The mansion – completed in 1922 – is California Architect and Engineer, Julia Morgan’s only work of residential architecture in the Sacramento area and a fine example of the popular Mediterranean Revival style of the era. The 7,200 square foot house has features typical of a Julia Morgan residence, with a main hall allowing separate entrance to the library, living room, dining room, and upper floor without passing through another room. Porches and rooms with exterior views are also typical features of Julia Morgan’s residential designs, striving to bring the outdoors in. The house was a wedding gift from Mary Glide Goethe’s mother to Mary and her husband Charles Goethe.
Charles Goethe helped plan playgrounds and community park systems in the area, and also greatly contributed to the establishment of Sacramento State College (now California State University, Sacramento). With Goethe’s death in 1966, the house was donated to the Foundation at Sacramento State, now known as University Enterprises, Inc.
In 1981, the Julia Morgan House was registered on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1999 the house was remodeled and restored by University Enterprises, Inc., – changing the garage and staff quarters into an exercise area for seniors on the first level and open office on the second level.
University Enterprises saw an opportunity for the Julia Morgan House to become a conferencing center in addition to hosting other events. In 2015, we completed the remodel of the exercise and office space into four conference rooms, complete with fully integrated audio visual, lighting and acoustic amenities – allowing clients to meet in a state-of-the art conference space while being able to appreciate the historic significance of the Julia Morgan House. Our goal with these conferencing spaces was to respect Julia Morgan’s design while keeping in mind the modern context of the conferencing function. The results are spaces that share the warmth and richness of the original house and provide comfortable, professional spaces for a whole new client group to appreciate.
Conference Room photo by Chip Allen, all others by Brian Kellogg www.sacrep.com.