Confidential concept preview. Not for distribution. Imagery is illustrative.
Inspiration
It has been done before.
Across the country and abroad, great houses held by universities, cities and states have come back from years of neglect to become some of the most loved places in their communities. Seven of them show what Ralston Hall could become.
What these seven houses have in common
Each was a landmark in decline, held by a public body or institution, that came back as a working place for its community rather than a sealed museum.
How they are used
All mix several uses: public tours, weddings and private events, concerts and performances, exhibitions, school programs, and a ceremonial or institutional anchor such as a state reception house or university venue.
How they were saved
A public or institutional funder led the capital, typically half to four-fifths of the cost, with philanthropy raising the rest. Most are run day to day by a dedicated nonprofit, foundation or trust rather than the owner.
What they achieved
Reopened houses of this kind draw roughly 40,000 to 100,000 visitors a year when tours are paired with events. Several stayed partly open during the works, keeping public support alive.
What it took
Six to seventeen years from trigger to reopening, and the strongest kept an operating budget and maintenance reserve, so a restored house does not slip back into decline.
The Jon B. Lovelace Collection of California Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith's America Project, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Sacramento, California · 1856, enlarged 1871-72
Leland Stanford Mansion
Why it is like Ralston
A Gold Rush era Victorian mansion of 19,000 SF, later a Catholic children's home, then left to decay under a public owner, much as Ralston passed through the Sisters and NDNU.
Why it needed saving
The state closed the leaking building in 1997 after earlier museum efforts stalled. A foundation formed in 1991 and the state funded rehabilitation from 1998.
How it is used
Official state reception centreGovernor's officeFree guided public toursBanquets and outdoor receptionsHalloween mystery tours
The outcome
Reopened in September 2005 (one source says 2006) after about $20 to 22 million over 14 years, roughly 55 percent state and 45 percent private. It recorded about 26,000 free visits in FY2022/23.
The lesson for Ralston
An institutional anchor use that needs the house to look its best can keep it open every day, with a catering kitchen and reception terrace designed in from the start.
Owner and operator
State of California (California State Parks), with the Leland Stanford Mansion Foundation
A visitor reading an interpretive panel in the mansion grounds, August 2009Photo: Larry Jacobsen (ljguitar), CC BY 2.0, via Flickr
Photo: André Corboz, Fondo André Corboz, Iconoteca dell'Accademia di architettura, Mendrisio, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Stanford, California · 1937 (Frank Lloyd Wright)
Hanna House
Why it is like Ralston
A university-owned National Historic Landmark residence on the Peninsula, closed by earthquake damage, the same story Ralston tells after its 2012 seismic closure.
Why it needed saving
The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake cracked walls, shifted the slab floor and left the house uninhabitable for nearly a decade. Stanford formed a Board of Governors in 1993 to raise the money.
How it is used
Public toursUniversity seminarsReceptions and dinnersConference use
The outcome
Reopened in April 1999 after a restoration of about $2 million (sources give $1.2 to $2.2 million), helped by a $600,000 FEMA grant. It is now closed again for repairs with no reopening date.
The lesson for Ralston
Fund a maintenance reserve and write public access hours into the agreement, or a restored house can quietly close again.
Photo: MichaelJLocke, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Los Angeles, California · 1919-21 (Frank Lloyd Wright)
Hollyhock House
Why it is like Ralston
A California landmark house held by a public owner that suffered decades of seismic and water damage before a coordinated repair.
Why it needed saving
Earthquakes, soil settlement and water intrusion damaged the house for decades, and attendance fell from about 60,000 to 12,000 a year. The city and a public-private partnership began planning a full repair in 2007.
How it is used
Self-guided and guided toursVirtual 360 degree tourArts park with gallery and theatreChildren's arts centreSummer evening events
The outcome
Reopened on 13 February 2015 after a $4.36 million seismic and water repair, with a 24-hour free opening. It now reports over 40,000 visitors a year and became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019.
The lesson for Ralston
Set a staffing floor and price tickets above cost, because the operating budget, not the capital, is where a public house is most at risk.
Owner and operator
City of Los Angeles (Department of Cultural Affairs)
Ribbon-cutting ceremony with speakers and guests at the reopening of the restored house, February 2015Photo: Junkyardsparkle, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia CommonsMayor Eric Garcetti and a guest in the living room beneath the skylight on reopening day, February 2015Photo: Eric Garcetti, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sarasota, Florida · 1924-26
Ca' d'Zan
Why it is like Ralston
A 36,000 SF, 56-room mansion under a state and university owner, close to Ralston in size and in its long years of under-maintenance.
Why it needed saving
Under state ownership the house decayed so badly it served as a ruined mansion in a 1998 film. Museum staff raised the alarm and it closed in 1996 for full restoration.
How it is used
Timed guided house toursPremium house experience ticketsPart of a museum and gardens campusPerformance and arts festival programme
The outcome
Reopened in April 2002 after about $15 million over six years, about 80 percent state money. The Ringling campus draws over 400,000 visitors a year, though hurricane damage has closed the house since September 2024.
The lesson for Ralston
Phase the work envelope first, then systems, then interiors, and design the plant for the site's own hazard, which for Ralston is earthquake and hillside drainage.
Owner and operator
State of Florida, managed by Florida State University (The Ringling)
Visitors touring the Great Hall (Court) of the mansion, June 2014Photo: Upstateherd, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsA docent and a visitor with a guide leaflet in the Court, March 2017Photo: Daderot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
'Lockwood-Mathews Mansion' by Ajay Suresh, CC BY 4.0, via Flickr/Wikimedia Commons
Norwalk, Connecticut · 1864-68
Lockwood-Mathews Mansion
Why it is like Ralston
Built in the same years as Ralston for a financier, 44,000 SF and 62 rooms, city-owned and run by a nonprofit that grew out of a citizens' rescue.
Why it needed saving
The city planned to demolish it for a city hall in 1959 until citizens saved it. Decades later its mechanical, fire and electrical systems had never been fully funded.
How it is used
House museum toursAnnual antiques showHoliday decorated roomsVenue rentals and corporate eventsFilm location
The outcome
Reopened on 4 June 2025 after an $18 million systems project done in a single closure, with $3 million each from the state and the city.
The lesson for Ralston
Do the seismic, systems and sprinkler work in one closure, because historic walls and ceilings cannot be opened twice.
Owner and operator
City of Norwalk, run by the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum nonprofit
Preservation grant announcement with speakers and guests in the mansion gallery, October 2014Photo: CT Senate Democrats, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, via FlickrCuratorial board chair leading a tour of the mansion interiors, October 2014Photo: CT Senate Democrats, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, via Flickr
Photo: Warren LeMay (w_lemay), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr/Wikimedia Commons
Dearborn, Michigan · 1913-15
Fair Lane
Why it is like Ralston
A 31,000 SF, 56-room National Historic Landmark that a university owned for decades and then closed because it could not carry the cost.
Why it needed saving
The University of Michigan closed the house in 2010 with leaking roofs, failing foundations and an eroding riverbank. In 2013 it handed the house and 17 acres to a new nonprofit backed by the Ford family.
How it is used
90-minute guided house tours (from 2027)Gardens and grounds open dailyConcert seriesRestoration showcase toursSmall events in outbuildings
The outcome
Reopening is planned for June 2027 after a 17-year closure. The first phase raised over $24 million, including a $10 million Ford Foundation grant; a reported total of about $50 million is not yet confirmed.
The lesson for Ralston
Put the first 10 percent of every dollar raised into an operating endowment, and keep the grounds open and programmed during the works.
Owner and operator
Henry Ford Estate, Inc. (nonprofit), transferred from the University of Michigan in 2013
Photo: Andrewrabbott, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK · 1725-50
Wentworth Woodhouse
Why it is like Ralston
A former higher-education building, once used by a polytechnic, that declined under owners who could not fund its upkeep before a trust stepped in.
Why it needed saving
By 2013 repairs were estimated at £42 million and nearly four acres of roof leaked. A government grant and a charity purchase in 2017 started the rescue.
How it is used
House tours and hard-hat roof toursWeddings and eventsFilming for film and televisionContemporary art exhibitionsTea room and hospitality
The outcome
Open to the public throughout the works since 2017, with about 71,000 visitors and £13.5 million added to the regional economy in its first four years. Unrestricted income rose 38 percent to £3.2 million in 2024/25.
The lesson for Ralston
Open the works to visitors and report jobs, local spend and volunteer hours, the measures a city council responds to.
A visitor group walking up to the West Front, May 2013Photo: Stephen Richards, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph / Wikimedia CommonsVisitors passing through the South Court gateway into the gardens, May 2013Photo: Stephen Richards, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph / Wikimedia Commons
Figures are drawn from public sources and rounded; where sources disagree, ranges are shown. Photographs are credited on each image.
The Jon B. Lovelace Collection of California Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith's America Project, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
