Meek Mansion and Carriage House

About this property

The Meek Mansion is a historic mansion in unincorporated Cherryland, California, just north of Hayward. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located on nearly 10 acres, the Victorian house was built in 1869 by William Meek. William Meek came to the West Coast in 1847, carrying seeds and grafted trees, via the Oregon Trail. He first settled in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and he moved, in 1859, to Alameda County, where he spent the rest of his life. By the time his mansion was built, Meek owned everything from Mission Boulevard to Hesperian Boulevard, and from Lewelling Boulevard to slightly past Winton Avenue, totaling around 3,000 acres (12 km2). The grounds were primarily filled with cherry, apricot, plum, and almond trees, and red currant bushes. The area became known as Cherryland because of the abundance of cherry trees Meek planted. Meek became a prominent citizen during the remainder of his life, including being a trustee of Mills College and a County Supervisor for Alameda County. After his death in 1880, at the age of 63, Meek left his estate to his children, and the last ten acres remained in the Meek family until 1940. The Milton Ream family bought the last 10 acres of the original 3,000 in 1964. In 1964 the home was purchased for $270,000 by the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD). In 1965, the home was opened to the public and was used for weddings, tours, workshops, and even plays re-creating local history. The mansion became a California Point of Historical Interest in 1972 and placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1973. However, the mansion was closed in 1982 due to wear and tear because of overuse. In 1991, HARD began to work with the Hayward Area Historical Society (HAHS) to upgrade and reopen the home. Between 1964 and 2004, HARD spent $1.9 million in restoring the mansion, its carriage house, and grounds. After decades of review, in 2004 HARD agreed upon a deal to lease the mansion and its accompanying carriage house to the historical society for 25 years. HARD would continue to manage the accompanying acreage of park land surrounding the mansion and would continue to be consulted by the historical society with respect to planning and completing renovations. As of 2009, HAHS was reported to have spent about $600,000 in restorations, some of which involved upgrading the heating and plumbing systems. Completion of the restoration work will require an estimated $1 million to $1.5 million. Once renovations are completed, the historical society plans on opening the mansion as a house museum where people may take paid tours focusing on the different historical eras the house has gone through.

Location

Categories

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

More in Alameda County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Alameda County.

More historic places in California

Browse all historic places in California.

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

California history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.