A great project to preserve and restore one of Sacramento’s most precious historical sites, and with the added bonus of a current state office holder—Attorney General Jerry Brown—once lived there with his father, Governor Edmund Brown.
The way it was
Recent discovery lets restoration of Governor's Mansion go much farther back than expected
By M.S. Enkoji - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, June 2, 2007
Picture a California governor climbing to the third story of his Victorian manse, settling in at his desk for a little work. In front of him on the wall: a prized stuffed marlin caught by his wife, Bernice.
Maybe Gov. Pat Brown wasn't a Martha-Stewart kind of guy, but his likes and dislikes -- including the marlin -- are part of the historical record of the Governor's Mansion, the former official home for 13 governors and their families.
A $1.5 million restoration under way was supposed to return the third floor to what it looked in the era of its most recent residents, including Brown, who moved into the house at 16th and H streets in 1959.
But a lucky find underneath layers of paint and wallpaper has provided enough detail to take the restoration farther into history, when gas light glowed on players around a billiards table and women had a room just for sitting separately from men.
"It's a great project come to life," said Catherine Taylor, a superintendent for the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
