"By the early 1970s, the estate was deteriorating, and the city planned to bulldoze it to make room for a parking lot until a group of local history lovers came to the rescue. The Camron-Stanford House Preservation Association, or CSHPA, acquired a below-market rate lease on the property in exchange for a promise to restore the house to its former glory and maintain it as a site of public education."
"Perched on the western shore of Lake Merritt, between upscale Lake Chalet Bar & Grill and the towering Alameda County Courthouse, the Camron-Stanford House offers visitors a sweeping view of the Oakland Hills from the second-story veranda after they pass through the home's interior, which is filled with art, furniture and fashion of the Gilded Age. This panoramic vista, the opulent vintage decor and the estate's manicured gardens make it a popular wedding location, with rental revenue providing the bulk of CSHPA's annual budget."
Samuel Merritt built the Camron-Stanford House in 1876; it later served as Oakland's first public museum from 1907 to 1965. By the early 1970s the estate was deteriorating and the city planned to bulldoze it for a parking lot until local preservationists intervened. The Camron-Stanford House Preservation Association secured a below-market lease by promising to restore and operate the house for public education. The property sits on Lake Merritt with historic interiors, gardens, and a popular wedding venue whose rental revenue funds maintenance. After more than five decades, the city declined to renew CSHPA's lease, imperiling operations and preservation.
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