A property that’s designated historical by the state of California must be of a certain age and have undergone such specific attention to its needs as to be rendered not renovated or remodeled, but preserved – preserved as close to original as possible. Such is the case with the three-story transitional Colonial Revival mansion on West Franklin Street in the heart of Monterey.

It was built in 1911. Since February 2004, Todd Porteous and his partner have owned and exquisitely preserved it through extensive work. Porteous designed the project detail by detail. “We didn’t do the labor,” he says. “We hired contractors right from our neighborhood and sometimes had three and four crews here at the same time.” That was vital given that just to scrape and sand the exterior took eight straight weeks. It took five more to paint it. (Pale moss/white trim/wonderful iron fence/gate and electric gates at the driveway to the original carriage house.)

When the couple bought the property, they found treasured original features inside still intact. “We were so happy about the condition of the woodwork,” Porteous says. “All the floors are the original Clear Heart Douglas fir.” The colors and age-ring striations are gorgeous. He notices how similar the grain is to tiger markings. There are two sets of original, delicately proportioned pilasters with ionic stakes, unobtrusive in their scale and placement, found between the living room and the parlor. They’re like architectural museum pieces and are particularly arresting in miniature around the fireplace and mantel. Between the parlor and the dining room, a pair of oversized pocket doors also are original, still standing tall despite the passing of nearly 100 years.

Beneath the 10-foot ceilings, the mansion flows like a figure eight that begins in the foyer where the grand staircase on the left curves to the second floor (one master and bath with steam shower, great bonus room, two guest rooms, laundry room and second full bath with claw-foot tub). A second staircase begins on the second floor at the rear of the house and curves down on the right to the first floor. It lands in the family room/home theater, which includes a butler’s bar and half-bath. A solarium behind is the full width of the house, windows displaying mature fruit trees, reclaimed brick (from Spreckels sugar factory) terraces and a fountain in the secluded backyard where there’s a carriage house to one side. It was built in 1898, and Porteous designed its preservation, which includes the garage and a luxury apartment above.

A third staircase goes to the “attic” with the second master/bath. They’re the only rooms on the third floor, and the vista of the bay from the widow’s walk is worth a postcard. The fourth staircase in the mansion begins in the first-floor hallway and goes to the original root cellar where Porteous designed a Class-A, 500-bottle wine cellar.

From the moment the front door opens on the veranda, the house draws one inside as if by a warm hand introducing the magic of the ideal Colonial Revival mansion from 1911. Handsome rooms are glimpsed through wide doorways across shimmering floors and around staircases, inviting friendly exploration of the grand, yet tailored, home like none built today. Given the pristine beauty inside and out, it’s not surprising how long a person needs to finally hear the silence there. The city of Monterey may wait at the doorstep, yet the house forever keeps its peace. 

Price $2,195,000. 530 W. Franklin St., Monterey. Contact Todd Porteous, International Estates Inc., 277-2380