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 6328 Antique 19th Victorian Ebonized Cabinet by Herter Brothers  US $22,500.00
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 MAGNIFICENT VICTORIAN HERTS BROTHERS BEDROOM SET US $20,667.00
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 3707 Ebonized Victorian Large Mirror by Herter Brothers US $17,500.00
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 Spectacular Victorian Marble Top Table by Herter Bros US $12,500.00
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 REMARKABLE VICTORIAN ALLEN BROTHER WALNUT DRESSER US $9,750.00
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 Victorian Armchair with Carved Arms by Horner Brothers US $7,500.00
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Concrete Contractor Santa Rosa part of a historic rebuild
Cupp Bros construction had the honor of being part of the restoration of the McDonald Mansion. We demo'd the gates to the property, reformed and built new columns for the gates and driveways. Below is the article about the amazing property and the the couple that bought and restored the landmark. We have created a video of the work that we did at the great mansion.
Two and a half years into a multi-million-dollar, basement-to-widow's-walk makeover, the 14,000-square-foot Mississippi plantation style mansion appears from the outside nearly complete.
If Mark and Ralphine McDonald were to pull up in their carriage today they wouldn't recoil, although they might be taken aback by the height of the trees, some of which came as saplings from Luther Burbank himself.
All the original Victorian gingerbread â from the two-tiered roof cresting to the icicle-like trim on the overhangs that gave the mansion its distinctive wedding-cake appearance, to the big wrap-around verandah, has been restored. Concealed high-tech lighting hidden within the eaves bring it to life at night, befitting the historic landmark that it is.
But the McDonalds, who built the mansion in 1879 as a summer retreat and promotional centerpiece for the tract of âhomesteadsâ Mark McDonald was developing in the neighborhood, would be startled and disoriented once they walked in the door.
The house is crawling with carpenters armed with buzzing power tools. The layout is essentially the same, a sweeping 15-by-40-foot foyer off of which are four formal public rooms â a library of floor-to-ceiling books, a Turkish room reminiscent of the Victorian era's fascination with exotic travel, a ladies' sitting room and a gentlemen's smoking room, for indulging in a good pipe.
Beyond, orienting out toward the back, is the 480-square-foot dining room where the McDonalds entertained, with its original 10-by-10-foot pocket doors that can close off the room for intimate dining or open it up for glittering affairs.
But a later addition has been removed and replaced with a new kitchen and small family room, as well as a new master suite that looks out on a long reflecting swimming pool and park-like landscaping with boxwood parterres, heritage roses and a greenhouse brought over from England.
It all looks expansive, but inside it is still very plain as the project enters a crucial phase.
Crews, overseen by the Santa Rosa-based Masters Touch general contractors, are now applying the finish work, fixtures and finery that will turn the McDonald Mansion into a completed show-stopper by Christmas. Stacks of wood trim, piled neatly and meticulously marked, fill various rooms, covering up the new white oak floors, some inlaid with walnut designs.
A couple bought the aging monarch of McDonald Avenue for $3.6 million five years ago, with the intent not just to make it into a beautiful and comfortable home for themselves and their brood of children, but to truly preserve it as a landmark. That means that no expense has or will be spared to maintain its historic and architectural integrity.
That isn't to say that they don't look for economy without compromising quality. The exterior stone was selected off a mountain in China, both for its color and because the cost is a fraction of what it would cost to import from Italy â particularly when you're talking about 21, 800-pound containers of stone, said Martin Nelson, one of the principles of Masters Touch.
The couple plan to embark on a road trip this summer to Boston, New York and New Orleans in search of period light fixtures for a house that would have had gasoliers â hybrids that ran on both gas and electricity. The task becomes all the more difficult when multiples are needed.
âObviously, in some areas we're going to have to buy reproduction,â the couple said. âThe trouble is, you can find two or three that are matching but you can't find 20.â
For the period landscape lighting, they enlisted a Los Angeles company that makes all the light fixtures for Disneyland.
Most of the encaustic tile â in which the design is embedded in the tile and not just in the glaze, is coming from England. The wallpaper is being custom designed and manufactured by Bradbury & Bradbury of Benicia, which specializes in high-end antique reproduction wallcoverings.
The couple also have yet to furnish a mansion with two suites of bedrooms upstairs in the âattic,â family rooms on every floor, and a basement that is a veritable warren of offices and special-purpose rooms, including a wine cellar and a gallery dedicated strictly to displaying photographs documenting the restoration.
Nelson said he and partner John Cake have taken some 2,000 pictures at all phases of the process, which, when all is said and done, will have involved a construction cast of some 200.
Although it's designed for 21st-century living, with home theaters on two floors, most of the modern conveniences will be neatly concealed. The $35,000 stove is made in France to look exactly like one that would have been used in 1900.
âThe appliances that are visible will all look old. Those that are not will be behind wood doors and embedded within the cabinetry,â Nelson said.
The couple are both big supporters of Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery and will again host the cemetery's big fund-raiser, The Historic Ball, at the McDonald Mansion in July. Guests are encouraged to come in costume.
The couple will probably embark on an antiquing trip to search for appropriate furnishings later in the summer, after the trim is complete, the wallpaper laid and doors reinstalled.
The couple expect to make the house available on occasion for fund-raisers for their favorite causes. They're also major supporters of the Santa Rosa Symphony and in May will receive honorary doctorates from Sonoma State University for their support â some $2.5 million in donations â of the Green Music Center.
Although the goal is to take up residence by Christmas, contractors are optimistically shooting for Thanksgiving.
What an amazing project and we were glad to be a part of restoring a piece of history.
Ronald Cupp PhD
President
About the Author
http://cuppbros.com
Concrete Contractors in Santa Rosa since 1979 specializing in stamped concrete, colored concrete, concrete toppings, stained concrete and seeded concrete. We work in Santa Rosa, CA and the north bay, mostly in Marin County and Sonoma County and specialize in driveways, walkways, patios, backyards, waterfeatures concrete retaining walls, house foundations, site retaining walls, waterproofing and drainage. We are also French Drain specialists. We have been specializing in concrete toppings due to the cost of replacement vs concrete toppings.
Tobin Bros Victorian Funeral Directors
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6328 Antique 19th Victorian Ebonized Cabinet by Herter Brothers US $22,500.00
|
MAGNIFICENT VICTORIAN HERTS BROTHERS BEDROOM SET US $20,667.00
|
3707 Ebonized Victorian Large Mirror by Herter Brothers US $17,500.00
|
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Spectacular Victorian Marble Top Table by Herter Bros US $12,500.00
|
REMARKABLE VICTORIAN ALLEN BROTHER WALNUT DRESSER US $9,750.00
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Victorian Armchair with Carved Arms by Horner Brothers US $7,500.00
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 Brass Victorian JB Jewelry Box Casket Jennings Brothers US $275.00
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 ANTIQUE VICTORIAN UNGER BROTHERS STERLING MATCH SAFE US $269.10
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 FINE ANTIQUE VICTORIAN STERLING UNGER BROS MATCH SAFE US $269.10
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 Old British Victorian Lockwood Brothers Iron Horse Bridle Bit US $60.00
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 Brother PES Embroidery Card VICTORIAN BLUE CHRISTMAS US $59.99
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