If you are looking for Modesto homes for sale, you should know about one of the most famous houses in Modesto history.
The Robert McHenry Mansion was originally built by Robert and Matilda McHenry and designed by renowned Stockton architects, Jerimiah Robinson. Robinson was also the contracting force behind the Stanislaus County Courthouse.
Construction on the McHenry mansion commenced in the year 1882 and used only day laborers. All of the bricks were sourced locally from kilns in the area. The style is reminiscent of the High Victorian style, which draws heavily from Italianate style, a popular style for the period. The mansion was completed in 1883 and was then valued at $12,000.
The Origins
It is assumed that Robert McHenry came to California during the state’s famous Gold Rush. It is known that he was involved in several different business ventures during this time.
According to the 1850 census records, his official title was a trader, and he was a resident of Stockton. There is evidence that he also established a butcher business at Chinese Camp. As time passed, he was able to acquire numerous parcels of land by utilizing the Homestead Act.
In addition to cattle interests, he was also a sharecropper, and he mostly grew winter wheat. In the year 1878, Robert McHenry was appointed as director of Modesto Bank and eventually became its cashier. He was very successful in both of these positions.
Following his success, he managed to purchase five available lots on the corner of 15th and I streets, which was destined to become the site of his mansion. Most of his time was spent at the bank, so it made sense to build his home in Modesto.
Later Life
McHenry and his wife lived in the mansion until he passed away in 1890. His wife Matilda continued to live at the house and later died in 1896. After the passing of his parents, their son Oramil moved his family into the mansion to raise his three children. In 1901, he filed for divorce with his wife and later remarried in 1902.
Oramil died tragically from stomach cancer in 1906, at the young age of 44. His widow and second wife remarried to a man by the name of William Langdon, who was a prominent San Francisco Attorney. They relocated to Alameda but maintained the McHenry mansion for activities in Modesto.
Langdon retained ownership of the building even as it became Elmwood Sanitarium. The property remained a treatment facility until 1923 when it was converted to an apartment complex known as Langdon Apartments. It remained an apartment complex even as new owners purchased it in 1930.
Modern Times
In the year 1976, the McHenry Mansion was placed on the market once again. Mayor Lee Davies was determined to preserve historic buildings and urged Aileen and Julio Gallo to purchase the property through their foundation. The mansion was then donated to the City of Modesto to be restored and used by the community.
Restoration began in 1977 and was taken back to its former glory. It opened to the public in 1983. Tragedy struck in December of 2011 when a fire ravaged through the front of the building. However, a second and final restoration was performed in 2013.
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