Notable Homes: Guignécourt

 

The entrance to Guignécourt.
Image:Guillixon

"Notable Homes" is one of the re-occurring series of posts for The Devoted Classicist that features an architecturally significant residence and its furnishings.  The stylish San Francisco-area estate Guignécourt, also known as Guigné Court, and decorator Anthony Hail was the subject of a popular previous post, here.  And there was a second post here.


Guignécourt
Image: Sotheby's

The eccentric owner Christian de Guigné, 4th, listed the property for sale at $100 million with a contingency for life residency; after no takers, the price was reduced to $39.9 million with the exclusive-use condition removed.

Christian de Guigne, 4th, left, with his parents and brother Charles, 1961.
Photo via Yahoo!

Built 1913 to 1916 to designs by architects Walter Danforth Bliss and William Baker Faville, the gardens were later refined by Thomas Dolliver Church and the interiors were improved by Anthony Hail in the early 1960s.  According to the Guillixon listing, the property offering at 891 Crystal Springs Road, Hillsboro, is still active.  But the story for those interested in the decorative arts is the Christie's auction of contents coming up in New York on March 24, 2016.

There are a number of very handsome rooms, but none are more stylish than the Pavilion at the swimming pool.  Although the furnishings from the Anthony Hail era are worn and the décor is not entirely intact, it is still a space worthy of note.


The Pavilion at Guignécourt, 2015.
Image: Christie's.

The walls of the Pavilion at Guignécourt are covered with
hand painted Chinese wallpaper dating from the 18th or 19th century
figured with a mountainous landscape.
Image: Christie's.



A pair of gray-green velvet sofas.  Lot 134.
Image: Christie's

A pair of Chinese black lacquer and gilt tables
with pierced fretwork and a plinth base.  Lot 137.
Image: Christie's
 

A Ningxia carpet from West China, 18th century.  Lot 141.
Image: Christie's

A set of four Italian chairs, grain painted and parcel gilt,
black leather upholstery, early 19th century. Lot 148.
Image: Christie's.

A pair of console tables with a terracotta dolphin-form support
and green marble top and base.  Late 19th/early 20th century.
Lot 139.
Image: Christie's.

A Chinese model of a garden pavilion,
gilt-metal and cloisonné enamel.
19th century. Lot 147.
Image: Christie's.

A George II longcase clock,
blue and gilt-Japanned, circa 1730.
(The works and case associated).  Lot 149.
Image: Christie's.

Despite the high quality of architecture and the numerous beautiful rooms, there is no guarantee of ever finding an appreciative buyer for the house.  Certainly the land is desirable, but this sale of the furnishings is not a good indication that there has been interest in the house itself.  Judging from the seemingly senseless demolition around the country lately, there is a hunger for opulent mansions that lack patina and any history of former owners.  Perhaps this sale at Christie's will attract the attention of a buyer that sees the potential of this Sleeping Beauty.

 

Filoli's Holiday Traditions

The entrance to the main house.
Photo:  Filoli Center.

Filoli, a magnificent estate about 35 miles south of San Francisco famous for its gardens, is normally closed to visitors during the winter.  An exception, however, is the annual, week-long series of events called Holiday Traditions.  For 2012, the dates are November 23 through December 1.  See  the website for more information and reservations.


The entrance court.
Photo:  Filoli Center.

The estate was developed by Mr. and Mrs. William Bowers Bourn with a fortune derived from the Empire Mine, a hard rock gold mine in Grass Valley, California.  Mr. Bourn was also owner of the Spring Valley Water Company (now part of the San Francisco Water Department) whose holdings included Crystal Springs Lake and the surrounding area.  The southern end of the lake was chosen as site for the estate.  The name 'Filoli' is derived from the first two letters of each line of Bourn's motto:

Fight for a just cause.

Love your fellow man.

Live a good life.

The main house as it appeared in 1921.
Photo:  Filoli Center.

Construction on the main house was started in 1915 and the Bourns occupied it in 1917 althugh some work on finishing details continued for a few more years.  The architect was Willis Jefferson Polk, 1867 to 1924, who had also designed the Bourns' cottage in Grass Valley and their house at 2550 Webster Street in San Francisco.  Although not having a formal education, Polk was a respected figure in San Francisco, playing an integral role in the rebuilding after the 1906 earthquake and acting as the supervising architect for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition.  Also, Polk (related to President James Knox Polk) was the associated architect for Carolands, the mansion in nearby Hillsborough that was completed in 1914.  (But that is the subject of another post).  Bruce Porter helped plan the extensive formal gardens.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Bourn died in 1936.  Mr. & Mrs. William P. Roth, owner of the Matson Navigation Company involved with Hawaiian freight shipping and tourism, bought the estate in 1937.  The estate remained well-tended and the formal garden gained national recognition during the Roth's ownership.  Mrs. Roth lived there until 1975 when she donated 125 acres containing the house and formal garden to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the remaining acreage to a non-profit organization, Filoli Center.


The entrance to the main house, Filoli.
Photo:  John Vaughan for Architectural Digest.

When the estate was originally open to the public, the main house was closed at first, then open but shown unfurnished.  After a donation of Roth furnishings in the mid-1980s, a three year refurnishing project overseen by Anthony Hail, one of San Francisco's most respected interior designers.  (See Anthony Hail's decoration of Guigne Court on a previous post of The Devoted Classicist here).  The first floor rooms were presented as an interpretation of a sophisticated, California country house.  Although Anthony Hail's schemes have now been lost to a great extent, some rooms were photographed for the May, 1989, issue of Architectural Digest and shown as follows.  For comparison, current views of the rooms may be seen on the Filoli website here.


A view of the Reception Hall at Filoli
showing figures donated from the Roths' collection.
Photo:  John Vaughan for Architectural Digest.

The Reception Hall, on the garden side of the house directly opposite the main entrance, was used for smaller scale entertaining as well as for receiving guests for the grander events.  The original wall covering of grasscloth silkscreened with an Italian Renaissance pattern remains in place along with the original curtains.  The tapestry above the fireplace, an 18th century Italian chimneypiece of Carrara marble inlaid with Verona marble, belonged to both the Bourns and the Roths.


The Drawing Room at Filoli
as decorated by Anthony Hail.
Photo: John Vaughan for Architectural Digest.

Used as a Ladies' Withdrawing Room after dinner by the Roths, Mrs. Bourn used it as a Music Room.  The original curtains of Italian silk woven with a colorful floral pattern can be glimpsed in the reflection of the Adam style mirror which is also among the 1917 furnishings, along with the chandeliers and sconces.


The Dining Room of Filoli
as decorated by Anthony Hail.
Photo: John Vaughan for Architectural Digest.

In the oak-panelled Dining Room, the mauve floral silk curtains are original as is the dining table.  The cabinet displaying china had belonged to Mrs. Roth's mother. 


The Library of Filoli
as decorated by Anthony Hail.
Photo by John Vaughan for Architectural Digest.

The Library of Filoli
as decorated by Anthony Hail.
Photo by John Vaughan for Architectural Digest.

The details of the panelled Library of American black walnut are said to be copied from Denham Place, England, built in 1690.  The Isfahan pattern Agra carpet is said to have been made for Osborne House, Isle of Wight;  it was purchased in England by the Bourns.  Some of the books belonged to the Bourns, and others, the Roths, supplemented by others that were donated.


The Study/Sitting Room of Filoli
as decorated by Anthony Hail.
Photo by John Vaughan for Architectural Digest.

The Study/Sitting Room was originally a home office for Mr. Bourn.  A concealed door to the right of the fireplace opened to a safe that was replaced by a wine closet for the Roths;  the door to the left that had opened to a closet for business records was converted to a bar.  The portrait over the Carrara marble chimneypiece portrays Mrs. Roth, painted by Lloyd Sexton in 1981.


The Ballroom at Filoli
as decorated by Anthony Hail.
Photo by John Vaughan for Architectural Digest.

A detail of the Ballroom at Filoli
as it appeared during the Anthony Hail refurbishing.
Photo by John Vaughan for Architectural Digest.



A detail of the Ballroom murals
showing a representation of the Bourn grandchildren.
Photo:  Filoli Center.

The decoration of the Ballroom was completed in 1926 with the murals painted by Ernest Peixotto, a San Francisco-born artist and writer.  The scenes were painted in the artist's New York City studio from sketches Peixotto had made on site of Muckross Abbey and Upper Killarney Lake.  The "water-green" color of the panelling was specified by Mrs. Bourn who also insisted on the gold-leaf highlights that were said to be in conflict with Mr. Peixotto's vision of the decor.  The chandeliers and wall sconces of amethyst-colored crystal were chosen in Paris by Peixotto and the Bourns' daughter, Maud Vincent.  The curtains of cut velvet woven with gold and silver metallic threads and metallic fringe have undergone two rounds of conservation.

All 654 acres of the estate and buildings are now operated by Filoli Center.  In addition to serving as a tourist destination and educational facility, Filoli is often used as a location for filming motion pictures and television shows.  Perhaps most famously, the exterior served as the palatial home of the Carringtons in the 1980s series "Dynasty."  For information to plan a visit, see the Filoli website.

Guigne Court and Anthony Hail

The interior of the Pavilion at Guigne Court, the residence of Eleanor and Christian de Guigne, 3rd,
as decorated by Anthony Hail.  The Devoted Classicist agrees with the designer's reluctance to call it the Poolhouse.
Photo from ID&D '66 edited by Jacqueline Inchbald, 1965.

One of the most celebrated estates in the San Francisco area is Guigne Court, a secluded mansion on 47 acres in Hillsborough near the border of the city of San Mateo.  The house was built in 1918 (or some sources say 1913) as a wedding present for Christian de Guigne, 2nd, and his bride from the groom's father.  The first Christian de Guigne, who founded what became the Leslie Salt Company (the world's largest solar evaporation plant for the production of salt) and the Stauffer Chemical Company (which manufactured herbicides for corn and rice), had married the eldest daughter of millionaire Gold Rush banker John Parrott in 1879, starting the dynasty.

The Pavilion at the residence of Eleanor and Christian de Guigne, 3rd,
as decorated by Anthony Hail.
Photo from ID&D '66 edited by Jacqueline Inchbald.

These photos from the early 1960s date from the occupancy by Christian de Guigne, 3rd, and his wife Eleanor, who married in 1935.  Often referred to as Madame de Guigne, she was a regular customer in the top couture houses in Paris and was elected to the Fashion Hall of Fame in 1981.  On her death in 1983, Madame's archival wardrobe was bequeathed to The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

The Entrance Hall of the residence of Eleanor and Christian de Guigne, 3rd,
 as decorated by Anthony Hail.
Photo from ID&D '66 edited by Jacqueline Inchbald.

The estate's current occupant, Christian de Guigne, 4th, married Vaughn in 1984, when the groom was 47 and the bride 30.  They lived an opulent lifestyle on the estate he inherited with a staff that included two housekeepers, three gardeners, a laundress, a chef, a child-care provider, and a part-time chauffer until their separation in 1996.  The 2002 divorce papers stated that neither partner worked during the marriage and that the expenses to run the house were $450,000 annually despite an income from trusts of $240,000.  In a landmark case to settle the divorce, the court called for the subdivision of the 47 acre estate to raise cash for a spousal settlement.  Neighboring property owners objected, however, and the estate is still not subdivided, according to the Burlingame Historical Society.

A portion of the Living Room of the residence of Eleanor and Christian de Guigne, 3rd,
as decorated by Anthony Hail.
Photo from ID&D '66 edited by Jacqueline Inchbald.

The interesting fact of these approximately 50 year old images is the staying power of the classic interior design by Anthony Hail.  After an early childhood in Tennessee, his mother remarried and he grew up in Denmark.  Anthony Hail studied design and decoration in England while he worked as a Conde Nast correspondent for Maison et Jardin, British Vogue, and British House & Garden magazines.  After attending the Harvard Graduate School of Design during the leadership of modernist Walter Gropius, he was assistant to Edward Wormley, chief designer for the Dunbar Furniture Company.  He also listed the restoration of the White House on his professional c.v.  Anthony Hail started his own practice in San Francisco in 1957 and quickly became in demand by the Society leaders such as the Gettys and the Thierots in addition to the de Guignes.  He also served as design consultant for several San Francisco museums.  His talent was also appreciated in Southern California where he decorated the home of film and television actor James Garner.  Working from his California Street residence, which had been renovated by William Randolph Hearst's architect Julia Morgan, he also had projects in New York City and elsewhere.  Anthony Hail died in 2006 at age 81.

Anthony Hail, right, with Andy Warhol, 1981.
Photo by Steve Ringman for the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Devoted Classicist was happy to have met him while he was decorating the apartment directly below the project at One Sutton Place South.  Seeing his work in publications like Architectural Digest during the 70s and 80s, I was a big fan.  I had lived in Nashville for a couple of years in the late 70s and often passed his family's abandoned farm on the road to Franklin.  Unfortunately, it had been bisected by Interstate 65 and the house had been demolished, but the extraordinary mid-19th century barn remained in near ruin but clearly visible from the highway.  And later, I saw another apartment at One Sutton Place South and the house on a horse farm near Nashville that had been decorated by Anthony Hail for the parents of another of my clients.  (He also decorated their Southampton house).  His own quote in Interior Design magazine profile said it best, describing his style as "an intuitive fusion of quality, workmanship, architectural details of the highest quality, furniture, paintings and accessories in which soft colors highlight the furniture."

More about Anthony Hail can be found at The Peak of Chic and The Blue Remembered Hills blogs and in two books by another fellow blogger Diane Dorrans Saeks, SAN FRANCISCO INTERIORS and SAN FRANCISCO - A CERTAIN STYLE.  These four photos of Guigne Court are from ID&D '66, INTERIOR DESIGN AND DECORATION edited by Jacqueline Inchbald, 1965.  All three books are available here.

To see more photos of Guigne Court and details of the estate for sale, see the February, 2013,  post of The Devoted Classicist here.