Ralston Hall
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William C. Ralston House
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Ralston Hall
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| Location | Belmont, California |
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| Coordinates | 37°31′3″N 122°17′10″W / 37.51750°N 122.28611°WCoordinates: 37°31′3″N 122°17′10″W / 37.51750°N 122.28611°W |
| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1864 |
| Architect | Henry Cleaveland |
| Architectural style | Victorian-Italianate Villa |
| NRHP Reference # | 66000234 |
| CHISL # | 856 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | November 13, 1966 |
| Designated CHISL | 1972 |
Ralston Hall Mansion located in Belmont, California, was the country house of William Chapman Ralston, a San Francisco businessman, founder of the Bank of California, and financier of the . It is an opulent Italianate Villa, modified with touches of Steamboat Gothic and Victorian details. It is a California Historical Landmark and is designated a National Historic Landmark. It is now part of Notre Dame de Namur University.
Ralston Hall Mansion is situated on the campus of Notre Dame de Namur University, on the San Francisco Peninsula. The mansion has been built around the villa of Count Leonetto Cipriani, former owner of the estate. Taking three years to build, it was completed in 1867, when San Francisco's leaders and first citizens had large summer homes on the Peninsula, an integral part of San Francisco high society. Architect John Painter Gaynor, who later worked with Ralston on the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, is thought to have worked on it. Several of the design elements of Ralston Hall Mansion were copied in the design of the Palace.
A history of San Francisco speaks of the palatial grandeur of Ralston Hall: "In a domed wing was the oval ballroom. Its walls were mirrored, and from the frescoed ceiling hung a great crystal chandelier whose reflected lights and sparkle filled the room. I have never seen a more effective setting for a ball."
The Hall is a four-floor, 55,000 square foot (5,000 m²) mansion, with a stately dining room, a mirrored ballroom in the Versailles tradition, an opera box modelled after the Opéra Garnier in Paris, a grand staircase, 23 crystal chandeliers, and inlaid wood floors. Ralston greatly admired the Palace of Versailles, and incorporated several of the palace's elements in his design of the mansion. The mansion has a number of elegant sitting rooms and parlours. The Oriental Music Room has a set of Chinese high-tea chairs and buffets. Ralston Hall houses a collection of antiques accumulated by Ralston, including some valuable Thomas Hill paintings.
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Wikipedia