The Morey Mansion’s History and Restoration.

The Morey Mansion is a Victorian home built in 1890 and is located in Redlands, California. Early Redlands inhabitants David and Sarah Morey paid $20,000 for the home’s construction in 1890; the money came from the sale of their citrus nursery.

It has been dubbed “America’s Favorite Victorian Home” and featured in innumerable advertisements, television programs, and motion pictures. In 1882, David Morey moved to Redlands in order to stop working in shipbuilding and carpentry. His knowledge of construction is evident throughout the Victorian Queen Anne design. According to rumors, Mrs. Helen Kimberly’s relative, actress Carole Lombard, stayed in one of the rooms of the Morey Mansion, which is known as “The Lombard Room.”

The Morey Mansion’s Background

David Morey constructed the stunning villa known as “Hermosa Vista” in 1890. In 1882, Morey and his wife Sarah moved from Plumas County, California, where he was employed in the mines, to what is now Redlands. Mrs. Morey established a citrus nursery, and Morey, a shipbuilder and mine carpenter, began working as a carpenter. In 1889, Mrs. Morey sold her trees, and the proceeds were utilized to construct their “dream home.”

The Morey Mansion in 1890
Credits: Redlands Daily Facts

Morey Mansion was constructed by shipbuilders who had worked for David Morey on one of his earlier projects, and it cost around 20 times as much as comparable houses in the neighborhood. Sarah passed away from a sudden illness about a year after David and Sarah moved into the home. David Morey was so overcome with grief that he never entered the home again. David moved into the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego after succumbing to severe alcoholism. He killed himself within a year and was discovered hanging in his room.

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The Morey Mansion’s Ownership

The home’s second owners after the Morays passed away in 1901 were Willard R. and Nancy Cheney, who were Helen Cheney Kimberly’s brother and sister-in-law and the spouse of one of the founders of Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

To W.R. Cheney, the Mansion was sold in 1906. Up until 1936, it remained in the Cheney family. It was supposedly owned by Carole Lombard’s uncle in the 1940s and bequeathed to her in his will, but she passed away before she could take possession of it. Soon after, Willard L. and Florence Wiseman bought the house.

The residence served as the home of Dr. Paul Mahler, aka Matlock, in the 1952 movie Talk About a Stranger.

Curtiss Allen purchased the home in 1969. In the 1970s, The Allen was owned by someone. When Mr. Allen was a young lad living in Redlands, he had seen the house and had declared to someone that he would one day possess it. It was put up for sale by a friend, and Mr. Allen bought it right away. Since then, James Brucker, the owner of Cinema World in Buena Park, has extensively refurbished the home.

Under the management of its original owners Carl Ljungquist and Gary Conway, the mansion debuted as Redlands’ first bed and breakfast in 1985. Janet Cosgrove bought the home in 1998 and handled the renovations before reopening it as a bed and breakfast in 2006.

Sara and Bill Taylor purchased the property in 2010 with the intention of living there exclusively. The home entered foreclosure in 2012. Ownership was transferred back to Janet Cosgrove in January 2014. The house, which was last sold in 2014 for $850,000, was Redlands’s first bed and breakfast when it initially opened.

Morey Mansion’s Architectural Style

The Morey Mansion's Exterior
Credits: Pinterest

Every room in the Morey Mansion has a planned view thanks to its 96 windows, which were installed at a cost of roughly $20,000. The layout is Queen Anne-style. There are 20 rooms and 4,800 square feet of living space. Jerome Seymour, who operated a planning mill, created the house. The house was constructed by Morey, Seymour, and master woodworker Lee Wilmarth.

Beautiful spindlework, leaded glass windows, and ornately carved woodwork can be found throughout the Mansion. Gorgeous views of the San Timoteo Canyon may be seen from the back.

Each downstairs doorway is accented by numerous carvings of fruits, flowers, and anchors on the home. Every entryway features a unique arch design and alcove shape. The windows on the ground floor are composed of beveled Belgium glass, and the French transoms are stained glass.

The onion dome was originally adorned with intricate ironwork and was built similar to a ship’s prow. The Morey Mansion has appeared in films, novels, publications, and television shows. On the site, there is also a guest house and a carriage house. The home is heated by decorative water radiators, and the plumbing from 1890 is still in fine shape. One bathroom has a cork floor that is 85 years old.

The Morey Mansion's Interior
The Morey Mansion foyer represents texture, pattern, color and woodworking of the period

Early Victorian interior design had a limited range of colors due to available materials and resources. Darker colors worked better in public settings, whereas lighter colors worked better in functional areas. Ready-made paint became more accessible as industrialisation progressed, and the range of color schemes increased. Designers experimented with polychromatic patterns, color contrast, and color harmony. Baseboards, chair rails, window sashes, doors, floors, and dados were all fashioned to resemble nicer woods.

The Arts and Crafts movement helped bring hues that matched barks, leaves, stones, and grasses into favor around the end of the Victorian era. The woodwork inside was unpainted.

People also ask:

Who Owns Morey Mansion Redlands?

Matlock, a guise for Paul Mahler. Under the management of its original owners Carl Ljungquist and Gary Conway, the mansion debuted as Redlands’ first bed and breakfast in 1985. Janet Cosgrove bought the home in 1998 and handled the renovations before reopening it as a bed and breakfast in 2006.

What is the Oldest House in Redlands?

The Barton Residence

When was Downtown Redlands built?

Station Redlands-Downtown. established in 1910.


Source: wikipedia.org | please dm for removals


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