Romantic At Heart
The Victorian Gillis House in Yreka…
Romanticism as a movement may have actually predated the Victorian period, but it’s hard not to fall in love with a Victorian house. That’s what happened to Cynthia Sandberg, the owner and restorer of the treasured Gillis House in Yreka. “The Gillis House had already been on the market for about a year when I was Googling ‘Victorians for sale’ in the entire United States. I’d always wanted one, and I could see from my searches that if I chose to go to the Midwest, I could probably afford one. But then one day, I decided to try my search in California and found this one about a six-hour drive from where I lived. At 7400 square feet, I thought, ‘Wow. This place is huge,’ and I couldn’t believe the price. I didn’t want to drive to see it, because it really was a pipe dream. But I continued checking in every few months and kept seeing the price get reduced bit by bit. One day, I happened to be driving from Oregon back down to California and decided to just stop by and take a gander at it. I ended up making an even lower offer than what it had been reduced to, and couldn’t believe it when they accepted it. Then I thought, ‘Oh, no. What the heck have I got myself into?’”
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Built in 1895 by Hudson B. Gillis, an eminent attorney and city leader, the house is the largest historic home in Yreka, with three stories and a partial basement. “There are quite a few historic homes in the area where the Gillis House is located. But it is a stunning home, and because it is the largest in town, it has always had the reputation of being the Gillis Mansion, says Claudia East, a retired educator, author and local historian.
At the time it was built, Yreka was a well-established town, and a major stage stop and transportation hub between San Francisco and Portland. “We had as many as 16 stage lines that stopped in town going north, south and mainly west,” East says. “Yreka and the Siskiyou area as a whole was very prominent in logging, ranching and farming, but it was also known for its gold mining that brought a lot of newcomers to the area.”
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The Gillis house remained in the Gillis family until the mid-1960s, then changed hands multiple times. “In the past, there were several tours of the home for various events, and Yreka Historic Preservation used to have an active group in the ‘70s and early 1980s that put on Historic Home Tours as fundraisers,” East says. “But for the last 30 years or so, it has been a private home, or under some kind of restoration and locals had few opportunities to tour the house. So, the mystery of what it looked like inside always kept it in conversation.”
Despite some exterior renovations in the 1990s, it wasn’t until Sandberg purchased the home that the house was truly restored to its former glory. “It was in such a state of disrepair and it needed so much work, it took a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” Sandberg says. “Some things haven’t changed, like the chandeliers are the same from original photos going back to the early 1900s. Other things have been improved. But now, I adore simply walking around the house and admiring it. I love that I’m the caretaker and preserver of this history. One of my favorite elements is the goose weathervane flying above the top of the turret. I had it gold-leafed, so when the sun shines on it just right, it’s absolutely stunning.”
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The interior is also now accessible to the public, as the home is available to rent as a guest house, boasting two kitchens and accommodations for 16 people. “I remodeled the house to suit my taste and budget,” Sandberg says. “It was not my intention to turn it into a guest house, but I knew I couldn’t spend all my time there, so, I decided to offer it on Airbnb to families in the area looking to get together for reunions, weddings, birthdays and other life events. Folks have been appreciative that all their family can stay together in one location. I actually love sharing the house. That’s what it was meant for – lots of folks to admire it.” •
Find The Gillis House on
Airbnb and VRBO, or email loveapplefarm@gmail.com