Bidwell Mansion, located at 525 Esplanade in
Chico, California
Chico ( ; Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 census, reflecting an increase from 86,18 ...
, was the home of General
John Bidwell
John Bidwell (August 5, 1819 – April 4, 1900), known in Spanish as Don Juan Bidwell, was a Californian pioneer, politician, and soldier. Bidwell is known as the founder the city of Chico, California.
Born in New York, he emigrated at the age of ...
and
Annie Bidwell from late 1868 until 1900, when Gen. Bidwell died. Annie continued to live there until her death in 1918. John Bidwell began construction of the mansion on his
26,000 acres (110 km2) Rancho del Arroyo Chico in 1865, during his courtship of
Annie Ellicott Kennedy. After their marriage in 1868, the three-story, 26-room
Victorian house became the social and cultural center of the upper
Sacramento Valley. Now a museum and State Historic Park, it is
California Historical Landmark
A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance.
Criteria
Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...
#329
and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. The mansion was a $60,000 project, and was finished in May 1868.
[Chico: A 20th Century Pictorial History]
When constructed, Bidwell Mansion featured modern plumbing, gas lighting and water systems. The three-story brick structure is built in an informally romantic version of the
Italianate
The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...
style. It also has aspects of the Italian Villa and Octagon house types present. The building's exterior is finished with a pink tinted plaster.
The first floor of the Bidwell Mansion is accessible via a ramp from the exterior of the Mansion. The interior of the entire mansion can be seen during an hour-long tour that starts on the hour most days of the week. A video is available in the visitor center for those who can not climb the 50 stairs to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the mansion.
The Bidwell Mansion Visitor Center is completely accessible. There is a gift shop, museum, theater, and comfortable lobby. There are also restrooms and water.
Trivia
* Some of the interior scenes from ''
The Thin Man
''The Thin Man'' (1934) is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in a condensed version in the December 1933 issue of ''Redbook''. It appeared in book form the following month. A film series followed, featuring the main cha ...
'' were shot inside the mansion.
* From 1925 to 1935, Bidwell Mansion was once again transformed into another entity when it served as a dormitory for Chico State Teachers College students. It is mentioned by local historians that the students studied and dressed in the rooms, but actually slept outside on the surrounding verandas. The mansion was later dubbed "Bidwell Hall" and housed the Art and Home Economics departments.
See also
*
*
Bidwell Park
*
Michael Gillis
References
External links
Bidwell Mansion SHP web site*
Wikimapia location of Bidwell Mansion
{{Authority control
1972 establishments in California
Buildings and structures in Chico, California
California Historical Landmarks
California State Historic Parks
Historic house museums in California
Houses in Butte County, California
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in California
Historic American Buildings Survey in California
Italianate architecture in California
Museums in Butte County, California
Parks in Butte County, California
Protected areas established in 1972
Victorian architecture in California
Tourist attractions in Chico, California
Villas in the United States
National Register of Historic Places in Butte County, California