The Holly Oaks villa, built in 1887 by pioneer fruit packer and shipping agent, George W. Meade (known as “The Raisin King”), was the crown jewel of Sausalito homes and establishments for many decades. Located at 106 Harrison Avenue it was noted for its ornate Victorian architecture, exquisite interior furnishings, and unparalleled views of the San Francisco Bay and nearby Angel Island and Yerba Buena (then Goat Island). At the time, Sausalito had a slightly scandalous reputation as a rugged, untamed fishing village inhabited by mostly English and Portuguese fisherman or wealthy yachting enthusiasts looking to escape the foggy, urban environs of San Francisco. The Meade family brought a certain air of respectability to the growing town and local newspapers like the Sausalito News and San Francisco Call frequently reported on the many visitors and occasional luminaries who came to stay at Holly Oaks.
The Meade family’s ownership of Holly Oaks did not last long though, as they put the house up for rent in 1890 just before embarking on a long European Tour. Within a few years the stately home had been sold and converted into a luxury hotel and guest house, now named ‘Hollyoaks’. For a brief time, a Mrs. M.A. Farar ran the hotel and then for many years Mrs. Sawyer, a Civil War widow who had migrated west managed the guest house. A 1909 newspaper advertisement boasted of the Hollyoaks that it had an, “Enchanting view of Bay and Mountain from every window…unsurpassed table, first class in every respect…bathing, good fishing, boating…a half-hour’s ferry ride from San Francisco!” Its reputation for fine food, luxury accommodations and stunning views, made it the only Sausalito Hotel to be mentioned in the 1909 Baedeker’s Guide to the United States. Besides the many paying
guests, Hollyoaks was also the site of many weddings, galas, garden parties, and holiday gatherings in its early years. The hotel changed hands again in the 1920s and for almost 19 years a Mrs. Sichel was the proprietor. In late 1938, after nearly a decade of economic decline, she closed the hotel and put the property up for sale. In a last, rather ignominious Sausalito News item of May 1939, an advertisement ran for, “FREE FIREWOOD –Wrecking Hotel Holly Oaks. 20 truck loads. Help yourself. 8 to 5.”
This brilliant, detailed photograph is printed on fine silk fabric, a process that was perfected in Lyons, France in the late 1870s, the silk manufacturing center of Europe.
(Originally appeared as History Watch article in the Marin Independent Journal)