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Villa Montezuma Museum
The Villa Montezuma on K Street
in San Diego, California is presently closed to the public, waiting
for the funds to renovate this magnificent Queen Anne Victorian
mansion that was constructed in 1887, for Jesse Shepard, an enigma
of his time, caught somewhere between reality and what some might
say or imagine as purgatory. The house, villa or mansion, or
whatever you might call it, is one of the most intriguing,
indescribable houses in the city. It is one of those houses
constructed during the 1880s boom period, much like we had in the
early 21st century, just before our bubble burst, so did theirs.
Before the railroad came to the city of San Diego, in 1885, the
small city was not much more than a dust bowl of a small frontier
town, and it was at the end of a long journey over the mountains,
although by that time, more people were traveling to the state by
ship. After the railroads came to the city, the population exploded
from 5000 to more than 40,000, knowing that the rails would bring in
more people, businesses and affluence. And adding to all that, the
views of the San Diego bay and ocean shoreline helped the real
estate prices jump as much as the population did. Wanting to bring
culture and civility to the new growing city, many would finance the
construction of schools, colleges, opera houses. The city even
persuaded Harr Wagner, the editor of the San Francisco literary
magazine, The Golden Era, and his entourage of artisans that
included painters, musicians and poets to come to the city. One of
these eccentrics was the spiritualist, musician, singer and author,
Jesse Shepard, who the magnificent villa was constructed for. The
villa was constructed on a sloping hillside, and is two stories high
with a basement that held a kitchen and storage rooms. There was a
tower room on the south side, surmounted by an Arabesque dome, and
this would become Jesse's study. The main entrance is on the north
side, and the interior is spectacular with dark polished redwood and
walnut walls, stylish Lincrusta ceilings, and many art glass
windows. The fireplaces are tile faced, and the entire house was
designed using the ideas of Jesse, who had been in Europe and Russia
prior to coming here and certainly did influence the architecture.
Comstock and Trotsche were the architects that had designed many of
the affluent homes of the city and the glass windows full of
artistic scenes were created by John Mallon of San Francisco, while
the furniture, fabrics and decorative arts of the furnishings were
picked and arrayed by Jesse. Left of the entry hallway, a reception
room awaits, lighted by a splendid art glass window that shows
flowers and grapes. It was named the Pink Room by Jesse, since the
upper portions of the wallpaper had pink fleur-de-lis designs, and
the furniture and drapes had a definite pink tone; as did the very
candles that were used for light. The flooring in here, as is
throughout the house is polished fir, but when Jesse lived here,
they were covered with Turkish or Persian rugs, containing colors
that complemented the furniture and drapes. Next to the reception
room is the music room, which takes up the entire east part of the
house. The northeast side of the room held a small conservatory that
was rounded and tiled, which would be the perfect place for growing
exotic plants. The art glass windows depict the four seasons and the
east wall is a monumentous art glass window that showcases the Greek
poetess, Sappho, with two cupids. On separate panels, filling both
sides are scenes from John Milton's L'Allegro and Il Penseroso. The
north end has two high circular windows that hold portraits of
Mozart and Beethoven in art glass and likewise on the south wall,
there are portraits of Raphael and Rubens. Below these are two full
length portrait windows that are allegorical representations of the
Occident and Orient. The face used for the figure in the Orient is
believed to be the portrait of Jesse himself, who had usually
associated himself with the mysticism of the east rather than the
materialism we are involved with. The ceiling in the Music room is
silver-grey Lincrusta with an elegant redwood strip inlaid.
There is so much more to tell about the unfathomable house, like the
drawing room that has a corner fireplace and glorious 18 foot bay
window that had life size art glass portraits of Shakespeare, Goethe
and Corneille, the outstanding poets of Germany, France and England,
on the upper sashes. The faces are painted with enamel, on a single
piece of glass, and the encompassing decorations are elaborate
colors of leaded glass, entwined with many beveled jewel pieces. Or
the Red Room, which was Jesse's own bedroom, located on the south
side of the house and upstairs. The walls are covered with Lincrusta
Walton, white with gold fleur-de-lis; with the bedcover and pillow
shams red with art needlework, as were the candles red. Jesse
Shepard, also known under the pen name of Francis Grierson passed
away on May 30, 1927, leaving more than a haunted house, but a tale
that should be a movie since it has all the drama, mystery and
riches that artists of this period could have. His full name was
Benjamin Henry Jesse Francis Shepard and he was born in Birkenhead,
England in 1848. He heard the last debate between Stephen Douglas
and Abraham Lincoln, and once called Lincoln a "mystic". He went to
Europe and studied under Madame Helena Blavatsky, called the mother
of theosophy, and many other students and teachers of the occult. He
played the piano, gave concert séances and sometimes would have the
sprits of the great composers enter him and play the piano like no
one else could. In the 1880s, he met the High brothers, who were the
men that built this incredible house for Jesse. It is a story that
must be read, and one you will be surprised and intrigued yourself
by this enigmatic man, who died at the piano, with his fingers still
laid on the ivory keys of the last note of one of his best
performances ever, and he even had to borrow shoes for the event.
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