North Star House (alternate: Foote Mansion) is a mansion located roughly a mile south of Grass Valley, Nevada County, northern California. In 1904, James Hague, president of the North Star Mine, commissioned Julia Morgan, a newly licensed California architect, to design the 11,000 square foot building. The house served as a residence for mine superintendent Arthur DeWint Foote and his wife, Mary Hallock Foote, a noted author and illustrator, as well as to impress visiting investors from the East Coast. It was Morgan's first significant commission after receiving her license. In June 2025, after submitting an amended nomination, North Star House received four nationally significant designations from the U.S. Register of Historic Places: Architecture (Julia Morgan); Literature, Social History: Women's History, and Social History: Equal Rights (Mary Hallock Foote).[2][3]
The house is located at 12075 Old Auburn Road, near the Nevada County Fairgrounds. Situated on a 14-acre (5.7ha) site, the property is on a hillside that overlooks foothills and the valley.
History
North Star House, 1907
While the California Gold Rush is considered to fall between 1848 and 1859, gold mining was still important to the state.[4] James Hague, a well known and respected mining consultant, decided he wanted to purchase a mine and narrowed his search to Grass Valley, where he purchased the North Star Mine from William Bourne, who owned both the Empire and North Star Mines.[5] North Star Mine became one of the top producing mines in California following A.D. Foote's design and installation of the then-largest Pelton wheel turbine. The success of the mine convinced Hague of the need for a mansion. Hague had seen Morgan's work at U.C. Berkeley where she was employed as a draftsperson for San Francisco architect John Galen Howard, who was supervising the University of California Master Plan.
Designed in 1904, it Morgan's first major commission after receiving her license in March 1904. In 1929, with the mine closure, son A.B. Foote and his wife, Jeannette Hooper Foote, purchased the house and about 170 surrounding acres.[6] The Foote family resided there until 1968 when it was sold to a renegade preacher known as Rev. Bill and used as a boarding school for at risk youth and made alterations to the house. By the late 70s, rumors circulated about unorthodox dealings with the youth at the school. To some locals, the site became known as the Devils' Mansion. The school failed and closed; Rev. Bill was not heard of again.
The house was abandoned to the elements, the homeless and partying teens and failing. From the mid-1980s until April 2002, it was owned by Terra Alta Development. In November 2002, Sandy Sanderson, an Oregon developer, obtained a binding contract on the property and deed the house and surrounding 14 acres to the Nevada County Land Trust. A grant from Nevada County, funded by the Dryden-Wilson Bequest Fund, repaired the roof that was threatening to collapse. In 2006, the North Star Historic Conservancy was formed and restoration continued with volunteers and community support. The first floor is almost finished and, in 2025, work has begun on the second floor. The landscape is also under restoration; the Heritage Garden is the highlight. The house is currently being used as an event and cultural center. [7][8]
Architecture and fittings
The 10,000-square-foot (930m2) mansion, with 22 rooms, is an early example of the California Arts and Crafts style.[9] The style, dubbed the First Bay Tradition, included natural materials and site-sensitive design such as local waste rock from the mine, hand-peeled logs and redwood shingles.[10] Exemplifying Morgan's style, the house features exposed beams, strong horizontal lines, the use of shingles, and earth-toned colors.[11]
North Star House entry courtyard in 2025
The building is oriented west and u-shaped in plan. An entry courtyard is situated on the east side, while a sprawling stone terrace is on the west side. Framed in wood, the walls are of stone masonry at the first level, and redwood shingle sheathing at the second level. The low pitch gable roof features wide overhangs and eyebrow vents, the original wood shingle replaced in 2004 with fireproof composite shingles. The foundation is of quarry stone and cement, while the chimneys are of brick. There are several entry doors which access the living room, library, study, and dining room. Original features, such as doorknobs and light fixtures, are no longer on the property.[10] On the second level, an open air sleeping porch is situated above the terrace.[11]
A courtyard is situated between the building's two wings.[12] A small garage, which was added at the northeast corner of the building ca. 1968, is being removed.
Grounds
The grounds feature a Great Lawn and other distinct areas for community events.[13] There are giant ponderosa pines, sloping lawns, and plantings that date to the late 1800s.[10] The hybridized fruit trees that resulted from Foote's collaboration with Luther Burbank are evidenced in the surrounding heritage orchard.[14]
Historically, the property included hydrangeas, magnolias, and crepe myrtle. There was a fern grove to the south and landscaping to the north included Japanese quince, peonies, cedar, and tulip trees.[11]
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