For Sale

http://www.svherald.com/articles/2003/09/22/news/news4.txt

The Walter Douglas house qualifies for this distinction. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of Interior, it was rated as excellent on all three of its criteria for excellence of architecture, the importance of its owner (business tycoon Walter Douglas) and significance to history. It also was named House of the Week by the Wall Street Journal and was again awarded that distinction on Friday.

The architect, Walter C. Trost, a student of the renowned architect Henry Sullivan from Chicago and father of prairie-style architecture, and classmate of Frank Lloyd Wright, was given unlimited funds by the mining company to build a showcase home. Access to large sums of money allowed Trost to let his imagination fly.

He said the mining company spared no expense in funding this house. "They had more money than they knew what to do with," he said.

The mining company wanted to make it a showcase home for Walter Douglas, the general manager of mining operations in Arizona, for entertaining and doing business with people from around the world. Douglas commissioned Henry C. Trost to design the home. The house is considered the largest and best example of Trost's work and is considered an exquisite example of mission revival style.

The home has 12 bedrooms, six fireplaces, maple floors and leaded glass windows whose details match the details in the bookcases and wall and window trim. Matching paneled walls, eight foot pocket doors, massive beamed ceilings, hall arches and original brass wall lamps are found throughout the home.

Four of the six fireplaces were made with Gruebe tile imported from Italy. Each tile would, at today's prices, cost $250. That would bring the cost of one to around $10,000 in tiles alone.