Why was California's Largest Mansion Buried in San Francisco?

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  • čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
  • Join Ken on a journey back in time as we uncover the intriguing tale of James Flood, a man who went from humble beginnings to becoming one of America's richest. Discover the mysterious fate of his magnificent mansion that was once the pinnacle of luxury in California but now lies hidden beneath the very ground we walk on.
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    Location: San Francisco, California
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    0:00 History
    2:58 House Tour
    Public Domain Photos from: Library of Congress,
    CC BY 2.0(creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Photos from: Flickr User: inkknife_2000
    CC BY-SA 4.0(creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Photos from: Wikipedia User: Sanfranman59
    Assets from: Envato Elements
    Music from Epidemic Sound

Komentáře • 539

  • @ThisHouse
    @ThisHouse  Před 7 měsíci +120

    Hi everyone, I wanted to clarify what I meant by, “in San Francisco.” This is referring to the San Francisco Bay area, not the city itself. As mentioned in the video, the house was located in Menlo Park which is in the San Francisco Bay Area.

    • @nevada531
      @nevada531 Před 7 měsíci +31

      I enjoyed the clip and appreciate your new clarification. But the post said that the mansion was buried in San Francisco and that Menlo Park was part of “ modern day San Francisco” and you made no mention of the San Francisco Bay Area, which is a large area of 9 counties with 8 million people. There is a big difference between the city of San Francisco and the the “San Francisco Bay Area”.

    • @MisssAnthrope49
      @MisssAnthrope49 Před 7 měsíci +8

      SF Bay Area, okay.

    • @bonniea8189
      @bonniea8189 Před 7 měsíci +11

      ​@@nevada531_Nine_ counties, even

    • @bonniea8189
      @bonniea8189 Před 7 měsíci +4

      @@nevada531 Absolutely agree with that!

    • @SpiritGirlSF
      @SpiritGirlSF Před 7 měsíci +2

      Quibble, that's what I wrote under my previous comment that brought on this pinned comment.

  • @gkvogt
    @gkvogt Před 7 měsíci +201

    The demise of some of these one of a kind mansions brings me to tears. I love the history of the people who made them possible.

    • @nonenoneonenonenone
      @nonenoneonenonenone Před 7 měsíci +4

      Not to mention all the precious materials and work that go into making them.

    • @gottahavegoalsset
      @gottahavegoalsset Před 7 měsíci +4

      I think they built the house that was on full house above it. Really sickens me to think of those three weird men trotting around on top of literally history.

    • @britniemonet_3693
      @britniemonet_3693 Před 7 měsíci

      Have you guys heard of lake Lanier?

  • @StarskyBuba
    @StarskyBuba Před 7 měsíci +307

    What happened to this house, is one of the most disgusting things I've ever heard. Shame on the human beings of the time, for not recognising just how beautiful, majestic and special this building was. The benevolence of the daughters intentions were truly wasted on the naive future generations.

    • @kristineanderson4983
      @kristineanderson4983 Před 7 měsíci +18

      If there was no money for long-term upkeep...

    • @StarskyBuba
      @StarskyBuba Před 7 měsíci +1

      @@kristineanderson4983 Paid entry into this majestic stately home would have been more than enough to cover the costs I am sure. As people would be queuing at the door to see inside this incredible building.

    • @HobbyOrganist
      @HobbyOrganist Před 7 měsíci +25

      That's the other problem, the glutonous excess that created a house with that many rooms, bedrooms etc and huge gardens and land space that all cost money to maintain, or building a massive church with huge stone spires that start crumbling and become unstable, and cost millions to repair... basically dooms these buildings because they are difficult to convert to a modern use like apartments, or cost a fortune to repair.
      Seen a number of massive churches that have like 10 story high spires on them get damaged from weather and time,and the congregation dwindles down to an unsustainable numebr who cant even afford to heat the building let alone come up with $30 million to repair the two collapsing spires, and the building is closed, vandalised and stripped and the city winds up footing the costs for demolition- after which the congregation decides to cash in on the LAND by selling the land for tax free profit after the city spent millions clearing the building of it!
      @@kristineanderson4983

    • @PlanetDeLaTourette
      @PlanetDeLaTourette Před 7 měsíci

      Conserving things is a new idea, of the past decades. No one cared much, back in the day. Also: it's the economy, stupid. There are also people who question these quite decadent and wasteful expressions. It's disharmonious bad taste of the filthy rich. It doesn't add much but a huge volume of cliches. Not functional.

    • @riiidiculoso8697
      @riiidiculoso8697 Před 7 měsíci +13

      @@HobbyOrganistchurches and private mansions are not comparable. In general, churches and cathedrals were paid for by the congregations of the time, who donated. And the spires were never about gluttony.

  • @SMtWalkerS
    @SMtWalkerS Před 7 měsíci +109

    Wow, what a huge and beautiful place. Always amazes me how so many one-of-a-kind places were just discarded.

    • @paco7992
      @paco7992 Před 7 měsíci +8

      If you have enough money to buy his dream house, then you have enough money to build your dream house. It's sad to see them gone and even sadder that they bulldozed salvage that could have been reused.

  • @nevada531
    @nevada531 Před 7 měsíci +68

    James Flood’s name still remains famous in San Francisco through an iconic beaux arts office building on Market Street and three impressive mansions built by him and his son. But I need to correct the narrative when Menlo Park is called a part of “modern day San Francisco.” which it most definitely is not nor has ever been. Menlo Park is 30 miles south of SF. Today it is in the heart of Silicon Valley. The home of tech giants like Apple, Facebook and Google. “The Peninsula” as it’s called today was in the 19th century a favorite place for wealthy San Franciscans to build palatial country estates where they could escape the congested city with it’s chilly, foggy summers. Flood’s estate was one of them. His family’s mansions in SF still survive but this country estate does not.

    • @ThisHouse
      @ThisHouse  Před 7 měsíci +4

      Please see the pinned comment. Menlo Park is in the San Francisco Bay Area.

    • @nevada531
      @nevada531 Před 7 měsíci +20

      @ThisHouse
      Yes of course it’s in the San Francisco Bay Area but the narration said it was in “modern day San Francisco” not the San Francisco Bay Area. The geographical difference is important to understand for viewers.

    • @missymoonwillow6545
      @missymoonwillow6545 Před 7 měsíci

      The same Market Street that has businesses closing all down the road? Sad to take in the rise in homelessness, glad I escaped California's soul trap. Bunch of liars and child pervs all over the place around there. Not safe for families to raise children anymore. This youtube video is promoting a narrative totally based in lies.

  • @donnamuller6460
    @donnamuller6460 Před 7 měsíci +8

    Two days ago was our 33rd anniversary of moving into the oldest house in our county in Eastern PA with our six young children. The house is from the late 1600’s, so it always upsets me to learn of an old home’s demise. We learned how to restore and taught the kids. We lost 2 of our children, but the remaining 4 all live in very old homes today and make all their own repairs.

  • @Emily_Paris
    @Emily_Paris Před 7 měsíci +72

    This is a sad story. A beautiful and elegant mansion buried. All the rooms shown are so decorative. It’s a shame there weren’t more heirs to keep the mansion. Thank you Ken for telling their story and showing this magnificent mansion. I live in California and didn’t know about this mansion that once was.

  • @robertherzbrun
    @robertherzbrun Před 7 měsíci +15

    My Grandfather was James Junior Driver till he died. My dad grew up on the estate and lived in the gate house.

  • @bellthandian
    @bellthandian Před 7 měsíci +25

    You can see Mary's bedroom set at 5:44 now on display in the double bedroom of Heidelberg Hall in PA. It's estimated that Flood spend over $78,000 in 1879 for this bedroom suite. It was thought lost for the last 85 years until recently discovered in 2022.

  • @Norsean
    @Norsean Před 7 měsíci +82

    Why would anyone destroy this masterpiece intentionally ☹️

    • @mileshigh1321
      @mileshigh1321 Před 7 měsíci +4

      The one word that seems to have been the demise of many amazing houses..."Developers" Money wins over everything it seems!

    • @SpiritGirlSF
      @SpiritGirlSF Před 7 měsíci +10

      You'd be appalled at all the beautiful old buildings that have been demolished in the US. All for the almighty dollar.

    • @KCKingdomCreateGreatTrekAgain
      @KCKingdomCreateGreatTrekAgain Před 7 měsíci +10

      @@SpiritGirlSF Some call it progress. Even sticking it to the rich. I call it destruction of fine art any bit as good as the Mona Lisa or Blue Boy. Or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The people who destroyed it couldn’t have made something that grand and hardly ANYONE today could come close.

    • @KCKingdomCreateGreatTrekAgain
      @KCKingdomCreateGreatTrekAgain Před 7 měsíci +5

      @@mileshigh1321 And this was destroyed in 36 art deco and modernism were the big trend in architecture then. So the houses the built on top of the rubble of the beautiful mansion were ugly as h€££!!!

    • @markmiller3053
      @markmiller3053 Před 7 měsíci

      Jealous

  • @williamtyre523
    @williamtyre523 Před 7 měsíci +113

    A stunning house for sure. But I think many of the houses you feature should be called follys. An extraordinary expense for a house that is used little by its owners and doesn't last long before being demolished. I feel badly for the talented craftsmen who toil on these projects, only to have their exceptional handiwork destroyed, and bulldozed into the ground.

    • @kevinshephard8279
      @kevinshephard8279 Před 7 měsíci +6

      These and many other houses are old world buildings, including the Palace of fine arts... They inherited these buildings and it is a known fact that these buildings have been here for a couple of hundred years.. this is the reason why they felt no connection to the house and didn't mind the contents being auctioned off ..did you hear him say that the furniture was several hundred years old.. who is an avid collector of fine arts and then walks away from it.. there was a certain energy and spirit in that house that did not sit well with the inheritors ..and that's why they only used it for parties and rarely live in it ,yet they built their own house in knob hill and lived there.! If they told you the truth about these palaces it would be more questions than answers and they will have to rewrite history.. we had no Craftsman here that can do that type of building and work..no sir, that's why they rarely tell you who was the building company that built these old world houses!😊

    • @manuelaguirre1062
      @manuelaguirre1062 Před 7 měsíci

      ​@@kevinshephard8279 Tartarian empire ?

    • @kevinshephard8279
      @kevinshephard8279 Před 7 měsíci +3

      @@manuelaguirre1062 I wouldn't necessarily say that we don't know what type of political structure was here ., But it was some type of political order.. and definitely buildings and cities were here.. and the timeline was was definitely changed and our industrial revolution was ushered in by inventions that were reverse engineered!! Come on, the Parthenon and Greek and Roman buildings in America. Castles and Palaces everywhere..! They don't teach that in our history!

    • @manuelaguirre1062
      @manuelaguirre1062 Před 7 měsíci +2

      @@kevinshephard8279 I agree. Lots of history they teach us is wrong.

    • @danielkoher1944
      @danielkoher1944 Před 7 měsíci +1

      Also, imagine how little immigrant wages were just as today.
      Treated just as lowly until this very day.
      Pitiful.

  • @estherstephens1858
    @estherstephens1858 Před 7 měsíci +39

    I’m sure the builders, owners and those who inherited these types of beautiful homes NEVER thought in their wildest dreams they would have been destroyed. What I also find sad is Flood’s daughter, who inherited the mansion donated it yet they were able to sell of the furnishings, etc. I wish the daughter would have done that so she could leave the wealth to future generations.

  • @whigparty6180
    @whigparty6180 Před 7 měsíci +23

    What a crying shame that they didn't appreciate all that gorgeous craftsmanship. 😢

  • @jammasterjay4298
    @jammasterjay4298 Před 7 měsíci +24

    Such a shame we keep tearing apart our historical past!!!!

  • @rzella8022
    @rzella8022 Před 7 měsíci +9

    Just a horrific shame. Just incredibly sad the people didn't appreciate what they had-- such breathtaking beauty, we can't even build today. Today's buildings are brutal and plain, no one would travel to visit.

  • @Boingy
    @Boingy Před 7 měsíci +25

    What I find unforunate is that the mansion was sold after it was donated. Granted a place like this would have very high maintenance costs however it is still a shame.

  • @jamesheath5825
    @jamesheath5825 Před 7 měsíci +45

    I was a carpenter for over 30 years and some of the buildings that were built back then amazes me most were built with hand tools that's talent FJB

    • @tjbooker8585
      @tjbooker8585 Před 7 měsíci +4

      Love the FJB ending 😂

    • @unknownsender6852
      @unknownsender6852 Před 7 měsíci +5

      Tartaria

    • @thelogicaldanger
      @thelogicaldanger Před 7 měsíci +1

      @@unknownsender6852 That was my first thought. The story we are told about an extraordinary house like this makes zero sense.

    • @user-eb5cb6ud1p
      @user-eb5cb6ud1p Před 2 měsíci

      @@thelogicaldanger If you knew ANYTHING about craftsmanship you'd understand how ordinary but very talented humans could create those buildings. People took their time and were proud of their creations, instead of having some suit in a corner office telling them to get it done yesterday ... oh and come in 10% under budget.
      The TartarSauce conspiracy's been debunked as a 19th century Russian fable. Full stop.

  • @AlAllerton
    @AlAllerton Před 7 měsíci +10

    I couldn't imagine just paying the heating and electric bill in a place so large. They must've had a huge staff just for the daily upkeep of the house and grounds. The place is so big there's probably rooms he never entered but maybe once or twice. Guaranteed even the rafters and wall studs were of wood of such high quality, (likely clear straight grained redwood), it'd be difficult to find such a grade of wood today. The trim alone throughout the entire house would cost millions in today's dollars to replicate, not to mention the stonework, and it's all smashed underground now.

  • @jameskerherve7487
    @jameskerherve7487 Před 7 měsíci +11

    This makes me sick just thinking about the loss of fine artistry, materials and craftsmanship destroyed by developers of the time. Little did anyone know of the immense wealth coming to the area which could have preserved this gigantic mansion in the future. I have passed the gates to this property on Middlefield Road in Menlo Park many times never understanding the history behind them. Thank you for the great work.

  • @cassandraralph5906
    @cassandraralph5906 Před 7 měsíci +5

    I was left absolutely gobsmacked by the sheer size of this particular mansion 😮!!! Thank you again for yet another great video!

  • @kimberlypeterson4883
    @kimberlypeterson4883 Před 7 měsíci +7

    That is absolutly so sad & disgusting!! What a beautiful estate it was!! Now only to be like everything else just a boring building with no character. What a time it would have been to be alive then to see some of these beautiful & unforgetting treasures..

  • @janemckee4922
    @janemckee4922 Před 7 měsíci +9

    How sad to lose these beautiful, one if a kind places.

  • @skymuffn
    @skymuffn Před 7 měsíci +6

    …the only reminder of this great estate are the grand entry gates on James Ave and Linden Ave which is on Middlefield Rd. It is now used to enter the Lindenwood area of Atherton. I grew up a few houses down from the Linden gate.

  • @georgespalding7640
    @georgespalding7640 Před 7 měsíci +17

    Yeah it's kind of sad really. Seems like they could have used this house for some sort of Museum or something because the house itself was a work of art. Hundreds of thousands of man hours by master carpenters and artesians and all that beautiful wood and chandeliers that were used throughout the house. I can't stand seeing art destroyed.

  • @Steven-wm9vu
    @Steven-wm9vu Před 7 měsíci +14

    Is it that time of the week already!? Thanks, Ken. I like these 7-8 minute ones. Feels like a sweet spot.

  • @SpanishEclectic
    @SpanishEclectic Před 7 měsíci +10

    Library, library, library! But all of the rooms seem stately, without being over done with layers of decorating. The hand painted ceilings are wonderful. It would have been a huge cost to restore. Mind-boggling, actually. Weird that the son (or was it grandson?) bought it back. The Gold Rush, and the large harbor in San Francisco allowed California to leap-frog over other western territories into statehood. Southern California (including Los Angeles and San Diego) remained 'sleepy' and small, depending on coach routes through the desert, or long sea voyages around the tip of South America. As with many other places in the country, the railroad line connecting to the east (1876) made a huge difference in growth. The Panama Canal, completed in 1914 (there were huge celebratory Expos in San Diego and San Francisco...my great-uncle attended this one; I have the original brochure) changed everything. Thanks for visiting us out here. :)

  • @cw5451
    @cw5451 Před měsícem +2

    Mr. Flood’s humble beginnings and quest to become wealthy is very interesting. Good for him for fulfilling his dreams!

  • @legiontheatregroup
    @legiontheatregroup Před 7 měsíci +9

    What a gorgeous house - I love the design. To each his own I guess, I noticed the comment right before mine called it ‘hideous’ (??) Your narration was fabulous - so intriguing that the fragments of it lay buried. Just like the Victorian statues of dinosaurs that supposedly lay buried in Central Park (NYC).

  • @randyboglisch137
    @randyboglisch137 Před 7 měsíci +8

    What an incredibly fantastic house...how unfortunate no one wanted it. Thanks again for bringing these wonderful places to our attention

  • @marlatodd1399
    @marlatodd1399 Před 7 měsíci +3

    The dining room cabinets from the Flood house is now in the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. It is spectacular!

  • @Texasred63
    @Texasred63 Před 7 měsíci +5

    Thank your sharing this, I never knew he had this home only know of his home on California Street in the Nob Hill area of San Francisco.

  • @The_Smith
    @The_Smith Před 7 měsíci +15

    Great narrative Ken! was like listening to an audio book! Makes me wonder, in a 1000 years what some archeologist is going to make of the buried floors . . .

  • @donneesf
    @donneesf Před 7 měsíci +3

    I never knew of this house....and I'm a native San Franciscan. And I even have known the Flood Mausoleum at Cypress Lawn, since I was 16....I'm almost 70 now. We are all familiar with the old Flood mansion (Pacific Union Club) that survived the '06 earthquake and fire, due ti it's stone construction. There are many Flood descendants still living.

    • @POGGIOALSERE
      @POGGIOALSERE Před 7 měsíci

      Hi there, as a San Franciscan, you did not know if this particular mansion because this mansion was in Menlo park about 30 miles south from San Francisco,where I grew up. It would be interesting to see if any of the construction companies that build those beautiful houses in Lindenwood came across any archaeological evidence of the mansion.

  • @justinwright7469
    @justinwright7469 Před 7 měsíci +7

    I do hate how often in the U.S. the need and want to preserve these mansions was overshadowed by making money, thereby them getting torn down.

    • @missymoonwillow6545
      @missymoonwillow6545 Před 7 měsíci

      Gotta wipe out the previous civilization, to prevent people from asking the right questions. Where is the construction photos or blueprints for ANY of these grand structures from this previous civilization? Melted brick phenomenon as well, especially all around Napa Valley. We're lied to about our history, especially California's history. LOL. They fail to mention the mosquito people blessing tribes with long life outside of San Francisco, life sapping shaman's kidnapping young women, teaching them how to eat souls. Queen Calif and her griffins, so much ancient history out of California alone, just completely ignored. The first shaman is said to be responsible for the creation of grand structures and buildings throughout this continent. Maybe if we cared enough to piece together the facts as our ancestors share them, then we'd not feel the need to continue to write narratives about history according to what we believe today. No one knows how to speak with the ancestors here. Shame. Narrow view without them.

  • @rosemaryedwards7239
    @rosemaryedwards7239 Před 7 měsíci +2

    I especially loved the fireplace between 2 windows in marys room! 😃 ❤️

  • @valh4196
    @valh4196 Před 7 měsíci +23

    What a waste of amazing artistry ☹

    • @JayYoung-ro3vu
      @JayYoung-ro3vu Před 7 měsíci +4

      "Progress."🤔

    • @valh4196
      @valh4196 Před 7 měsíci

      @@JayYoung-ro3vu There's never been real "progress". In thousands of years we haven't learned to be nice to each other, and we still have to wipe our @$$ after we $#!t.

  • @deeceepnw
    @deeceepnw Před 7 měsíci +5

    Love the dome ceiling. Thanks Ken! Love hearing the history of these houses/homes.

  • @donkirk8789
    @donkirk8789 Před 7 měsíci +7

    You could show what that location looks like today!

    • @ThisHouse
      @ThisHouse  Před 7 měsíci +9

      If you look it up on maps, it's just a large neighborhood. The original entrance to the estate was at Middlefield Rd and Linden Ave in Menlo Park, CA. Though, the gate is not the original, it is in the same spot. Flood Circle is roughly where the mansion sat.

  • @odinandsalem
    @odinandsalem Před 7 měsíci +5

    What a shame. Those ceilings in every room were amazing

  • @jonrussell1690
    @jonrussell1690 Před 7 měsíci +3

    Beautiful!!! It’s a shame that it was destroyed. The interior was amazing.

  • @jarkolimbo9268
    @jarkolimbo9268 Před 7 měsíci +6

    well, at least we have a few pictures.....what a waste, though. Great Video! thanks for sharing.

  • @crystalnewman4238
    @crystalnewman4238 Před 7 měsíci +4

    I liked. Mrs. Floods. Bedroom. With the. Fireplace

  • @Klaus_Heindendorfer
    @Klaus_Heindendorfer Před 7 měsíci +4

    As always, excellent video. Thank you for your tireless effort in bringing the story of this fine home to your viewers.

  • @Jean-sv6kk
    @Jean-sv6kk Před 7 měsíci +2

    Ken, love your narrating...you make us glide thru the house, seeing all the details. Thanks!!!

  • @LawrenceMartinez-fb1tt
    @LawrenceMartinez-fb1tt Před 7 měsíci +9

    The Nob Hill home once had a full time employee whose job it was to polish the ornate copper fence. Great video but it saddens me that one man had so much when so many people had so little in those days.

    • @bonniea8189
      @bonniea8189 Před 7 měsíci +5

      Unfortunately it was very common in this period, the Gilded Age. There was massive resource/wealth extraction and no income tax in the US

    • @serenitypeaceandcomfort3669
      @serenitypeaceandcomfort3669 Před 7 měsíci

      Most of these men started as people who had so little. They were willing to put the hard work, effort and sweat to prosper. Nobody handed anything to them. How wonderful that they created something so beautiful, giving employment to hundreds of people.

    • @bonniea8189
      @bonniea8189 Před 7 měsíci +2

      @@serenitypeaceandcomfort3669 Nobody handed them anything? The US government _literally_ gave western land that once belonged to indigenous people to any US citizen who could afford the filing fee. 270 million acres were distributed (in 160 acre parcels) to Americans between 1862 and 1988 under the Homestead Act.

    • @serenitypeaceandcomfort3669
      @serenitypeaceandcomfort3669 Před 7 měsíci

      @@bonniea8189 And they had to venture out in wagons, with little food, little water in all kinds of weather and storm and build a life out of nothing. No police. No firemen. No blacksmiths, no veterinarians, no stores, no hospitals. Nothing to protect themselves except a rifle. No schools or teachers. No place to worship. No GPS and no roads to travel on. Yet they persevered and endured and built up the country that YOU benefit off of. Many didn't have have the tenacity and the grit it took. Many just didn't survive. And you think that's not a big deal, huh? You think that's not worthy of admiration? Good grief. Where were you when they were handing out the critical thinking skills?

  • @StamperWendy
    @StamperWendy Před 7 měsíci +1

    Thanks for taking us on this adventure along the property! You're an ace!

  • @honestmom1958
    @honestmom1958 Před 7 měsíci +1

    What an interesting, historical story. I'm thankful for photos were taken of this amazing home and it breaks my heart that it was imploded and buried

  • @mikenixon2401
    @mikenixon2401 Před 7 měsíci +3

    It always amazes me what stddenly is lost in value and interest until it is too late for following generations to appreciate.

  • @cappcy
    @cappcy Před 7 měsíci +4

    I’ve bought and sold Mary’s bedset and a 12ft tall dining room cabinet. Incredible pieces made by a New York firm, Pottier & Stymus.
    @Alexander’s Vault Antiques.

  • @KCKingdomCreateGreatTrekAgain
    @KCKingdomCreateGreatTrekAgain Před 7 měsíci +3

    I wonder if you have a video on the Julius Loewenberg house that was tragically demolished in the 60’s I believe???? It was in Portland. I would love to find more about it, ever since I first saw it, and especially would love to see full floor plans. It was a beautiful house.

  • @anteeker
    @anteeker Před 7 měsíci +3

    I believe a lot of the furnishings were sold to Hollywood studios to be used as props in movies. Herter Brothers supplied much of the furniture for this house, and I have seen some of the pieces in various movies over the years. The movie "Pollyanna" and one of the Sherlock Holmes movies in particular. One thing I did notice about this house was that there were very few paintings on the walls of the public rooms. Usually at this time, the very rich covered their walls completely with works of art to show off their apparent taste and worldliness (and money). These walls seemed kind of bare.

  • @JosephStJames2000
    @JosephStJames2000 Před 7 měsíci +1

    Your writing is evocative of the time. Excellent.

  • @andrewbrendan1579
    @andrewbrendan1579 Před 7 měsíci +5

    I may be thinking of another house, but I was thinking the Flood mansion was once owned and used by a Catholic religious order. Whoever all the owners were, what a loss. The destruction of the house is especially sad though I'm glad the owner was able to have some parts removed and saved.

    • @michaelcoffey3165
      @michaelcoffey3165 Před 7 měsíci +1

      That was another house. I went to high school in atherton , and Lindenwood, the sight of the Flood mansion, was on one side of the high school, and the priory was in another mansion on the other side of Menlo-Atherton High School. M-A for those of us who graduated from there

    • @christophersharron6967
      @christophersharron6967 Před 6 měsíci

      Most likely you are mentioning one of the buildings in the Vallombrosa Center off Oak Grove, originally built by one of the heirs of Mark Hopkins, not Flood.

  • @HBHArtLife
    @HBHArtLife Před 7 měsíci +2

    Daaang, that was a stunning estate. Some of the styling details remind me a little bit of Hawaii's Royal Palace.

  • @lauriekeikkala9937
    @lauriekeikkala9937 Před 7 měsíci +1

    Wow! What a story!!
    Thank you!

  • @WildWest144
    @WildWest144 Před 7 měsíci +2

    Wow! How shameful is it that modern day people couldn't find a better use for this unique, one of a kind home. I can only imagine how much blood, sweat and tears went into producing it. It just seems like someone could have come up with a way to preserve the home.

  • @cumberlandite7953
    @cumberlandite7953 Před 7 měsíci +2

    Thanks! I absolutely adore you and your videos. Thank you so much for existing ❤

  • @tarareads23
    @tarareads23 Před 7 měsíci +1

    This is fascinating and crazy. Imploded the house and built over it. It boggles the mind.

  • @denisestinnett4414
    @denisestinnett4414 Před 7 měsíci +3

    So many efforts of artisans swept away. What about all the workers that actually “built” the places. 💕

  • @DaveTexas
    @DaveTexas Před 7 měsíci +2

    Man, if I lived on Flood Cir., I’d be doing my own archeological excavation in my backyard! Imagine finding a marble floor or foundations under your yard…
    Of course, those houses there are probably worth $6-$7 million each, so I doubt I’ll ever live there.

  • @calendarpage
    @calendarpage Před 7 měsíci +4

    Well, that has to be one of the weirdest house stories I've ever heard. For some reason, it seems to be one thing to tear it down, and another to bury it under new development. Thinking in terms of earthquakes and building stability, I wonder if we'd do the same today? As I've said, we can't keep everything forever, but I'm sure those who enjoyed these houses never thought they'd be destroyed, buried, or turned into apartments.

    • @365kps2
      @365kps2 Před 7 měsíci

      They say the first generation makes the money, the second generation spends the money and the third generation destroys it.

  • @chesterthawkins7510
    @chesterthawkins7510 Před 7 měsíci

    Luxury beyond belief! Love your narration.

  • @tamieckert4548
    @tamieckert4548 Před 7 měsíci +3

    They didn’t have to pick on the big beautiful pieces of grandiosity, they could’ve kept up by becoming different things like museums,divided into stores. Colleges, etc... and could even been divided into becoming small apartments,that still had flair.But the financiers had to have the places inspected, and money would have to be allowed for loans and very much so.

  • @celenabarton
    @celenabarton Před 2 měsíci

    Wow. The immense waste. 😲... Anyway, what I really wanted to comment on, though, is how much I appreciate how you (the creator) walk us through these still photos. Mentioning the smells, the textures, shapes, materials, etc., really help build a beautiful picture. Thank you so much for sharing with us. I'm quite glad I stumbled upon your channel today. 👍🌸

  • @cathyhopf6532
    @cathyhopf6532 Před 7 měsíci +1

    you beautifully explained this estate

  • @BarbaraKelley347
    @BarbaraKelley347 Před 7 měsíci +5

    What a shame to tear this down!

  • @tiakennedy1681
    @tiakennedy1681 Před 7 měsíci +3

    Thank you 🙏

  • @wellallrightthen
    @wellallrightthen Před 7 měsíci

    Interesting video-along with great photos.
    You might want to consider looking into some VO coaching

  • @lostoffgrid8927
    @lostoffgrid8927 Před 7 měsíci +1

    Wow, such a shame that people of that era were not inclined to find a way to re-purpose and save this amazing building. I grew up in the bay area and never knew about this incredible place.

  • @mgithaiga1
    @mgithaiga1 Před 7 měsíci +1

    Beautiful house I liked the living and bedroom

  • @deniseconsultant1538
    @deniseconsultant1538 Před 7 měsíci +1

    Wow. I’m am from this area and never knew this

  • @KCCardCo
    @KCCardCo Před 7 měsíci +1

    In 1000 years will be remembered for not what we have built but for what we have destroyed.

  • @jenpink4298
    @jenpink4298 Před 7 měsíci +1

    This was so interesting! Thank you for putting this together, I really enjoyed it! The house was magnificent, it’s a shame to think that it was turned into infill. I wish we could see inside the Nob Hill house!

    • @SymphonyBrahms
      @SymphonyBrahms Před 5 měsíci

      The interior of the Nob Hill house was gutted by the earthquake and fire of 1906. The house was sold to a wealthy private men's club, the Pacific Union Club, and they rebuilt the interior. It is a private club and the public isn't allowed to enter the building.

  • @frankmenchaca9993
    @frankmenchaca9993 Před 7 měsíci

    Your videos are very informative and interesting. I would see them colorized. I think it would add to the experience of the viewer

  • @Karen-dk1ec
    @Karen-dk1ec Před 7 měsíci +1

    I am a Calif native, and have lived in SF and the South Bay for 24 yrs of my life; and I have never heard of this mansion. What a crime to have destroyed this magnificent piece of architecture, art /and furnishing. It's like his achievement was erased by the construction of apt. bldgs, etc. It's so sad. I don't think the narrator stated the year it was built over. I wonder why the house was not bought by the State of Calif that could have stab. it as a historical landmark; and today there 67could have been public tours.

  • @user-jb5fz1se9r
    @user-jb5fz1se9r Před 7 měsíci

    The dining room fireplace mantle with its enormous mirror, plus the dining room sideboard with its own massive mirror are on permanent display at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, CA where I am a docent. I was thrilled to see this video, which fills in a lot of questions I had about the origin of these pieces. I'm sharing the link with the rest of our docent pool, and look forward to our conversations from it. Thanks!

    • @aspensulphate
      @aspensulphate Před 7 měsíci

      That's really decent that you're a docent.

  • @1charlastar886
    @1charlastar886 Před 7 měsíci +3

    This was a Tartarian mansion from the previous civilization cycle, not one of those 'Hummer houses' built in a year like so many of the giant buildings from the past were allegedly said to have been constructed and appeared almost by magic.

    • @hamsterdiving7593
      @hamsterdiving7593 Před 7 měsíci +3

      Yeah, I was thinking of the same thing...
      WYKYK... 😎

    • @yaimavol
      @yaimavol Před 7 měsíci +4

      Finally someone who understands what this building was. All the buildings in the SF World's Fair were the same and they tore all those magnificent structures down too.

    • @1charlastar886
      @1charlastar886 Před 7 měsíci +2

      @@yaimavol There has been a systematic destruction of 'old world' Tartarian buildings and infrastructure. All those world's fair events were planned to destroy large swaths of old buildings and old, or not so old, history.

    • @yaimavol
      @yaimavol Před 7 měsíci +2

      @@1charlastar886 In every case they left just one building behind. It's hard to figure out what really happened. Where did that civilization go? It's like they just vanished and left entire cities empty behind them.

    • @1charlastar886
      @1charlastar886 Před 7 měsíci +2

      @@yaimavol Mental institutions popped up big in the late 1800s. One Tartarian content creator talked about his great granddad who was apparently an upstanding but curious citizen who attended several worlds fairs with his wife. When she died, all 5 of their children were taken away and he was institutionalized. Later, adult children, the poster's great aunt, said she had no idea why. Look for the videos about the orphan trains. Masses of children and no parents. What happened?

  • @gideonros2705
    @gideonros2705 Před 7 měsíci +3

    It really says a lot about US culture

  • @DaleRussell2
    @DaleRussell2 Před 7 měsíci +1

    How tragic that it was destroyed. Inconceivable! 🙁

  • @skpjoecoursegold366
    @skpjoecoursegold366 Před 7 měsíci

    what a Grand House, wow.

  • @mikb277
    @mikb277 Před 7 měsíci +1

    I just recently toured The Biltmore mansion, and hearing this one was just leveled and turned into dust is really sad to think about.

  • @johnhart125
    @johnhart125 Před 7 měsíci

    Music room and library were something. Dining room would have been special to see

  • @dadsafrantic
    @dadsafrantic Před měsícem

    My family’s house was the one just south from linden. It was called homewood. Now it’s menlo-atherton high school. The folger estate is in woodside. It has a 140 foot living room.

  • @finurra3905
    @finurra3905 Před 3 měsíci +1

    wow I always wondered about the mansion across the street from the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill! I think it's part of a society now but I knew it had an interesting history. It's still there but not really sure what they use it for. So fascinating and so sad that they knocked it down.

    • @PatriciaVanAsperen
      @PatriciaVanAsperen Před 2 měsíci

      Made from stone it was the only Mansion to survive the fire up there on Knob hill in 1906 … but the interior was completely gutted . Was renovated and became an exclusive private club . There is another fabulous Flood Building at Market and Powell ( where the cable cars turn ) built by Flood’s son only two years before the Great Quake it also did not burn and miraculously did not fall down either as many brick and stone buildings did . Most of the structures lost after the earthquake were burned ( many intentionally ) or dynamited in an attempt to stop the firestorm when they were unable to put out the many fires .

  • @brandbryce
    @brandbryce Před 7 měsíci +3

    what an interesting story :-)

  • @cindystrachan8566
    @cindystrachan8566 Před 7 měsíci +1

    Love the videos of these grand homes. And all I can say is I am so thankful that I don’t own one. They must be hellish to dust!

  • @rebeccablakey2637
    @rebeccablakey2637 Před 7 měsíci

    This home was absolutely beautiful. So elegant and lavish . Homes aren't constructed like this anymore. Such a sad ending for this beautiful home . The work and detail is lost to time because of ignorance.

  • @ozzielinkin
    @ozzielinkin Před 7 měsíci +1

    Great video

  • @SpiritGirlSF
    @SpiritGirlSF Před 7 měsíci +1

    Am in SF, its strange history is fascinating. However I have to point out that Menlo Park is a city separate from San Francisco, in fact its about 30 miles or an hour away from SF. Their Nob Hill home is a couple blocks from my home, became a private Men only club for the elites that allowed women to join a few years later. I hadn't heard of their Menlo Park mansion and since the title reads San Francisco I was hoping to be able to walk to the site but not all the way to Menlo Park!

    • @ThisHouse
      @ThisHouse  Před 7 měsíci

      Please see the pinned comment. Menlo Park is in the San Francisco Bay Area.

    • @SpiritGirlSF
      @SpiritGirlSF Před 7 měsíci

      That's all good. A lot of folks aren't aware that the SF Bay Area isn't just one city, it's many smaller cities that a each governed separately. No need to quibble about it, it is what it is and the former mansion is not in the city proper so is not beneath my feet. I see someone else appreciated your additional pinned comment, where I see someone else has corrected you even more than myself. Thank you for understanding that some of us are real stickers for the truth. Can the titles of videos not be altered without having to reupload?

  • @rodgerjeffries6622
    @rodgerjeffries6622 Před 7 měsíci

    Amazing House 😃

  • @2ndavenuesw481
    @2ndavenuesw481 Před 18 dny

    Wow, I'd looked for this one for a long time, it was in a 1930s collection of Harpers Weekly illustrations, it always seemed to be the most magnificent palace to ever be built in the United States, but there is not much of it in evidence today, or more people would talk about it!

  • @reneebarger5194
    @reneebarger5194 Před 7 měsíci +1

    And people call Sara Winchester “crazy” for her home just over in Santa Clara! The Hearst family had “modest”;homes in the area too.

  • @IndustrialhHemprocks
    @IndustrialhHemprocks Před 7 měsíci

    Wow I pass by it a lot that’s awesome to know

  • @sherirunnels545
    @sherirunnels545 Před 7 měsíci +5

    Very interesting. I appreciate the artistry, but can certainly understand why the Floods didn't stay there much. It didn't strike me as a comfortable home, but more of a statement of wealth and power. Built on insider trading 😮, no less. Is the Nob Hill house still standing? Thanks for another very enjoyable stroll through history. I liked the grounds surrounding the property. If I had to choose I would take the gatehouse as my abode 😅😅

    • @ThisHouse
      @ThisHouse  Před 7 měsíci +6

      Glad you enjoyed this video! The Flood's Nob Hill house is still standing, though it's original interior was lost following the 1906 earthquake.

    • @churchofpos2279
      @churchofpos2279 Před 7 měsíci +5

      @@ThisHouse It's an event center now. My cousin was married there.

    • @pwp8737
      @pwp8737 Před 7 měsíci +5

      The Nob Hill house is now the Union Pacific Club, located between Grace Cathedral and the Fairmont Hotel. It is a private men's club. If you take the California street cable car, it passes in front of the building.

    • @SymphonyBrahms
      @SymphonyBrahms Před 5 měsíci

      @@churchofpos2279 It's not an event center. It's a private wealthy men's club. And the public is not allowed to enter it.

  • @Jaslon73Jaslon
    @Jaslon73Jaslon Před 7 měsíci

    Love the bedrooms!

  • @Gryphonisle
    @Gryphonisle Před 7 měsíci +1

    While San Francisco was cut in half to it’s present size in 1851, Merlo Park is not and never was a part of SF.
    Wealthy San Franciscans have always had multiple homes, a city version for business and cultural events and a larger palace down the peninsula, away from the crowds and summer fog. By the time of the 1906 quake, the Floods had swapped their Nob Hill brownstone (shown) for a larger pacific heights version (used in the garden party scene in “Bullitt”). Only the outer walls of the Nob Hill brownstone survives as the Pacific Union club.
    Oddly enough, The Floods still own the Flood bldg on the Powell cable car terminal.

    • @ThisHouse
      @ThisHouse  Před 7 měsíci

      Please see the pinned comment. Menlo Park is in the San Francisco Bay Area.

    • @Gryphonisle
      @Gryphonisle Před 7 měsíci

      The video says “modern San Francisco” not Bay Area.

  • @colleencunningham4762
    @colleencunningham4762 Před 7 měsíci

    OMG extravagant!!!

  • @hummersd
    @hummersd Před 7 měsíci

    What buildings are currently on top of the original mansion in Menlo Park? Are there any plans on excavating?

  • @hollywoodharriet13
    @hollywoodharriet13 Před 6 měsíci

    No wonder I have not heard about James Flood or this elaborate home. However, if the house at 6:18 was his Nob Hill home I did see that beautiful house when back in the day I was fortunate to stay four days at The Fairmont Hotel across the street! Didn't William Randolph Hearst's father have something to do with the Comstock Lode too? Enjoyed this video.

  • @AndreaMartinez-qu1be
    @AndreaMartinez-qu1be Před 7 měsíci +1

    Imploded? That was just stupid was what came out of my mouth without thought.
    That home was a masterpiece.