Andrew McNally House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Andrew McNally House
|
|
View of the house
|
|
 Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location in California
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 654 E. Mariposa St Altadena, California |
|---|---|
| Built | 1887 |
| Architect | Frederick L. Roehrig |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000245 |
| Added to NRHP | March 27, 2007 |
The Andrew McNally House in Altadena, California was the home of Andrew McNally (1838–1904). He was a co-founder and president of the famous Rand McNally publishing company. This beautiful house is built in the Queen Anne style. It is so important that it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special building recognized for its history.
Who Was Andrew McNally?
Andrew McNally was an immigrant from Ireland. He started his career as a printer. When he moved to the United States, he first worked for the Chicago Tribune newspaper. There, he met William Rand. Together, they decided to start their own company. This company became the well-known Rand McNally.
In 1880, Andrew McNally had made a lot of money. He decided to move his family west to California. They lived in Pasadena, California for a while. Then, in 1887, they built their amazing mansion in Altadena. The house is located on East Mariposa Street.
Building a Dream Home
McNally hired a famous architect named Frederick Roehrig from Pasadena. He paid him $15,000 to design his new home. This was a huge amount of money back then! The house faces south, away from the street. This allowed for amazing views of the Los Angeles area. You could even see the Pacific Ocean and Santa Catalina Island from there.
The house has a special three-story rotunda. A rotunda is a round room, often with a dome. From here, you could see the San Gabriel Mountains to the north. McNally even built his own private train track. This track went from Altadena Junction right to his property. He used it to store his private railroad car.
A Special Garden
The grounds around the house were very fancy. They had beautiful plants and even an aviary. An aviary is a large cage or building for keeping birds. This aviary was located along Mariposa Street. McNally's gardener also took care of the deodar cedar trees. These trees grew along Santa Rosa Avenue.
These trees later became known as Christmas Tree Lane. This lane is also a very special place. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Later Years
In 1904, Andrew McNally became sick. He caught pneumonia while traveling to his Windemere Ranch. This ranch was in La Mirada, California. (The ranch headquarters is also listed on the National Register.) He passed away shortly after.
After his death, the beautiful gardens and aviary were not cared for as well. Some of the birds even escaped. The large property was later divided into smaller pieces of land.
Further Reading
- Peterson, Robert H. Altadena's Golden Years. Alhambra, California: Sinclair Printing and Litho, Inc., 1976.
- Zack, Michele. Altadena: Between Wilderness and City. Altadena, California: Altadena Historical Society, 2004. ISBN: 0-9747257-0-6
