mariposa lily
The John and Annie Bidwell Mansion in Chico, California
This wonderful Italianate style Victorian mansion was completed in 1868, has been restored to near-original condition, and is now a museum and State Historic Park open for guided tours.
It's designated as California Historical Landmark # 329, and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The mansion was the home of John and Annie Bidwell and had many famous visitors through the years, including John Muir, Susan B. Anthony, General Sherman, Asa Gray, Governor Stanford, President Rutherford B. and Lucy Hayes, and many others.
It was built using the proceeds from a gold strike some miles north of and shortly after the one that started the California Gold Rush itself.
John started building the mansion before he met Annie, and because of his political aspirations he built it in a grand style befitting a potential future governor.
The mansion is 10,000 square feet in size, has 26 rooms, many of the original fixtures and furnishings, and, of course, that marvelous tower.
From the outside you'd swear there are only two stories to the mansion, but there are really three.
Due to an intentional trick of perspective, the third floor isn't readily visible from the outside (though once you know the secret, you'll see how it's been hiding in plain sight all these years).
Tour guides tell us it was built this way to keep it from appearing too tall and overwhelming.
As you enter the mansion, you'll see a wide central hallway that stretches to the back of the building and connects to most of the rooms on the first floor.
The first floor includes the large parlor where the Bidwells entertained their guests, as well as the dining room, kitchen, laundry, library, and John's private office. The grand stairway to the upper floors is located between the library and John's office.
The second floor contains the Bidwells' master suite including their private bathroom, and several guest bedrooms and another bathroom. Many of the rooms have access to the large balcony that wraps around the mansion.
The third floor has a large open area that was intended to be a ballroom, but the Bidwells never used it for that purpose because Annie's religion didn't allow its members to dance.
The servants' quarters are at the back of the house above the kitchen and are accessible from the back stairway. They've also been restored and are included in the tour.
The mansion had the most up to date plumbing of its day, including a carbide gas generator that made the gas used in the lighting fixtures (the generator is still on the property, though it's not used for that purpose anymore).
The carriage house behind the mansion has also been restored and contains several of the Bidwells' original carriages.
The landscaping around the mansion features a number of trees John Bidwell planted with his own hands, including cork oaks (the kind that corks come from), a giant fan-leafed ginkgo that turns brilliant yellow in the fall, and the crown jewel: the enormous Southern magnolia directly in front of (and now taller than) the mansion itself.
John was older than Annie, and after sharing their beautiful mansion together for 32 years, he passed away in 1900. She lived there for the rest of her life, passing away in 1918.
Because the Bidwells had no children, Annie left the mansion and grounds to the Presbyterian Church.
In 1923, the Church sold the mansion to the Chico State Teachers College (now known as California State University, Chico) which turned it into student dormitories, and later also used it as classroom and office space.
The California State Park System acquired the mansion in 1964 and began the long, painstaking job of restoring it to its former glory, including removing an addition that had been built onto one side.
For safety reasons the tower isn't accessible these days but you can visit the rest of the mansion, including the ballroom that never was (and see for yourself how to make an entire floor seem to disappear from view).
The mansion's official designation on the California Historical Landmarks listing is:
Rancho Chico and Bidwell Adobe
Landmark no. 329
The National Register of Historic Places listing is:
Bidwell Mansion
Landmark no. 72000216
Location:
Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park
525 Esplanade, Chico, Butte County, California
The John and Annie Bidwell Mansion in Chico, California
This wonderful Italianate style Victorian mansion was completed in 1868, has been restored to near-original condition, and is now a museum and State Historic Park open for guided tours.
It's designated as California Historical Landmark # 329, and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The mansion was the home of John and Annie Bidwell and had many famous visitors through the years, including John Muir, Susan B. Anthony, General Sherman, Asa Gray, Governor Stanford, President Rutherford B. and Lucy Hayes, and many others.
It was built using the proceeds from a gold strike some miles north of and shortly after the one that started the California Gold Rush itself.
John started building the mansion before he met Annie, and because of his political aspirations he built it in a grand style befitting a potential future governor.
The mansion is 10,000 square feet in size, has 26 rooms, many of the original fixtures and furnishings, and, of course, that marvelous tower.
From the outside you'd swear there are only two stories to the mansion, but there are really three.
Due to an intentional trick of perspective, the third floor isn't readily visible from the outside (though once you know the secret, you'll see how it's been hiding in plain sight all these years).
Tour guides tell us it was built this way to keep it from appearing too tall and overwhelming.
As you enter the mansion, you'll see a wide central hallway that stretches to the back of the building and connects to most of the rooms on the first floor.
The first floor includes the large parlor where the Bidwells entertained their guests, as well as the dining room, kitchen, laundry, library, and John's private office. The grand stairway to the upper floors is located between the library and John's office.
The second floor contains the Bidwells' master suite including their private bathroom, and several guest bedrooms and another bathroom. Many of the rooms have access to the large balcony that wraps around the mansion.
The third floor has a large open area that was intended to be a ballroom, but the Bidwells never used it for that purpose because Annie's religion didn't allow its members to dance.
The servants' quarters are at the back of the house above the kitchen and are accessible from the back stairway. They've also been restored and are included in the tour.
The mansion had the most up to date plumbing of its day, including a carbide gas generator that made the gas used in the lighting fixtures (the generator is still on the property, though it's not used for that purpose anymore).
The carriage house behind the mansion has also been restored and contains several of the Bidwells' original carriages.
The landscaping around the mansion features a number of trees John Bidwell planted with his own hands, including cork oaks (the kind that corks come from), a giant fan-leafed ginkgo that turns brilliant yellow in the fall, and the crown jewel: the enormous Southern magnolia directly in front of (and now taller than) the mansion itself.
John was older than Annie, and after sharing their beautiful mansion together for 32 years, he passed away in 1900. She lived there for the rest of her life, passing away in 1918.
Because the Bidwells had no children, Annie left the mansion and grounds to the Presbyterian Church.
In 1923, the Church sold the mansion to the Chico State Teachers College (now known as California State University, Chico) which turned it into student dormitories, and later also used it as classroom and office space.
The California State Park System acquired the mansion in 1964 and began the long, painstaking job of restoring it to its former glory, including removing an addition that had been built onto one side.
For safety reasons the tower isn't accessible these days but you can visit the rest of the mansion, including the ballroom that never was (and see for yourself how to make an entire floor seem to disappear from view).
The mansion's official designation on the California Historical Landmarks listing is:
Rancho Chico and Bidwell Adobe
Landmark no. 329
The National Register of Historic Places listing is:
Bidwell Mansion
Landmark no. 72000216
Location:
Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park
525 Esplanade, Chico, Butte County, California