What happened to the Borax King's Bay Area Mansion?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 มิ.ย. 2024
- Discover the opulent estate of Francis Marion Smith, the "Borax King," in our latest episode of This House. Explore Arbor Villa, a magnificent 42-room mansion in Oakland, California, known for its stunning architecture and elaborate grounds. Journey with us through Smith's rise to success, the intriguing history of borax mining, and the incredible features of his grand estate, including an observation tower, hot house, and more.
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Location: Oakland, CA
Public Domain Photos from: Library of Congress
CC BY-SA 3.0Photos from: Wikipedia User: Rock Currier, Royalbroil
Assets from: Envato Elements
Music from Epidemic Sound
So sad that these palatial mansions get destroyed. They were a part of history. Thanks for doing this channel. 👍
Just like England after WWI No one hardly could afford these in this case American Castles. How sad!
These were made to show everyone how wealthy someone was. After they were gone, they were redundant.
I lived in the bay area for years and never knew about this mansion..It was a beauitful Victorian home..and the the origins of the Borax company.. Thank you for histroy lesson. The craftsmanship was beyond words.
That mansion was so gorgeous inside. I wish it was still standing and decorated with all of its original furnishings.
Those statues holding the lights are elegant beyond belief,the painted ceilings are so detailed,and I could spend a whole day looking at them ❤
So that's the story of Borax. Very interesting.
Wonderful video like always ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Having a Minstrel Gallery in my house is a new goal.
This beautiful mansion would have made very sumptuous apartments for wealthy people who were newly divorced, or growing older. It could have been a still exclusive address, and lodging, while providing a smaller abode, and budget. So very sad to lose it...
Thanks Ken. Appreciate this channel so much. The past has always fascinated me!
Your channel makes me want to time travel!
[ wonder how much of the house they were able to salvage.
It was definitely a magnificent house with beautiful grounds.
Back then it appears that many very wealthy people didn't have children, and it doesn't seem to have been by choice.
I will never look at Borax Detergent Booster the same after learning it's history.
Thank you, Ken.
I was a regular viewer of "Death Valley Days." Now I know the origin of Borax. Great house tour and story, Ken. Sounds like the Smiths took care of their employees and were genuine people. So, don't hold filthy rich against them. I like the spread out property. Now, I need to see some television reruns.
Both the grounds and the mansion are fabulous and so beautiful. I love the tower to look out over the bay and the greenhouse. What a wonderful place and how sad it was lost to the wrecking ball. Thanks for another interesting video.
It was a lovely home. Too bad it had to be destroyed.
Absolutely a magnificent house and garden..I cannot believe that it couldn't be saved...such a terrible shame..thanks again for your research
It was made to show wealth and power. When the owners were gone, so was it's purpose.
I love the grounds, the hot house/ conservatory, and the music room.
Every time I watch one of your wonderful videos, I hold my breath til the end…nervously anticipating whether or not the house was kept up, or destroyed. Again, I’m saddened to my core at the realization this spectacular home is no more. 😢
Since I've been studying Victorian interior design since I was young, I can most assuredly say, Ok. and Typical.
Mr "Borax" , you can tell by his design choices, wasn't "pretending". The entire house feels "normal"-utilizing the design elements of the day in a conventional manner. Unlike the Vanderbilt family, in whose houses you can clearly see they were projecting a statement - "We've been around for generations". Almost a royalty-like vibe, as if it was the palace in Vienna . This house looks lived in and loved. And true Arts and Crafts style.
It looked pretty fabulous to me. I would love to have had it.
I like the grounds.😊
I love love love this house. This is my favorite style. The wood, the furniture, the structure and time-period...I LOVE it! Thanks for sharing!
Love love love love love the Interiors
Thanks for this. My house is actually made up of many of the iconic pieces featured in your video. Fireplace, mahogany ceilings, library bookcases, guest room doors with crystal doorknobs.
That was a beautiful house- luckily I wasn't the one who had to clean it. Everything was covered with stuff, which I suppose was the trend at that time, especially for the rich. Too bad there were no kids to pass it on to.
The kids wouldn't have been able to afford the upkeep and likely would've fought over who gets what. The mansion would've fallen into a state of disrepair and ultimately been razed.
This area is now a really tough neighborhood between Cleveland Heights and Bella Vista. I would not drive through there at night, and only main roads during the day.
@@francoamerican4632wow you have a miserable imagination.
You sure about that? Today the inheritors would no doubt be cast as horrible oppressors, especially in Oakland CA. Who needs that?
@@drowe2living in Cleveland Heights in Cleveland Ohio i find it interesting to learn there is a Cleveland Heights neighborhood in Oakland. Wonder if it there was any correlation between yhe naming of both areas.
The ballroom looks like it would be a good place for a roller rink.
Would have loved to see the interior of the observation tower. IN the house itself, The interior arches and ballast races with exquisite carving were so well done, it’s ghastly that all those elements were just torn down and destroyed. A fund could have been started by the owner to maintain the home. The simple family dining room was charming. How sad. Thank you as always!
I can't watch any more of these. Seeing so many beautiful homes destroyed is soooooooo depressing.
What a lovely Estate. Too bad one of the Charities couldn’t have taken it over, or as one said, a home for the elderly. I live on the East Coast and Lakewood, NJ is only 7 miles inland. There were quite a few Estates there many years ago. John D. Rockefeller had one that he bequeathed to Ocean .county for a park. The house was there when I was little but I don’t remember it. The Gorge J. Gould Estate, Georgian Court is still there as a University, keeping the name. I was to events in the house but the upper floors were unavailable to tour. There were some other Estates that are gone now.
I so enjoy “This House” with your knowledgeable narratives.
I had no idea that there was a borax king, but I was aware of the 20 mule team having visited Death Valley many times.
You can still drive the old Borax Road part of the way from Death Valley to the railroad at Mojave.
Thanks, Ken, for the longer videos. I have really learned a lot of history from them.
Once again another beautiful Estate with beautiful grounds the water fountains and water gardens are gorgeous and the Mansion is also Lovely itself . To be able to live like this and have the grounds maintained as well as the mansion would be wonderful but I can only dream of such Luxury . This was a Beautiful House Ken !! Thank you🫶🏻👍🏻🙌🏻😊❤️
I wonder if they repurposed anything such as the stair balusters or door trim?
There's an old mansion in Oakland called the Dunsmuir House that's open to the public on specified days. Worth checking out if you're in the area.
Wow what a great house. Too bad it's not around anymore. Thanks for all these fantastic videos.
Easy come Easy go! It was a good run. Sounds highly leveraged.
This mansion reminds me of the house in the movie, The Magnificent Ambersons.
I like your show and look forward to seeing your homes.
Dayum borax king you killed it cuh
You do a great job with your videos. Keep'em comin' ! :-)
Wow! This one had such terrific grounds and I love that tower with the fancy greenhouse below. I like the use of wood, and the style which is transitional from High Victorian to Arts & Crafts. But there are things as a 'regular person' that I'll never say, such as, "The even is in the lesser ballroom." While I understand the difficulty of maintaining these huge homes without staff or funds, and the issues with the Depression, I hate to hear the terms wrecking ball and demolished. That last photo shows beautiful columns. I would hope that much of the wood and interior ornamentation, as well as exterior trims, etc. could have been stripped out for re-use rather than destroyed. You've mentioned that some of the NY mansions had whole rooms taken out, for use in other homes, or museums. That mitigates the sin, from my viewpoint. As a kid I used to watch Westerns on TV with my granddad, and whenever I hear about Borax, I think of an old show called Death Valley Days.
i like to see houses that are still standing so we can see every room in HD color.
I so enjoy your historical house tours. The challenge is to generate a practical cost equivalent. The $275,000.00 cost can't be easily calculated in today's money. The price of labor, the cost of materials and the enormous work of carving, painting, inlaying, was much, much lower. I have been to a number of classic mansions and looked closely at the details. Recently, I had a tour of the Biltmore House, as "a guest of the Vanderbilts", touring the usually off-limit spaces as well as the usual tour areas and the grounds. The estate would cost in the $ billions today. You might think about an episode where yesterday's costs are compared to the modern-day equivalents.
I remember the Boax horse cart, displayed along the road In Death Valley. It all makes sense now. Beautiful mansion. Can't take it with you though...
0:32 YES! 🙌🏼
Life is a Cruel Trickster whether the weather.
The glory of aging.
Had the criminal wreaking ball had not happened, I would consider it move in ready. Now all the high tech money is in the Bay Area, if these old places had survived, the reinventions of them would be amazing.
I love your videos, your voice is Zen like ,im not explaining it well ,but look forward to hearing your vids as much as the content , wishing you well 🥰💯
It was really beautiful.
Fun, fun, fun video. The story (albeit fictionalized) of Borax Smith is brought to life as a side story in the excellent novel "Carter the Great" (author: Glenn David Gold). The house and Smith play a central character in a 'romp' of a story about wealth, magic and murder. Thanks for this fun video.
Great story.
Great to finally see you Chris!!!
Love that mansion. We don't seem to keep any of these magnificent buildings.
Their purpose was to show the owner's wealth and power. Much like you have to buy the biggest SUV possible to brag to your neighbors.
Woah, full frontal Ken. What a treat
WoW!!! What a beautiful house and grounds. ❤
I'd say it could hold it's own against the mansions in my backyard, Newport, RI. Thank you. Narragansett Bay
I would love to tour today. A VR version of that mansion would be awesome to tour.
Another One Bites The Dust!!! 😢
That was quite a trip back in time! Was there a similar but smaller version palace built in Walnut Creek off Rudgear road? I seem to remember stealing pomegranates out of that garden.
It would have been great to know where it was and what is there now. I enjoyed the content.
So take us on a tour of the Dunsmere house
must be one of the most gorgeous ones i've ever seen.
This is a subject offering statements on a variety of: Social, Economic, Political, Legal, and Historical levels.
Gaining a Clarity of the "System then" compared to Now and "What and Wh9 weew involved in transforming this Country to the System today".
Note: dont misunderstand it as being better now, or then, as other options woukd be preferred should one understand this subject, fully.
Not just anyone is allowed the potential to achieve such wealth now. Which 8s why you can count the few that do on one hand.
Back then, the freedom availed.
E. 24th Street and 9th Avenue, Oakland
Those tall palm trees are all that's left of that great estate...😥
I would suggest you do a presentation of the Speckles mansion that once stood in Atherton Ca I was on the property many years ago sadly the only things left then 30+ years were the large fountain driveway turning circle and the swimming pool (cement pond ) and a few out buildings they look like it was in the Tudor style
Excellent historical video! I will remember it every time I look at a box of Borax in the supermarket. But as far as the mansion is concerned, I found it to be gaudy and depressing...REMINDS ME OF THE 'ADAMS FAMILY ' mansion. Nah, I'll pass on that part.
It would be nice to tell what exist on that land today for historical purposes
If you keyword F.M Smith estate Oakland, lots of articles come up. I believe some of it is a park ...
Oakland Heritage Alliance runs a walking tour of the estate. Not sure if any buildings are still standing.
Any idea where in Oakland this home once stood?
@@divinedaytripper6916 Look on Beatie St., right where a little unnamed alleyway runs off it. The house abutted this alley, on the left. The alley, incidentally, leads back to where the observation tower was.
nice vid. there's a book about him with a lot more interesting details
"Observation tower" 😂😂😂😂😂😂
I know in the 31st century a whole man will be made of Borax. The Borax Kid!
The Grounds are amazing, the house is dark with a lot of low ceilings...pretty much for a Hobbit...like that furry Dominic Monaghan!
A beautiful place way ahead of its time lost because of bad timing of history events called a depression just like COVID it changed everything.
Nice interior, if maybe just a bit too dark for my tastes. No windows in a lot of those rooms!
so what subdivision is there now? where are the cross streets?
Location: Oakland California. Well that narrows it down. It would be nice to know where it was located in Oakland. It's not like revealing the location of an abandoned house which will open the door to vandals and graffiti wannabe's.
Believe it not, Oakland was once a beautiful city, full of life, education (UC started there), architectural delights, a vibrant downtown, creeks everywhere running from the Redwood covered hills and vast open fields full of fruit trees. It pains me to see what it is today.
I’d love to know what part of oakland this would have been today.
Yes please. A current neighborhood or cross streets would be interesting
Too dark……..not enough windows to bring in a bit of brightness and natural light. How can those mansions just be destroyed. Driving around our cities in this country…..you see many houses that have gone to the dumps, but are still standing in their ugliness. But that house was too dark for me. I never would have been pleased w/ it!
I was thinking the same thing, not enough natural light and must have been horribly stuffy during the summer.
No earthquake damage?
Do you know where it stood in modern day Oakland?
It’s near Cleveland Heights - still an amazing neighborhood
That’s sooo funny! My 2 bedroom, one bath condo cost _exactly_ what it cost to build this house… and I bought my place 11 years ago!
That being said, my ballroom is much nicer!!
I lived in that area for 10 years. Do you know Exactly where it was located? Thanks
E. 24th Street and 9th Avenue...
@@MeMeDaVinci Oakland? I looked it up and it didn't come up on GPS.
Where exactly was it located?
Near Cleveland Heights
Wow that was something to bad it was destroyed
3:31 Providing homes for ‘Orphan Girls’ as the boys were sent along to amass the Borax fortune...🔮
I’m not knocking your channel, Ken.
It just appears opulence comes at a cost.
Then in pulls the wrecking ball.
Most of these stories are completely fabricated history anyway.
I have trouble believing that a grand estate such as this gets torn down just a couple of decades after finishing construction. Something doesn't jive here.
Ulexite!
and why won't we see all of the bedrooms 😒
What would make a person demolish a beautiful home like this. That's just mean. Homes today have no character or vision in their construction design. Square with windows.
Beautiful on the outside, but doomed by 1930 as a relic of another age. By the depression, the best the heirs could have done was to insure the place and hire an arsonist to torch it (contents included). The 1931 auction results must have been pitiful, I wonder what percentage of the lots actually found a buyer, at any price. The architect's brother and sister-in-law were locally known in architecture decoration and fine art- if they had decorated the place, the results would have been memorable instead of the hodgepodge the Smiths put together.. The gardens were gorgeous - but just as doomed as the house.
An absolute travesty that all the beautiful clear heart redwood was destroyed by the wrecking ball.
What a terrible loss. The Federal Government was intentionally starving the economy that destroyed and killed so much.
What? Say hi to "Q."
It got taken over by squatters 😮😮😮
Rich people today have absolutely no taste. Makes you wonder what the point of having them is.
What a shame, such a beautiful home destroyed!
Good grief there's a lot going on 😒
0:24 Okay? Is this after life had it’s way with him?
Please please please learn to read to SOUND LIKE YOU AREN’T READING. When you do a voiceover like this, you need to sound like you are talking to us, explaining the information to us. Otherwise it’s just SUPER irritating.
So where was it? What's there now? Can we see any remnants of it or the grounds?