Puneet Varma (Editor)

Modjeska House

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Built
  
1888

CHISL #
  
205

Designated CHISL
  
1935

Area
  
6 ha

Added to NRHP
  
11 December 1972

NRHP Reference #
  
72000244

Designated NHL
  
December 14, 1990

Opened
  
1888

Phone
  
+1 949-923-2230

Architect
  
Modjeska House

Location
  
29042 Modjeska Canyon RoadModjeska, California

Address
  
29042 Modjeska Canyon Rd, Silverado, CA 92676, USA

Architectural style
  
Queen Anne style architecture

Similar
  
Heritage Hill Historical, Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, George Key Ranch, Ramon Peralta Adobe, Jose Serrano Adobe

Modjeska House, also known as Arden, is a house designed by Stanford White in Modjeska Canyon, California. It is significant for being the only surviving home of Helena Modjeska, a Shakespearean actress and Polish patriot.

Contents

Background

Modjeska came to America with her husband Count Karol Bozenta Chłapowski in 1876 from Poland, and created a retreat for when she was not performing on stage. To design a large Victorian country house, she hired one of America’s leading architects, Stanford White. They named it "Arden" after the forest setting of Shakespeare's play As You Like It and planted gardens with olive trees, palms, English yews, white lilac, and crown of thorns. It was their home from 1888 until 1906.

Post-Modjeska years

After the property was sold, the romance associated with Modjeska's life attracted developers who marketed parcels of the property for vacation homes. From 1908 to 1923 Gustave A. Schweiger bought and operated the home as a resort, a B & B. In 1923, the Walker family of Long Beach purchased prime parcels in the canyon that included the Modjeska house and its surrounding wooded area.

Historic site

Modjeska House was declared a California Historical Landmark in 1935.

In 1986, the Orange County Harbors, Beaches and Parks Authority purchased the 14.4-acre property for $1 million and established it as a historical site. A major restoration occurred before the site could be opened to the public. The original house had no indoor plumbing or utilities. A limited number of visitors are allowed on tours. Directions to the park are given after making reservations.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

The property is located in a live oak grove on the banks of Santiago Creek in Modjeska Canyon, California.

References

Modjeska House Wikipedia


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