What a rush! My first Billionaire's Row tour went very well, all were engaged and stayed from beginning to end, and eyes wide open at some of the stories. Because the tour was well received, I volunteered that this was my first – their surprised looks and comments gave me great confidence. Here's one mansion / story:
This 1899 four-story mansion (the two stories we don't see cascade down the hill at the rear) has arched dormer windows punctuating the roof line, cornice moldings with dentil detail outlining each side, and windows aligned in perfect symmetry - all characteristics of classic Georgian architecture. It was once owned by Richard and Ann Russell Miller, Richard the son of the founder of what became Pacific Gas & Electric, Ann the daughter of the Chairman of Southern Pacific Railroad. Ann was a socialite and tireless fund raiser, having served on 22 boards. She was also an extravagant spender - on a whim she would invite friends to ski in Austria. After Richard died in 1990, with 10 children and 18 grandchildren (now 30) traded all to join a Carmelite monastery, the strictest and most cloistered order of all. She told her five girls and five boys in separate lunches at Trader Vic's, and threw a going-away bash at the Hilton where she told 800 friends, “The first two-thirds of my life were devoted to the world, the last third will be devoted to my soul.” She held the party on her 60th birthday, October 30, 1989. The next day, she knocked on the door of the Carmelite Monastery (Des Plaines, Illinois) and said, “Here I am. Trick or Treat.” After 21 years, she’s still there.
