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57-593: Carolands Chateau is a 46,050-square-foot (4,278 m), 4.5 floor, 98 room mansion on 5.83 acres (2.36 ha) in Hillsborough, California , United States. An example of American Renaissance and Beaux-Arts design, the building is a California Historical Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Carolands is one of the last of the houses built during the Gilded Age ,

114-606: A good resemblance to porcelain. During the Dutch Golden Age , the Dutch East India Company had a lively trade with the East and imported millions of pieces of Chinese porcelain in the early 17th century. The Chinese workmanship and attention to detail impressed many. Only the richest could afford the early imports. Dutch potters did not immediately imitate Chinese porcelain; they began to do so after

171-616: A kitchen with walls and ceiling made of white glass tiles; a service elevator connecting all floors; and a butler's pantry and mezzanine with walls of Delftware tile. In the fall of 1916, Harriett and Frank Carolan moved in with their staff. Harriett Carolan did not use her house for long: she separated from Frank Carolan in 1917 and closed the chateau the following year. After the separation, she moved to New York City, while Frank remained in California where he died in 1923. Two years later, Harriett married Col. Arthur Schermerhorn, and while

228-467: A median income of $ 100,000+ versus $ 55,882 for full-time female workers. The per capita income for the town was $ 98,643. About 1.8% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over. According to The Best Places to Live 2007 in Money Magazine , Hillsborough's $ 263,456 median household income is the highest in

285-531: A one-hour documentary about the chateau, first premiered January 19, 2014 on KQED-TV , and the following year was broadcast nationally on PBS. It was nominated for two Emmy Awards: Outstanding Achievement – Cultural/Historical Documentary and Outstanding Achievement - Writer. Both documentaries were made by Luna Productions . Hillsborough, California Hillsborough is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California , United States, in

342-545: A period of great mansion-building that included famous houses of the Vanderbilt family , such as Marble House , Biltmore Estate and The Breakers , and stately California houses such as Filoli and the Huntington family's mansions . The woman who built Carolands, Harriett Pullman Carolan (1869–1956), was the daughter of George Pullman , a 19th-century industrialist, one of Chicago 's wealthiest men, and founder of

399-701: A proposal to further subdivide the land and build additional houses. In 1989, the house suffered superficial damage in the Loma Prieta earthquake leading its owners to consider demolishing it. In 1997, a new owner proposed carving the house into fifteen condominiums, but the Hillsborough town charter banned multi-family residences. In 1991, the Hillsborough Designer Showhouse was held at Carolands, attracting 68,000 visitors, each paying $ 20 admission, netting more than $ 1 million for

456-480: A small portion of the scheme was ever built. Soon after Harriett Carolan secured the land in 1912, Duchêne arrived in San Francisco to lay out the grand parterre gardens. In late 1913, Ernest Sanson began to design the house. His plans included a dry moat around two sides of the house, discreetly located to provide light and air, and access, to the service spaces in the basement, while not blocking views of

513-708: A terrace surrounded by three panels with cranes and pine design'. Oriental styles in Delftware remained popular into the early 1700s but then declined when Chinese porcelain became available again. Delftware ranged from simple household items – plain white earthenware with little or no decoration – to fancy artwork. Most of the Delft factories made sets of jars, the kast-stel set. Pictorial plates were made in abundance, illustrated with religious motifs, native Dutch scenes with windmills and fishing boats , hunting scenes, landscapes and seascapes. Sets of plates were made with

570-399: A wealthy Hillsborough, New Hampshire , shipping magnate, in 1846. Howard settled his family in this area, which attracted wealthy San Franciscans. On May 5, 1910, Hillsborough residents voted to incorporate. From the town's foundation until 1963, it was an exclusive community for wealthy whites. In 1963, Jack and Betty Ken, the first-generation children of Chinese Immigrants, purchased land in

627-626: Is applied, usually decorated with metal oxides , in particular the cobalt oxide that gives the usual blue, and can withstand high firing temperatures, allowing it to be applied under the glaze . Delftware forms part of the worldwide family of blue and white pottery , using variations of the plant-based decoration first developed in 14th-century Chinese porcelain , and in great demand in Europe. Delftware includes pottery objects of all descriptions, such as plates, vases, figurines and other ornamental forms and tiles . The style originated around 1600, and

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684-500: Is the brand name hand painted on the bottom of ceramic pieces identifying them as authentic and collectible. Although most Delft Blue borrows from the tin-glaze tradition, it is nearly all decorated in underglaze blue on a white clay body and very little uses tin glaze, a more expensive product. The Koninklijke Tichelaar Makkum factory in Makkum , Friesland , continues the production of tin-glazed earthenware. Delft Blue pottery formed

741-576: The 2000 census there were 10,825 people, 3,689 households, and 3,161 families in the town. The population density was 1,738.7 inhabitants per square mile (671.3/km ). There were 3,804 housing units at an average density of 611.0 per square mile (235.9/km ). Of the 3,689 households 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.6% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.3% were non-families. 11.1% of households were one person and 7.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size

798-640: The 21st Assembly District , represented by Democrat Diane Papan . In the United States House of Representatives , Hillsborough is in California's 15th congressional district , represented by Democrat Kevin Mullin . Because of the city's affluence, Hillsborough has historically leaned conservative. The city mainly supported Republican candidates for President and statewide/local offices up until 2016. It gave Mitt Romney 53% of

855-465: The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP #75000478). Nevertheless, Carolands suffered from frequent changes in ownership after Countess Dandini's death. In 1976, Dr. Selwyn McCabe won the house in a probate auction, but declined to purchase, deferring to the next bidder, Rose 'Roz' Franks. In 1979, Franks lost the house to George I. Benny, who in turn lost it to foreclosure in 1982, after conviction for conspiring to defraud institutional lenders. At

912-479: The Pullman Company , famous for its Palace railway cars. In Chicago in 1892, Harriett Pullman married Francis Carolan of San Francisco and moved with him to California. In 1912, she acquired 554 acres (224 ha) of land in Hillsborough, on which she intended to build a house and garden that would excite "the wonder and admiration of America" and reflect her many refined and cultivated interests. The result

969-667: The San Francisco Bay Area . It is located 17 miles (27 km) south of San Francisco on the San Francisco Peninsula , bordered by Burlingame to the north, San Mateo to the east, Highlands-Baywood Park to the south, and Interstate 280 to the west. The population was 11,387 at the 2020 census . Hillsborough is located on the Rancho San Mateo Mexican land grant which was purchased by William Davis Merry Howard , son of

1026-497: The San Mateo Union High School District , generally assigned by residential address. The town is also home to a small number of independent schools . The Hillsborough school district is the top-rated K through 8 district in northern San Mateo County. Primarily a residential suburb of San Francisco , Hillsborough has many mansions and other points of interest within the town's borders dating from

1083-471: The San Mateo woolly sunflower . Other common plants include toyon , gooseberry , lupine , monkeyflower and coffeeberry . Commonly observed mammals include California mule deer , raccoons , opossum , coyotes, rabbits, squirrels, and skunks . Mountain lions are known to live and roam in the green belts that surround the city. Hillsborough is bordered by Burlingame to the north, San Mateo to

1140-468: The Town of Hillsborough to be used as a French and Italian musical, artistic and literary center, but was unable to include an endowment. The Town of Hillsborough declined the gift, ruling the proposed use inconsistent with the town's charter while noting it could not afford to pay the cost to maintain the property. In 1975, the house was added to the list of California Historical Landmarks (CHL #886), and to

1197-485: The country. According to the California Secretary of State , on February 10, 2019, Hillsborough had 7,802 registered voters. Of those, 2,638 (33.8%) were registered Democrats, 2,337 (30%) were registered Republicans , and 2,522 (32.3%) had declined to state a political party. In the state legislature , Hillsborough is in the 13th Senate District , represented by Democrat Josh Becker , and in

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1254-552: The couple occasionally occupied Carolands, in 1928 Harriett removed her furniture and put the property up for sale. The U.S. Government considered buying Carolands to use as a Western White House in 1939, and again during the Kennedy administration, but both times declined to purchase. In 1945, Tomlinson Moseley bought the house and surrounding 550 acres (2.2 km) from the Schermerhorns and began to sub-divide

1311-500: The death of the Wanli Emperor in 1620, when the supply to Europe was interrupted. "Potters now saw an opportunity to produce a cheap alternative for Chinese porcelain. After much experimenting they managed to make a thin type of earthenware which was covered with a white tin glaze. Although made of low-fired earthenware, it resembled porcelain amazingly well." Delftware inspired by Chinese originals persisted from about 1630 to

1368-415: The early 20th century. December is the coolest month with an average high of 60 degrees, and September is the warmest month with an average high of 78 degrees. Hillsborough has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa), with the vast majority of the precipitation from the months of November to April. On average, Hillsborough receives 17 inches (430 mm) of rain. With coastal mountains to

1425-447: The east, Highlands-Baywood Park to the south, and Interstate 280 to the west. Hillsborough's landscape is dominated by large homes; the town zoning and subdivision ordinances require a 2,500-square-foot (230 m ) minimum house size and minimum lot size of 0.5 acres (2,000 m ). As a result, there are no apartments, condominiums or townhouses in the city limits. The town has no commercial zoning and thus no businesses within

1482-500: The gardens from the principal rooms on the main floor. In his design, Sanson incorporated three 18th-century period rooms that Carolan had purchased in Paris with the advice of the famous antique dealer Boni de Castellane . In 1914, Willis Polk began grading the great terraces planned by Duchêne, sending progress photographs to the owner and her architects. Polk began to build the reinforced concrete superstructure he had designed, creating

1539-623: The house and opened it annually to the San Francisco Bay area's French students. Her generosity in sharing the house inspired the Town of Burlingame to give her the town's "Woman of the Year" award. In her later years the Countess Dandini lacked the necessary funds to maintain the house, and after she died in 1973 it was once again at risk of demolition. The countess willed the house and the remaining 5.83 acres (23,600 m) to

1596-540: The house, often hosting events there. Billionaire businessperson Charles B. Johnson and his wife bought the Carolands Chateau in 2009 for $ 26 million. By 2023, it was appraised at $ 130 million. In 2012, Johnson and his wife donated the Carolands Chateau to his private foundation, "Carolands Foundation". The couple filed for tax-exempt status for the mansion, as they said that the mansion would be open to self-guided public tours every weekday from 9–5. By valuing

1653-403: The infill walls with brick, finishing them with concrete stucco, sanded and scored to resemble natural limestone. In mid-1916, the elaborate interior elements began arriving on the site. The house as completed had ninety-eight rooms, including nine bedrooms and baths for the owners and their guests, each with an antechamber to guarantee quiet and privacy. The service spaces were equally elaborate:

1710-441: The land and build additional houses. In 1947, Life Magazine published an article about a charity event held at the house, the first opportunity for San Francisco-area residents to see its interior. According to the article, the house had been abandoned for twenty-five years, so that plumbing for the event had to be provided by a fire hose, and lighting required the use of portable generators and flood lights. In 1948, Moseley sold

1767-646: The later wares "were painted with clever, ephemeral decoration. Little trace of feeling or originality remained to be lamented when, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Delftware potteries began to go out of business." By this time Delftware potters had lost their market to British porcelain and the new white earthenware. One or two remain: the Tichelaar factory in Makkum , Friesland , founded in 1594 and De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles ("The Royal Porcelain Bottle") founded in 1653. Today, Delfts Blauw (Delft Blue)

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1824-492: The mansion so highly and by obtaining tax-exempt status, the Johnsons collected more than $ 38 million in tax savings from the estate over five years. However, the mansion was not open to the public 40 hours per week and was not subject to self-guided tours. Rather, it was only open to a few dozen lottery winners who could access the mansion on a guided tour for two hours from 1PM on most Wednesdays. Tax and legal experts questioned

1881-473: The mid-18th century alongside European patterns. Around 1700 several factories were using enamel colours and gilding over the tin-glaze, requiring a third kiln firing at a lower temperature. Later, after Japanese Imari ware had become popular in the late 1600s and early 1700s (when it too tried to fill the gap of the Chinese shortage), Delft began making their own 'Imari ware' copying the classic 'flower vase on

1938-575: The most highly regarded period of production is about 1640–1740, but Delftware continues to be produced. In the 17th and 18th centuries the manufacture of Delftware was a major industry, with product exported all over Europe. The earliest tin-glazed pottery in the Netherlands was made in Antwerp where the Italian potter Guido da Savino settled in 1500, and in the 16th century Italian maiolica

1995-548: The nine years 1651 to 1660. In 1654 a gunpowder explosion in Delft destroyed many breweries and as the brewing industry was in decline, they became available to pottery makers looking for larger premises; some retained the old brewery names, e.g. The Double Tankard , The Young Moors' Head , and The Three Bells . The use of marl , a type of clay rich in calcium compounds, allowed the Dutch potters to refine their technique and to make finer items. The usual clay body of Delftware

2052-499: The occupied units 3,490 (94.5%) were owner-occupied and 203 (5.5%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.2%. 10,206 people (94.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 619 people (5.7%) lived in rental housing units. In 2019, a Bloomberg analysis ranked Hillsborough as the fifth richest town in the United States with a median household income of $ 373,128. At

2109-570: The population) lived in households, as no other type of residence exists in Hillsborough. There were 3,693 households, 1,445 (39.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,804 (75.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 220 (6.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 114 (3.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 66 (1.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 34 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 451 households (12.2%) were one person and 309 (8.4%) had someone living alone who

2166-514: The property, by then reduced to 25 acres (10 ha), to Mrs. S. Coe Robinson. By 1950, she had carved off much of the remaining land into smaller parcels and begun to contemplate demolishing the house. Countess Lillian Remillard Dandini purchased Carolands Chateau in 1950, saving it from demolition by speculators interested in developing the land, and uninterested in the house's architectural significance. Prior to her marriage in 1932 to Mexican-born Count Alessandro Dandini di Cesena, Lillian Remillard

2223-527: The ravine and flag down a passing motorist for help, but one later died of wounds received during the ordeal. Raley had bragged earlier that day that he often received bribes from curious students interested in the mansion's interior, but that "he only let girls in." He was convicted, and received the death penalty in 1988. In 1986, Michael DeDomenico, an heir to the family controlling Rice-a-Roni and Ghirardelli , bought Carolands, and that year developers commissioned an Environmental Impact Report in support of

2280-423: The sponsoring charity and reviving interest in the house. Among the visitors were Dr. Ann Johnson, who would later buy Carolands, and her interior decorator, Mario Buatta , who would help her to restore it. In 1998, Johnson and her husband, mutual fund billionaire Charles Bartlett Johnson , bought the house and the remaining land for under $ 6 million. The Johnsons undertook extensive renovations and restorations of

2337-443: The time, adult filmmakers gained access to the site where they produced the 1982 film All American Girls. During these years, Carolands was often vacant, and curious local high school students often entered the house. In 1985, David Allen Raley , a security guard, lured two high school students onto the property where he sexually assaulted and stabbed them, leaving them for dead in a ravine near San Jose. They managed to climb out of

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2394-670: The town limits; the only non-residential properties are the town's four public and three private schools, town and county government facilities, a golf course, a country club, and small parks. At the 2010 census Hillsborough had a population of 10,825. The population density was 1,748.9 inhabitants per square mile (675.3/km ). The racial makeup of Hillsborough was 7,178 (66.3%) White, 42 (0.4%) African American, 7 (0.1%) Native American, 3,044 (28.1%) Asian, 23 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 109 (1.0%) from other races, and 422 (3.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 373 people (3.4%). The census reported that 10,825 people (100% of

2451-519: The town. This made them the first non-white people to own land in the town, effectively desegregating Hillsborough. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16 km ), all of it land. The area's considerably winding, hilly topography , and impossibility of a grid layout make Hillsborough notoriously challenging to navigate. Many lots include fairly steep slopes, particularly

2508-673: The validity of the high appraisal for the mansion and the tax-exempt status of the estate. In 2006 a feature-length documentary, Three Women and a Chateau , which tells the nearly 100-year history of Carolands, premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and was featured in seven other film festivals, winning Best Documentary (Grand Jury Award) at the Rhode Island International Film Festival . The Heiress and Her Chateau: Carolands of California ,

2565-637: The vote in 2012 against incumbent President Barack Obama's 45%. But four years later, the city swung massively against the Republican Party, with Democrat Hillary Clinton garnering 63%, with Donald Trump only carrying 31% of the vote in the city. In 2020, the city continued to swing left, President Joe Biden won 68% of the vote and Donald Trump only managed 29%. Hillsborough has its own highly regarded and ranked public elementary and middle school system, but no public high school. High school-aged children can attend one of several schools in

2622-400: The west of Hillsborough, it is blocked in the winter from much of the rainfall over Half Moon Bay, and in the summer it is blocked from virtually all the fog of the coast. Hillsborough receives an average of 307 days of sunshine annually, with 52 days of recordable precipitation per year. Delftware Delftware is one of the types of tin-glazed pottery or faience in which a white glaze

2679-651: The western side of the town, with the landscape generally flattening to the east as it descends from the 280 freeway to El Camino Real and the towns of Burlingame and San Mateo. Three prominent streams drain the mostly wooded slopes of Hillsborough: San Mateo Creek , Cherry Canyon Creek, and Sanchez Creek. In all 3 cases the upper watersheds are closed-canopy California oak woodlands , with dominant trees of Coast Live Oak , Pacific Madrone and California Bay . The upper drainage area of San Mateo Creek in Hillsborough contains significant serpentinite outcrops , which are known habitats for several rare plant species including

2736-610: The words and music of songs; dessert was served on them and when the plates were clear the company started singing. The Delft potters also made tiles in vast numbers (estimated at eight hundred million ) over a period of two hundred years; many Dutch houses still have tiles that were fixed in the 17th and 18th centuries. Delftware became popular and was widely exported in Europe and even reached China and Japan. Chinese and Japanese potters made porcelain versions of Delftware for export to Europe. Some regard Delftware from about 1750 onwards as artistically inferior. Caiger-Smith says that most of

2793-437: Was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.14. The age distribution was 25.1% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% 65 or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males. The median household income was $ 193,157 and the median family income was $ 200,000. Full-time male workers have

2850-583: Was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.93. There were 3,138 families (85.0% of households); the average family size was 3.18. The age distribution was 2,877 people (26.6%) under the age of 18, 466 people (4.3%) aged 18 to 24, 1,600 people (14.8%) aged 25 to 44, 3,667 people (33.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,215 people (20.5%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 47.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males. There were 3,912 housing units at an average density of 632.0 per square mile, of

2907-473: Was a blend of three clays, one local, one from Tournai and one from the Rhineland . From about 1615, the potters began to coat their pots completely in white tin glaze instead of covering only the painting surface and coating the rest with clear ceramic glaze . They then began to cover the tin-glaze with clear glaze, which gave depth to the fired surface and smoothness to cobalt blues, ultimately creating

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2964-642: Was a classicist, and his design for the chateau's exterior was inspired by the 17th-century designs of François Mansart . He was seventy-six years old, near the end of a long and distinguished career, and never visited the California site. Carolan engaged the San Francisco-based Willis Polk , a distinguished architect in his own right, to be the structural designer and construction manager, instructing him to faithfully execute Sanson's designs. France's leading landscape architect, Achille Duchêne , designed Carolands' gardens. Duchêne's work

3021-463: Was a masterpiece of Beaux-Arts architecture, inspired by the court architecture of Louis XIV . Carolan chose the site, the highest in the neighborhood, for its commanding views of the San Francisco Bay and the surrounding hills. Harriett Carolan commissioned plans for the chateau from the Parisian architect Ernest Sanson , at the time France's foremost designer of prestigious private houses. Sanson

3078-531: Was an heir to the Remillard Brothers fortune, which derived from a brick manufacturing business dating back to California's gold rush , a business that benefitted greatly from the construction boom following the 1906 earthquake . During the twenty-three years (until her death) that she lived at Carolands, the countess entertained often and made the house available for numerous charity benefits. She frequently invited San Francisco's French community to

3135-531: Was inspired by the works of the great 17th-century landscape designer André Le Nôtre , whose most famous creations included the gardens at the Palace of Versailles , Vaux-le-Vicomte and the Jardins des Tuileries . In his original, ambitious design for Carolands, Duchêne planned miles of roadways leading across extensive grounds, landscaped with thousands of shrubs and trees, accented by fountains and statuary. Only

3192-469: Was made in places such as Gouda , Rotterdam , Haarlem , Amsterdam and Dordrecht . The main period of tin-glaze pottery in the Netherlands was 1640–1740. From about 1640 Delft potters began using personal monograms and distinctive factory marks. The Guild of St Luke , to which painters in all media had to belong, admitted ten master potters in the thirty years between 1610 and 1640, and twenty in

3249-642: Was the main influence on decorative styles. The manufacture of painted pottery spread from Antwerp to the northern Netherlands, in particular because of the sack of Antwerp by the Spanish troops in 1576 (the Spanish Fury ). Production developed in Middelburg and Haarlem in the 1570s and in Amsterdam in the 1580s. Much of the finer work was produced in Delft, but simple everyday tin-glazed pottery

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