Last Bonanza Kings: The Bourns of San Francisco

17. The Changing Times

17 The Changing Times y the beginning of 1914, the Bourns were convinced that their years at Sky Farm had been a splendid combination ofcountry living with easy access by train and automobile to the cultural life of San Francisco. During these years, they had seen the building of such Peninsula mansions as William H. Crocker's New Place, Charles T. Crocker's The Uplands, George A. Newhall's La Dolphine, and Harriet Pullman's Carolands. Although the Bourns did not want a home as large as any of these, they realized that their time at Sky Farm had made it impossible to consider living full time in their Webster Street home in San Francisco. They agreed that the combination ofcountry living and the nearness of all the benefits of the city was a desirable way oflife. Agnes and Will considered the pros and cons of building a home in the open country of the Peninsula until they were certain that this was what they desired. Then all that was needed was a proper site on which to build the home of their dreams. Even as construction ofthe Calaveras Dam moved ahead and as changes at the Empire Mine were under way, Agnes and Will found just the site for their home by the spring of the year. Will began negotiating for the land, and on April 29, 1914, he wrote to his attorney, E. J. McCutchen, regarding the purchase of the land. There is a tract ofland of 709 acres belonging to one Husing, situated between Woodside and San Mateo, and right in the heart of The Changing Times the Crystal Springs watershed. It is surrounded by land owned by the Spring Valley Water Company. The public county road, known as Canada Road, runs 'through the place my wife wants for a suburban home, and our occupation of the place and the creating ofa home would, in no way, affect the water supply. A friend of mine has secured an option from Husing, and I propose to have the Empire Mines and Investment Company purchase the property and, like the Empire Cottage, it will be used as the home of the president.1 While negotiations with E. A. Husing for the home site went on, Will and Agnes decided that their dream of a country home had to be planned in such a manner so that it would combine all the beauty ofcountry living with a refined architectural style that would blend with the natural setting. There was no doubt on their part that the man to draw the plans for their dream home was their old friend Willis Polk. Though Bourn knew that Polk was busy with other contracts and with his position as chairman of the Architectural Commission for the forthcoming 1915 PanamaPacific International Exposition, he contacted Willis and received a positive reply. This country estate was to be the last home that Will wished to build. As things stood, he had the country house at the Empire Mine and the San Francisco house on Webster Street. In addition, he had a great love for Muckross as well as his mother's Madrofio in the Napa Valley. But this new home was to combine all the elements that he and Agnes enjoyed. They planned the garden at the same time that they planned the home, for they believed the two should work together to form a perfect blend of the outside world and the man-made interior world ofwood and stone. 2 Even as Willis Polk began to make his preliminary sketches to submit to the Bourns, Will found that business affairs were calling for his attention . The news from cousin George Starr at Grass Valley required Will's input. Litigation had been brought against the Empire Mine and Investment Company by the North Star Mining Company. The crux of the suit was that miners for the Empire were working a vein that passed beneath land upon which the North ,Star held an agricultural title. This accidental 197 LAST BONANZA KINGS crossing had occurred at the 4,600-foot level, and the miners were unaware of trespass until the North Star filed its lawsuit. The suit brought a halt to work at that level until the two mining companies decided upon an arbitrary vertical boundary. All this was done without any exchange of money or any measure of bad faith between the owners of the...