Mableton's Planning and Features

With a room arrangement typical of many antebellum plantation homes, Mableton’s original 1879 floor plan reveals more of its Southern heritage. To maximize natural air circulation through the house, a wide central hall bisects the house from front to back, and opens to shaded verandahs at either end. Typical of the most common plans, two rooms on either side of the central hall each provide additional direct access to the verandah. In lieu of conventional windows, the rooms open to the verandah through “slip-head” windows. Very tall double hung windows that extend to the floor, slip-head windows may also function as doors. Unusually high ceilings were essential to accommodate these oversized window openings within the walls. A highly effective passive cooling system was achieved by the combination of verandah-shaded exterior walls, high ceilings, and interconnected rooms. In Southern examples, sources of heat and potential fire hazards were often removed from the main house, with utility and service areas (such as the kitchen) located in nearby separate structures. Alternately, the kitchen and other service areas were placed in the ground level basement (the location of Mableton’s original kitchen).


                                

In a departure from typical Southern precedent, Mableton’s design allows for the admission of natural light through a long skylight above its central hall. Between the central hall and each of the four flanking rooms, wide doorway openings are fitted with sliding pocket doors. These generous openings perform multiple functions: in addition to sharing natural light between spaces, they enhance cross-ventilation, and allow greater flexibility in how rooms can be used. The unusual width of Mableton’s central hall, and the presence of a fireplace at its far end, permits it to function as both living and circulation space. Designed for entertaining on a grand scale, this plan creates the potential to effectively combine all of the rooms into a single, contiguous space. The surrounding verandah further expands the interior spaces, and reinforces the strong relationship between the house and its landscape

Prior to the development of bedroom space in the attic, all of the McDonald family’s living areas were located on the main (first) floor. It is probable that the two rooms towards the rear of the house were used as bedrooms. However, in the informal context of a summer home, it is likely that these rooms (and possibly the others as well) were employed for multiple uses. Notable is the presence of a large interior bathroom, placed between the two rooms along the south side. This original feature was an unusual luxury at a time when most homes (especially in rural locations) still relied on outdoor plumbing facilities. To better accommodate a growing family, the McDonalds soon expanded the home outward and upward, to include more living, bedroom and bathroom space.

For more information about the McDonald Mansion and other ROBA projects, visit Rynerson OBrien Architecture's website.

Mableton's Architectural Style

The McDonald Mansion’s stylish street presence, and its prominent corner site on an oversized parcel, made it an effective tool in the marketing and sales of residential lots in the newly established “McDonald’s Addition” neighborhood. As a result, McDonald Avenue soon became the address of choice for the most prominent citizens of the expanding city of Santa Rosa. However, no other home built on the street ever eclipsed the visual prominence of Mableton and the sprawling scale of its grounds.


                    

“Mableton”, circa 1882. This is the earliest known view of the house, taken from a lithograph published in the 1880’s. It was built in 1879 as the summer home of the Mark L. McDonald family, whose primary residence was in San Francisco. The family chose the name “Mableton” after the Mississippi plantation home of Ralphine North McDonald. Note the original two-tiered roof cresting and the bands of patterned roof shingles (now missing), which are to be restored. Partly visible on the far right of the image are the carriage house and the gazebo. Courtesy of Sonoma County Library History Annex and Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

It was in homage to the Mississippi plantation home of Ralphine North McDonald’s childhood that the McDonalds called their summer home “Mableton”. Unusual for substantial California homes of its era, the architectural form of the house can be described as a large-scale adaptation of a so-called “raised Southern cottage”. The typical plan of such homes included a single main living level, built or “raised” over an above-ground basement that was intended as a flood precaution. The second floor or attic level of such homes was often left as undeveloped space, but was sometimes utilized for later expansion.

Initially, the wrap-around porch or verandah, another characteristic Southern feature, surrounded all four sides of the house. This defining element creates a strong link between the house and its landscape, where specimen trees, spacious lawns and abundant flowers completed the ideal summer home setting.

One of the building’s signature details is its extensive use of flat sawn and cutout wood ornament (seen in the two-tiered roof cresting, and icicle-like trim that outlines the various roof overhangs). The use of such repeating flat patterns, and their geometric quality, are particularly characteristic of the Victorian era’s “Stick” and “Eastlake” styles (sometimes called “Stick/Eastlake”), which enjoyed nationwide popularity during the post-Civil War era. The style moniker “Steamboat Gothic”, coined in reference to similar decorative treatments applied to large riverboats of that era, is likewise evoked by Mableton’s low-slung proportions and long verandahs. The application of California redwood ornament to a Southern building form makes this house a uniquely American domestic hybrid.

In the early lithograph view, the stepped pyramidal (hipped) form of Mableton’s roofline is completed by two tiers of cresting, and its surface is enriched by successive bands of patterned shingles resembling horizontal stripes. While the verandah and second floor roofs are pierced by small “eyebrow” vent openings, the upper roof is primarily broken by a single central gable with an arching bargeboard. In the verandah roof, a smaller gable occurs above the main entry stairs. Still missing are the larger dormer windows that were added for bedrooms developed later in the attic space.

Visible on the left side of the house is part of a two-story rear addition across the rear, which supplanted the original verandah there. Within the former rear verandah space, a hallway and stairs were built to access the added second floor bedrooms. Later the rear addition also sprouted second floor dormers, and a square bay window on the left side of the first floor level.

In addition to the main front entry stairs, those seen extending from the left side of the verandah are one of an original pair of stairs placed on opposing sides of the house. Partly visible on the right side are the carriage house (with a cupola and weather vane), and the top of the gazebo projecting above the trees. The original configuration of the curving driveway, with its pair of triangular planted “islands”, remains in place today.

For more information about the McDonald Mansion and other ROBA projects, visit Rynerson OBrien Architecture's website.

A Brief History of "Mableton" and the McDonald Family

 The McDonald Mansion, originally called “Mableton,” was built in 1879 by Mark L. McDonald, one of Santa Rosa’s most prominent early citizens. Colonel McDonald, a Kentucky native, came west as captain of a wagon train in the early 1850’s. Trained in engineering, he first built roadways servicing gold and silver mines. His early successes allowed him to buy a seat on the San Francisco Stock Exchange, during which time he joined the ranks of the city's rich and powerful, including George Hearst, Leland Stanford and Charles Crocker.


                               
      Ralphine North McDonald (b.1843-d.1918)                      Col. Mark Lindsey McDonald (b.1833-d.1917)




By the late 1860’s, McDonald had begun to apply his wealth, influence and entrepreneurial spirit to new business opportunities in Santa Rosa. These included purchase and subdivision of 160 acres of land, then called “McDonald’s Addition.” During the 1870’s, the new development flourished, and McDonald Avenue became the premier residential street of Santa Rosa. The neighborhood’s popularity was enhanced by a range of amenities including gas and water service, and a new streetcar line established by Colonel McDonald. An extensive tree planting program, implemented with the assistance of famed local botanist Luther Burbank, introduced some imported species while preserving existing native examples.

McDonald was active in civic affairs and was instrumental in the development of numerous local improvements, including Santa Rosa’s first library, the first steam railroad brought to Santa Rosa and operation of the Santa Rosa Water Works Company, an early private utility. He capitalized and built the nearby reservoir known as Lake Ralphine, which was named for McDonald’s wife. His other business interests included fruit packing plants and drying yards in the area.

The McDonalds’ primary residence was in San Francisco and Mableton was built as their summer home. The couple had seven children, although two of their daughters (Ralphine and Alice) died during childhood. Those who survived into adulthood included Mark L. McDonald, Jr., Stewart, Mabel, Edith and Florence.

                  
                   McDonald Avenue street car, circa 1910. Note 804 McDonald Avenue (Healey Home) in rear.

                 
Colonel Mark L. McDonald family around 1900. Mrs. McDonald, Edith, Stewart, Maxwell McNutt (husband of Florence McDonald), Mable, Florence, Mark Jr. and the Colonel.


Mark McDonald Jr. married Isabelle Juilliard, and it was they who would eventually own Mableton. Stewart McDonald died of tuberculosis in 1907. Mabel, who was an accomplished horsewoman, married William H. Hamilton of San Francisco. Edith married Selah Chamberlain, a socially prominent San Franciscan. Florence, also an excellent horsewoman, married Maxwell McNutt, a high-profile San Francisco attorney.


                                 
           Mabel McDonald and William H. Hamilton Wedding Party. On Mableton steps circa 1904.


Mark L. McDonald Sr. died in 1917, in San Francisco, at the age of 84. Following his death, his wife Ralphine resided at Mableton, where she died in 1918 at the age of 75. The couple is buried in the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, which is located at the north end of McDonald Avenue.


             
“Mableton”, circa 1910. This photograph was included in a promotional brochure published by the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce. It shows that, by this date, dormer windows had been added to the second floor bedrooms. Visible at far left is a bay window added to the rear portion of the house (absent in the 1882 lithograph view). Also, some of the original roof cresting is still visible. Courtesy of the California Historical Society.


The Middle Years

After the death of the senior McDonalds, the eldest son Mark Jr. and his wife Isabelle eventually became sole owners of Mableton, and made it their primary residence.  In his career, Mark Jr.'s followed the example of his father, and found success running the Santa Rosa Water Works, and the M. L. McDonald Jr. and Co. Fruit Packing plant.  He also had extensive holdings in orchard land and other real estate.

                                                

                                            Mrs. Mark L. McDonald, Jr. (Isabelle Juilliard 

                                                holding son Julliard, with daughter Marcia.

                  

                                           
                                                            Mark McDonald, Jr., with daughter Marcia

Like her husband, Isabelle was a native Californian with family roots dating back to the Gold Rush. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Frederick Juilliard, settled in Santa Rosa. The site of their family home was donated to the city by Isabelle’s father, and survives today as Juilliard Park in downtown Santa Rosa. Isabelle’s privileged upbringing included private East Coast schooling and several years of residence in Tuxedo Park, New York with her wealthy uncle Augustus Juilliard, who was the founder of the Juilliard School of Music.

By the early 1920’s, Mark and Isabelle had begun to extensively remodel Mableton to suit their own tastes. Among the changes they implemented were alterations to the rear of the house, installation of additional bathrooms, and numerous landscape improvements, including a tennis court (now the site of a formal garden). The couple had two children who survived into adulthood: a daughter, Marcia, and a son, Juilliard (a third child, Mark McDonald III, died in infancy).

            

                 

   
              Marcia Augusta McDonald, around age 18                        Juilliard McDonald, as a young adult.

The Last of the McDonalds

After Mark L. McDonald, Jr. died in 1932, Isabelle occupied a Nob Hill apartment in San Francisco as her primary residence. Until her death in 1960, Mableton was once again used mostly as a summer home. Isabelle’s son, Juilliard McDonald, had a successful career and maintained the family’s business interests. Although he was married twice, Juilliard died childless in 1946. Following the death of Isabelle, her daughter Marcia became the last surviving McDonald heir. Like her mother, Marcia chose to make her primary home in a San Francisco apartment. However, after her mother's death, she was less inclined to visit Mableton, and subsequently allowed the property to fall into disrepair.

When Marcia, who never married, died childless in 1971 at the age of 65, the fate of the mansion was uncertain. The terms of Isabelle’s will and trust had dictated that, upon Marcia’s death, Mableton was to be left jointly to the University of California and Stanford University. Eventually, the property was offered for sale to the City of Santa Rosa, and local controversy over possible development plans for the site ensued.

             

                                                                            Mableton circa 1971.

For more information about the McDonald Mansion and other ROBA projects, visit Rynerson OBrien Architecture's website.