Other San Diego Historical Society publications
The Villa Montezuma
Special issue, Journal of San Diego History, Spring/Summer 1987
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The Villa Montezuma, built in the Queen Anne style in 1887, is the unique aristic creation of spiritualist, musician and author Jesse Shepard. Viewed in a larger context, however, the Villa Montezuma is a romantic and colorful symbol of the great Southern California "boom" of the 1880s and stands as a tangible link to this tumultuous and optimistic period.
When the City of San Diego designated the Villa Montezuma as an historic site in 1970, the house was in poor structural shape. In March of 1986 a fire damaged much of the second floor; water and soot caused more damage on the main floor of the house.
After careful restoration, the Villa Montezuma remains a superb example of eclectic Victorian architecture; a monument to the ornate and exotic tastes of the late nineteenth century. It remains open to the public today as a museum operated by the San Diego Historical Society.
Full text and images from this Special Issue are now on-line
149 pages, softbound, $13.95.
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Mail order form for publications available. For more information about these and other San Diego Historical Society publications, or to receive a free copy of our Publications Catalog, please call (619) 232-6203, ext. 114.
