Los Angeles preservationists have marked a rare milestone as the historic Perry Mansion celebrated its 150th anniversary by opening its restricted second floor to the public. The grand Victorian residence, built in 1876, welcomed visitors to its normally off-limits upper rooms during an anniversary fundraising event. Organisers held the gathering to raise essential funds for ongoing structural conservation. According to event details published by the Preservation Directory, the anniversary event gave visitors a rare look inside rooms preserved in their original 19th-century condition.
A grand residence built during Los Angeles’ early growth
The residence was originally built in Boyle Heights for William Hayes Perry, a prominent 19th-century businessman and lumber baron whose company supplied materials used in the early development of Los Angeles. Designed by Ezra F. Kysor, recognised as Los Angeles’ first professional architect, the mansion was originally called Mount Pleasant House. National Park Service records show that the building cost about $9,000 to complete in 1876. It was among the most expensive and elaborate private homes built in the city during that decade. The mansion reflected Perry’s status as a leading businessman. He co-founded the Los Angeles Gas Company in 1867 and served as president of the Los Angeles City Water Company for 25 years. The two-storey home features handcrafted ceiling mouldings, detailed wood carvings and a grand staircase. These features show the level of hand craftsmanship used before industrial production became widespread. Ownership later passed to Judge Stephen C. Hubbell in 1888. Hubbell was an early civic leader who served as the first treasurer of the University of Southern California and donated the land that later became MacArthur Park, according to the Los Angeles Explorers Guild.
Move and rescue from demolition
After decades of residential use, changing neighbourhoods and structural decline put the building at risk of demolition by the early 1970s. Exactly 99 years after it was built, preservationists saved the mansion in 1975 by arranging to move it to another part of the city. The mansion was moved from Pleasant Avenue in Boyle Heights to its current location at Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights. The open-air museum was created in 1969 by the Cultural Heritage Foundation of Southern California to protect 19th-century Victorian buildings threatened by urban renewal projects across Los Angeles, especially on Bunker Hill. After the move, the Perry Mansion underwent a major 20-year restoration led by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Restorers carefully removed layers of 20th-century pink stucco that covered the outside of the building and restored its original wooden appearance. The house was formally donated to the museum site in 1995, according to historical records from Big Orange Landmarks. The 10-acre Heritage Square Museum site is home to eight historic Victorian-era buildings. It received official protection after being designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 1009 in December 2011, according to municipal records cited by the Los Angeles Explorers Guild.
Rare access to upstairs rooms helps fund preservation
Museum officials normally limit visitors to the ground floors of its historic buildings to protect delicate materials, original floorboards and old furnishings from damage caused by heavy use. The 150th anniversary event offered a rare exception. Ticket holders were allowed to use a hidden staircase inside the Perry Mansion to reach its second-floor bedrooms and living areas. The special opening also included three other Victorian homes at the museum, whose usually restricted upper floors were opened for the evening. They included the 1887 Hale House, a Queen Anne-Eastlake home often described as the most photographed Victorian building in Los Angeles. Organisers said money raised through ticket sales would directly support preservation work on the wooden buildings. “This is a fundraising event and all proceeds will go towards restoration projects for the Perry House,” the Heritage Square Museum said in a statement about the event. General admission tickets cost $75 per person and included access to the first-floor interiors, live music, a silent auction and the museum gift shop. A VIP ticket cost $125 and included early entry, food and beverage vouchers, as well as access to the restricted upstairs rooms in all the participating museum houses. Museum officials said that while moving the mansion saved it 50 years ago, maintaining its 19th-century wooden structure requires regular work and continued funding to protect it for future generations.
