Carolands, a 98-room château completed in 1916 on over five and one half acres in Hillsborough, was created by Harriett Pullman Carolan, daughter of Pullman Company founder George Pullman. After marrying Francis Carolan in Chicago in 1892 and moving to California, she acquired over 500 acres in 1912 to build a house and garden intended to inspire wonder and admiration and reflect her refined interests. The result was an authentic Beaux-Arts architectural masterpiece inspired by the court architecture of Louis XIV, sited at the highest local geographical point to command views of the Bay and surrounding hills. Its exterior drew on 17th century designs of François Mansart, with plans commissioned from Parisian architect Ernest Sanson and faithfully executed by San Francisco architect Willis Polk, who served as structural designer and construction manager. The gardens were designed by French landscape architect Achille Duchêne, drawing inspiration from the 17th century works of André Le Nôtre and originally including many thousands of trees and shrubs along with plans for fountains, statues, and roadways.
