#JULIA MORGAN STYLE WINDOWS#

On the West coast both Berkeley and Pasadena were hot beds of this ideal. The essence was to bring back hand craftsmanship and naturalism as common usage instead of machine made things. The Arts & Crafts movement was a progressive social movement in response to the Industrial Revolution and the mechanization of many forms of cultural expression such as ceramics, furniture and architecture. Julia Morgan became one of the talented group of architects embracing that style, including Bernard Maybeck (one of Julia’s mentors) and Willis Polk (Bourn Cottage). In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the Arts & Crafts style of architecture, which began in England, had taken hold in the San Francisco Bay Area. Finally, work could begin to restore the house to its previous elegance. He agreed to transfer ownership of the North Star House to a non-profit organization (the Land Trust).

In 2003, a new developer bought the former North Star Mine property (which included the part the Footes had owned). There were citizens in the Grass Valley area who had been trying to get ownership of the house in order to restore this historic treasure. Add in years of neglect and weather damage, and by 2000 the house and grounds were in dire condition.

#JULIA MORGAN STYLE WINDOWS#

During that time there was major vandalism and destruction, with all the windows and doors broken, holes in walls, smashed fireplace bricks, and more. Then the house sat empty for 20-some years. The school went bankrupt after about 10 years. It was all very poorly constructed, resulting in severe structural and aesthetic damage. The owner of the boarding school made many alterations to the building. The purchaser wanted to use it for a boarding school for troubled youth and the daughters were hoping this would be a wonderful environment for those children.įrom 1968 on, the beautiful home was on a downward path. Sonny had pre-deceased Jeannette, so when Jeannette died in 1968 their daughters sold the house. By that time, the daughters had grown up and had their own homes and families. (Until then the house had been owned by the North Star Mine.) Thus the Foote family continued to live there until 1968. In 1929, when Newmont Mining Company bought the North Star and Empire mines, Sonny and Jeannette purchased the North Star House and some surrounding acreage. Three generations of the Foote family were living in the beautiful home.

Sonny and Jeannette had three daughters, all of whom grew up in the North Star House. Also in 1913, Sonny married San Francisco socialite Jeannette Hooper. (Sonny), returned home to work as assistant superintendent to his father, and then became superintendent when his father retired in 1913. Both Arthur and Mary Foote were cultured, educated Easterners, so entertaining dignitaries was both natural and enjoyable for them. The Footes moved into the house in October, 1905. Julia Morgan began design of the house in 1903-1904 and it was completed in 1905. This honor was bestowed because of the architectural importance of both the architect Julia Morgan, and a premier example of the First Bay Tradition Arts and Crafts Style. The North Star House is a 10,000 square foot mansion, designed by Julia Morgan and is on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. It is easy to imagine how the connection might have been made in San Francisco. The Hearsts included wealthy mining prospector George Hearst, his wife Phoebe, who knew Julia and was a strong advocate of hers, and their son William Randolph Hearst (for whom Julia designed the Hearst Castle).

Members included James Hague, Arthur and Mary Foote, Julia Morgan, and the Hearst family. Although we don’t know exactly how Julia Morgan was selected, most of the social and business leaders of Northern California belonged to the Pacific Union Club of San Francisco, where much of the networking of the day took place. This was one of the first few commissions for this talented young architect, who would go on to design over 700 buildings in her long and impressive career. James Hague commissioned Julia Morgan to build the North Star House. He also was in competition with the Bourns, who had the Empire Mine Cottage designed by Willis Polk, renowned San Francisco Bay Area architect. The owner, James Hague, felt there was a need for a more suitable social center for entertaining eastern investors, other mining owners and managers, visitors from San Francisco, and the gentry of Grass Valley. By the early 1900s, the North Star Mine had become successful and prosperous.

Julia morgan style