I could write a novel about the McNally Estate. Our very own Cristiana Pena visited this beauty today, and she can absolutely confirm that it is even more amazing in person. It’s a really unique and imposing shingle-style Queen Anne that is bursting with history both architectural and stemming from its famous owner, Andrew McNally. Yes, that McNally! He was one of the most successful cartography publishers of all time and Rand, McNally & Co. co-founder. It’s safe to say there’s nothing like it, especially in this prime Altadena location, and it’s on the public market for the first time in 100 years.
The details, exterior and interior, are stunning and bespoke but the properly jaw-dropping feature of the estate has to be the Turkish Room! This is TRULY a one-off and such a great little exotic hidden surprise considering the classic Queen Anne curb appeal. It’s an octagonal Arabesque masterpiece with rich silks, low sofas and the pleasant juxtaposition of other details that are pure Victoriana. There are stylized Arabic phrasings stenciled on the walls, wood paneling – the geometry of the room’s measurements seem, even, to be a nod to the theme at a perfect 24 feet in diameter and 24 feet to the canopied ceiling. It’s pretty amazing. This room has entertained cigar-smoking financiers, party-goers and even a ping pong table (I know, right?!) but I’d love nothing more than to sip a mint tea and just stare.
654 E Mariposa St, Altadena, CA 91001
9 beds/5 baths, 7,000 sq.ft.
Asking Price: Price upon request
No expense was spared for Andrew McNally’s three-story Altadena mansion. The great map maker used his expansive estate as his own personal calling card for those shivering in the Midwest or along the eastern seaboard, beckoning them to the luxe life available only in Southern California. His home embodied the bounty of the San Gabriel Mountains, palm trees and deodar cedars, citrus and olive trees, broad green lawns and sunshine. Even a large aviary for exotic birds to match the colorful arrays of flowers McNally planted throughout the then twelve-acre estate. While there is less land today, the distinctive blue-shingled estate still presides over the valley below, with views out to Catalina Island.
For more information, visit the full listing on CIRCA!
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AUTHOR ALIX ADAMS
Alix is CIRCA’s Properties Manager. She relishes working directly with homeowners and real estate agents to track down new stewards for homes with secrets to keep and stories to tell! On a lifetime mission to visit every great flea market in the world, she’s probably going to need a bigger old house soon.
