• Through the Leland Stanford Mansion Foundation, private sector donors have joined the California Department of Parks to save and reopen the Stanford Mansion, one of the state's most important historic buildings.



• Together, the public and private sectors are transforming the Mansion into a unique, prestigious setting for hosting top level business, job development and related meetings and events in the Capital. Surprisingly, no such space currently exists in the Capital and many such meetings are either held elsewhere or in far less effective settings.



• We almost lost it. Stanford Mansion was in total disrepair. When the Parks Department acquired the Mansion, major roof damage had already taken place and rain was causing significant damage to the structure. We were about to lose one of the most significant structures in California 's capital.



• Stanford Mansion is ideally suited to serve as California's center for protocol events. Located just two blocks from the State Capitol Building, at 8^th and N streets, the Mansion holds a prominent place in California's history.



• For years, statesmen, foreign envoys, and even presidents met at the Mansion with California governors Leland Stanford, Frederick Low, and Henry Haight until the Capitol Building was completed in 1869. Countless pieces of legislation, business development negotiations, and other notable events took place in the Mansion during that time. For a while, it was the most important address in the Capital.



• The Mansion was the birthplace of Leland Stanford, Jr.,namesake of Stanford University. It was also the Office of the Governor when the UC and CSU systems were signed into law. During the Mansion's service to three administrations, the state acquired Yosemite Valley as a state park, granted rights to immigrant workers, and helped to foster the state's many new emerging industries. Governor Stanford commissioned the photographer Edward Muybridge to document not only the interior of the Mansion, but also the movement of his race horses that led to more humane training techniques, and spawned the motion picture industry.



• California First Lady Jane Stanford donated the Mansion fully furnished and with a small endowment to the Bishop of Sacramento to serve as a home for friendless children in memory of her son.For nearly 90 years following Governor Stanford's death the Mansion served as a home for hundreds of children who grew up under the watchful eyes of the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of Social Service. As a result there is a bit of the heart of California imbued in those walls, as well.




• Now, the Mansion will once again serve the state as 'The Place Where California Meets The World.' Governor Stanford received President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife, together with General Sherman at the Mansion. That was the first official visit by a US president to the new state.



• While having such a meeting facility will not single-handedly create new business for California, having the Mansion will eliminate an important obstacle to developing the relationships and agreements that now are critical to our economic future.



• Additionally, the Mansion will serve as an historic park, open to the public at appropriate times for tours managed by the Department of Parks. School children from all over the state will visit the Mansion each year as part of their California history studies.



• This is a unique project with the potential of long-term benefits for communities, companies, and individuals throughout the state.

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