The best way to learn about historic houses is to look at them closely, and the most fun way to look at them closely is to do a puzzle showing a wonderful historic house! So, we made a unique and interesting collection of Historic House Puzzles for you to enjoy!
Constructed in Hillsborough, California, between 1914 and 1916, the mansion was the home of Pullman Palace Car Company heiress Harriett Carolan and her husband. It was designed by Parisian architect Ernest Sanson, France’s foremost designer of prestigious mansions. Sanson was a Beaux Arts classicist, and this design was inspired by the 17th-century designs of François Mansart.
Extensive gardens for the 548-acre site were designed by France’s leading landscape architect, Achille Duchênes, but only a fragment of the design was completed before the Carolans divorced in 1918. The house remained largely vacant from then until its purchase by Countess Lillian Remillard Dandini in 1950, after a succession of owners subdivided and sold off most of the estate as house lots. The countess restored the chateau and lived in it for 23 years. It was again vacant and deteriorating from 1973 until 1991, when it was redone as a designer showhouse. In 1998, it was sold to a new owner who again restored the house. Currently, it is open for limited public tours once a week.
I toured the house with the Decorative Arts Trust last week and sincerely wish it was more accessible to the public. As one of the last “Gilded Age” mansions built in the U.S., it deserves to be better known. Signed and personalized copies of the award-winning and bestselling 720-page “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners” are available in our online bookshop at YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
Our shop also offers select restoration and preservation titles from other authors.
© Scott T. Hanson 2025.
#antiquehome #antiquehomes #traditionalarchitecture #historicalhomes #historicalhouse #historic #oldhousecharm #oldhome #oldhouse #preservation #preserveourhistory #houseandgarden #homerestoration #houserestoration #historicpreservation #vintagehome #historichousepuzzle #housepuzzle #oldhousepuzzle #architecturelover #restoringyourhistorichouse #yourhistorichome #restoration #houserehab #queenannestyle #victorianmansion #historicpreservation #historichousepuzzle #housepuzzle #oldhousepuzzle
Click on the dashed box at the top-right in the puzzle box below to open the puzzle to full screen. In the top left, you can change the number of pieces (100 pieces is the default), toggle piece rotation, and change the background color. Then hit “OK” and have fun!