Golden Gate Villa, Santa Cruz

Golden Gate Villa in Santa Cruz is a notable Queen Anne-style mansion with a rich history that dates back to its construction in 1891. Designed by architect Thomas J. Welsh from San Francisco, the villa was built as a summer residence for Major Frank McLaughlin, a prominent mining engineer and California politician. McLaughlin, who was a protégé of Thomas Edison, named the house after one of his mining ventures in Oroville.

The villa features three stories, a full basement, an attic, two full towers, and one half-tower, with the main tower once being the highest point in Santa Cruz. This architectural marvel served not only as a private residence but also as a social hub, hosting notable figures such as Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Edison.

In the 1940s, the villa transitioned into a commercial space, operating as the Palais Monte Carlo restaurant. It changed hands several times until 1963 when it was purchased by seafood magnate William W. Durney and his wife, screenwriter Dorothy Kingsley. Eventually, the villa was sold to its current owner and was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1975.

Golden Gate Villa stands as a reminder of the opulence of Beach Hill as a resort area in early Santa Cruz. The district once boasted several villas and hotels, such as the Sea Beach Hotel, but Golden Gate Villa is the sole survivor, encapsulating an era and an architectural style that have otherwise faded from memory. Today, Golden Gate Villa remains a historical landmark, echoing the legacies of its former owner and the transformative era he epitomized.