Outlands in the Eighty Acres, also known as Flanders Mansion is an 8,000-square-foot

Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

house. It is significant as a work of architect Henry Higby Gutterson and for its innovative construction with light grey interlocking

Precast concrete Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable molding (process), mold or "form" which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and maneuvered into place; examples i ...

blocks. The mansion is preserved within the Mission Trail Nature Preserve in

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its natural scenery and ric ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on March 23, 1989.

History

Paul and Grace Flanders, married in 1920, came to Carmel in 1922, to build a home and start a business in real estate development. They purchased 80 acres of land from Dr. Daniel T. MacDougal, of the coastal botanical lab for the Carnegie Institution in

. Flanders designed a two-story home, which they named the ''Outlands'' at 25800 Hatton Road, located on a hill overlooking the

Carmel Mission Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo, or Misión de San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, first built in 1797, is one of the most authentically restored Catholic mission churches in California. Located at the mouth of Carmel Valley, Californ ...

, and

Point Lobos Point Lobos and the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is a state park in California. Adjoining Point Lobos is "one of the richest marine habitats in California." The ocean habitat is protected by two marine protected areas, the Point Lobos Sta ...

. The Flander's were one of the first Carmelites to hire an outside architect, Henry Higby Gutterson, to design and contractor Fred Ruhl to build their residence. He had supervised the architect for the first subdivision in northern California, the

St. Francis Wood, San Francisco St. Francis Wood is a residential neighborhood located in southwestern San Francisco, California, south of the West Portal neighborhood and west of Mount Davidson. St. Francis Wood had a population of 1,229 and a median household income of $179, ...

. The Flanders Mansion lies at the end of a long driveway off Hatton Road surrounded by upper end of the Mission Trail Nature Preserve. The "Outlands"

English cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide ...

design was one of the first use of this style of residential architecture in Carmel By-the-Sea. The construction with light grey interlocking

blocks was produced by the Carmel Thermotile Company. The material was advertised as "fireproof, waterproof and practically everlasting." In 1925, Flanders became the president of the Carmel Land Company and helped develop

Hatton Fields Hatton Fields is an unincorporated community southeast of downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea in Monterey County, California, United States. Homes have views of Carmel Valley, Point Lobos, and Carmel Bay. The residential neighborhood is bordered by Rio Ro ...

, southeast of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The new company formed an office on Ocean Avenue between Louis S. Slevin's general merchandise store and the Carmel Bakery. Paul Flanders was president,

Ernest Schweninger Ernest Seraphin Schweninger (September 9, 1892 – November 11, 1957) was an American actor and grocer in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. His parents built the Schweninger Building in 1906, known today as the Carmel Bakery. Schweninger was foun ...

was secretary, and Peter Mawdsley was the treasurer. In 1976, the Carmel Art Institute was relocated to the Flanders Mansion, where the Institute continued to operate until owner John Cunningham's retirement in 1988. In 1972, Mayor Gunnar Norberg mounted the "Save the Flanders Estate' campaign. As vice-mayor, he persuaded the City of Carmel to purchase the Flanders mansion and adjoining from the Flanders heirs for $275,000 (). It has become part of the 34-acre Mission Trail Nature Preserve. Part of this property is now the Rowntree Native Plant Garden at 25800 Hatton Road. The non-profit organization Flanders Foundation was formed in 1998 to preserve, enhance, and maintain the city owned the Flanders Mansion and Mission Trail Nature Preserve. As of 2018, the City of Carmel is looking for a

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

to donate their time, skills, and financial resources to restore the Flanders Mansion in exchange for rent-free use of the Mansion for 20 years.

References

External links

Outlands in the Eighty Acres

National Register of Historic Places in Monterey County

Mission Trail Nature Preserve
{{DEFAULTSORT:Outlands in the Eighty Acres Buildings and structures in Monterey County, California Buildings and structures in California 1925 establishments in California Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

History

See also

References

External links