The renovated Stanford Mansion soon will open its doors to the public ... by Fahizah Alim, Sacramento Bee

"A welcome home: The renovated Stanford Mansion soon will open its doors to the public and to visiting dignitaries," by Fahizah Alim, © Sacramento Bee, September 3, 2005. (News Article)

"The stately structure, which will open to the public starting Sept. 9, also provides a glimpse into the personal life of Leland Stanford, California's eighth governor, patriarch of Stanford University and one of 'The Big Four' founders of the Central Pacific Railroad. It took 14 years and $22 million to restore the four-story, 19,000-square-foot Victorian-era home to its early splendor. ... The mansion has 44 rooms, a 1,434-square-foot ballroom, 13 marble fireplaces, elaborate woodwork, gold-leafing and extensive gardens. In 1862 an article in California Farmer described the mansion as the 'most perfect specimen of a residence in the state.' ... its history began in 1855 when Shelton C. Fogus, a prominent Sacramento merchant, bought the corner property at Eighth and N for $1,500. Fogus built the house in 1856 and sold it furnished to Stanford in 1861 for $8,000 ($164,000 in today's dollars). ... In 1872, Stanford remodeled the mansion, adding two floors and expanding it to a whopping 19,186 square feet. ... [photo] A wedding portrait of Leland and Jane Stanford that hangs in the Greater Parlor includes an image of their son, Leland Jr., from a nearby portrait as a reflection." [More]

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