The James Lick Mansion, Santa Clara, Ca

A drive through Santa Clara's Rivermark neighborhood will yield the charming sights of new houses and apartment complexes. Many local residents don't know that tucked away on the grounds of the Mansion Grove Apartments is the historic James Lick Mansion on 4750 Lick Mill Boulevard. James Lick was once the richest man in California.
"James Lick was a very important person," says Victor Fernandez, a maintenance administrator for the Mansion Grove Apartments. "There's a high school named for him called James Lick High School in San Jose. There's also an observatory in a planetarium in Mount Hamilton named for him."
According to the Santa Clara County's online National Register of Historic Places, James Lick was born in 1796 in the state of Pennsylvania. In 1848, Lick arrived in San Francisco, and then later to Santa Clara County. He built his mansion in 1858. His real estate investments during the California gold rush made him rich. He died in 1876 leaving behind a multi-million dollar estate, much of which was donated to charity.
Today the general public can visit the Lick Mansion and its accompanying mill. Read More....

Print Page