by Eliza Jane Meeker and her daughter Ella meeker (Templeton), now covers the pillars where the original cabin once stood. A statue of Ezra Meeker was placed in the park and dedicated on September 14, 1926.