The Julia Morgan House is a Mediterranean Revival mansion

Mansion

A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...

, located in the Elmhurst

Elmhurst, Sacramento, California

Elmhurst is a historic residential neighborhood located in the eastern part of Sacramento, California. Elmhurst is known for its large elm, ash, and oak trees that provide shady canopy for the neighborhood.- Location :...

 neighborhood of Sacramento, California

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

, constructed by Julia Morgan

Julia Morgan

Julia Morgan was an American architect. The architect of over 700 buildings in California, she is best known for her work on Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California...

, the first woman licensed to practice architecture in California, and formerly owned by Charles Goethe

Charles Goethe

Charles M. Goethe was an American eugenicist, entrepreneur, land developer, philanthropist, conservationist, founder of the Eugenics Society of Northern California, and a native and lifelong resident of Sacramento, California....

. Goethe left the home, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

, to Sacramento State University

California State University, Sacramento

California State University, Sacramento, popularly known as Sacramento State, is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...

 after his death in 1966.

History

In 1918, Charles Goethe

Charles Goethe

Charles M. Goethe was an American eugenicist, entrepreneur, land developer, philanthropist, conservationist, founder of the Eugenics Society of Northern California, and a native and lifelong resident of Sacramento, California....

 hired Julia Morgan

Julia Morgan

Julia Morgan was an American architect. The architect of over 700 buildings in California, she is best known for her work on Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California...

 to draw plans for the Goethe House. When Goethe died in 1966 he bequeathed the house along with his library, papers, and a large monetary donation to Sacramento State University. Since then, University Enterprises, Inc. has maintained the house.

Recent history

In 1982 the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places due to its historic nature. Part of its historic nature is the fact that it is the only example of Morgan's domestic architecture in the Sacramento area. In 1999, the home was remodeled and its name was formally changed to the Julia Morgan House. A subsequent appraisal in 2004 found in the Sacramento Bee listed the home's value at . The house had been used by the university to hold events by both the faculty and the students, but due to budget cuts its use has been terminated. As of 2010, there were no plans to hold future events at the house.