Searles Hall: A Building with a Tumultuous Love Story
While walking by Searles Hall on the Main Quad, students may not realize that this salmon pink building was constructed following a tumultuous love story.
Mark Hopkins, one of the “Big Four” investors in the Central Pacific Railroad Company, married Mary Frances Sherwood in the early 1860s. After his death in 1878, Sherwood was left with a fortune of $21.7 million, becoming one of the wealthiest widows in America.
Sherwood had persuaded Hopkins to build a 40-room mansion in Nob Hill, San Francisco, Calif. She continued constructing the mansion after his death and hired an interior decorator named Edward Searles.
Aleena Nasruddin notes that the building's history is tied to the love story between Sherwood and Searles.
Author's summary: Searles Hall has a rich history tied to a love story.
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