Filoli
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Filoli is a famous mansion and 654 acre (2.6 km²) estate located about 25 miles (40 km) south of San Francisco on the eastern slope of the Coast Range in Woodside, California. The house, garden and grounds are breathtaking and it is certainly one of the most elaborately embellished estates in the United States.
FiLoLiGardenPool.JPG
Filoli was built by William Bowers Bourn II and his wife, Agnes Moody Bourn and served as one of their residences from 1917 to 1936. The name of the estate is an acronym formed by combining the first two letters from the key words of William Bourn's credo: "Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life."
Prominent San Francisco architect Willis Polk was the principal designer for the house. He had previously designed Bourn's houses in Grass Valley and on Webster Street in San Francisco.
The estate was sold to Mr. and Mrs. William P. Roth in 1937. In 1975, Mrs. donated the estate in its entirety to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Today, Filoli is open for public tours. Attractions include self-guided tours, guided tours, and nature hikes.
Filoli has served as the backdrop for many Hollywood movies. It was the mansion featured in Heaven Can Wait with Warren Beatty and is the mansion seen from the air in the opening credits of the television series Dynasty.
External links
- Official Filoli site (http://www.filoli.org/)
- Several virtual tours of Filoli (http://www.dakan.net/filoli.htm)