The Milan Exchange

Millionaires' Palaces in San Francisco.

For nearly two years past, says the San Francisco Bulletin, the summit of California Street Hill has been the scene of building operations on a gigantic scale. The crown of this hill is the site selected by the railroad magnates for their residences. D. D. Colton was the first to build, erecting his house on the northwest corner of California and Taylor Streets several years ago. Leland Stanford, the President, and Mark Hopkins, the Treasurer of the Central Pacific Railroad Company, purchased conjointly the block surrounded by California, Powell, Pine, and Mason Streets, which they began to improve over two years ago. Although Mr. Stanford's residence, at the southwest corner of California and Powell Streets, has been tenanted for some time, it is only very recently that it was completed. Mark Hopkins's house, at the southwest corner of California and Mason Streets, is well under way, the roofing being nearly finished. The house of Charles Crocker, at the northwest corner of California and Taylor Streets, is almost ready for occupancy.

These three buildings are the largest and most costly in the city. Hitherto no reliable estimate of the cost has ever been made public, being vaguely set at from $500,000 to $1,000,000 each. Leland Stanford's residence has, however, cost a round $2,000,000. The total outlay on the residence of Charles Crocker will amount to about $2,300,000. Mark Hopkins's residence, which is the most elaborate in design, will have cost when finished nearly $3,000,000. Over $7,000,000 is thus represented in these three residences.

The external appearance of these dwellings gives the spectator but an indifferent idea of the costliness and magnificence of the interior. No expense has been spared anywhere. The bath-rooms in the Crocker residence, for instance, have cost $4,000 each, and there are about half a dozen of them in the building. Even the three-runged stepladder in Mr. Stanford's library cost over $150.

In all the interior woodwork the most valuable timber, specially imported from South America, has been employed. This has been handsomely carved and highly polished. All of the finished woodwork (even to the window sashes and frames) for each of the three houses has been made at the railroad workshops at Oakland Point. A large quantity of furniture for the Stanford and Crocker residences has been made also in the same establishments. Massive pieces of furniture for the Crocker residence are being manufactured at the railroad workshops. The elaborately carved frame work of the handsome conservatory recently built on the Pine Street side of the Stanford mansion was also made at the railroad shops at a cost, in round figures, of $30,000. The appointments of the various rooms in each of these mansions have been prepared with the same disregard of cost. The architects represent that no estimate was made of the cost of either building when the plans were submitted. The plans were simply accepted and all the details faithfully followed, the best and most expensive material being employed in their execution.