Designed by celebrated French architect Ernest Sanson for Harriett Pullman Carolan, heiress to the Pullman railroad car fortune, the 65,000 square feet, 98-room country house was built between 1912 and 1916 on a 500 acre estate at the highest point of the exclusive township of Hillsborough, California. Sanson's plans and the construction of the house were overseen by noted San Francisco architect
Willis Polk. The plans for the gardens and surrounding park were drawn up by the great French landscape designer Achille Duchêne. After having never been completed, and languishing for several years through a series of owners, (none of whom could really afford the immense cost of the place), the house and almost six remaining acres of the original estate were acquired by Charles and Ann Johnson in 1998 for six million dollars. Since acquiring the Carolands, the Johnsons have invested an immense amount of time, effort, and money to meticulously repair and restore the estate. Through collaborative efforts with Mario Buatta, who oversaw the refurbishment of the interiors, Doug Wilson, who oversaw the structural restoration, and Martin Lane Cox, who oversaw the planning and replanting of the gardens and grounds, the Carolands has been "brought back to life" in a quality and completeness never before known.
