Historic Property #11: Nick & Anna Fox House

Address: 2780 Coloma Street

Year Built: 1887

Architect: Unknown

Builder: Frank Marshall

Architectural Style: Queen Anne Victorian

Renowned as a Victorian showplace, the Nick and Anna Fox House sits in an area once called City Gardens. The couple purchased the property in 1895 from Sarah Lowry, wife of the local postmaster. Nick arrived in Placerville in 1891, operating the El Dorado Saloon and multiple mining interests before embarking on a distinguished career in civic leadership. He served on the City Council for two decades, including a term as Mayor from 1916 to 1920, and held executive roles with the El Dorado County Bank and Irrigation District. Anna, an avid collector and designer, supervised the evolution of the home from a modest farmhouse into a grand residence. Additionally, the structure that currently houses a local preschool was originally the barn built for her prized horses. The couple celebrated over 50 years of marriage before the passing of Anna in 1944.

The home is a marvel of craftsmanship. A 1911 expansion added a sweeping veranda and elegant bay windows. Nick gathered materials in a buckboard to create much of the masonry on the property, including a 1902 wine cellar that was allegedly built using stone blocks cut by Folsom Prison inmates. The interior centerpiece is a stunning fireplace built entirely by hand. Nick embedded the structure with quartz crystals, obsidian, fossils, and garnets that Anna collected during their travels and from their personal mines. Anna designed the surround and even embedded an iron stamp with her name into the stone, much like an artist signing a masterpiece. The interior also boasted maple floors inlaid with black walnut, handmade French wallpaper, brass chandeliers salvaged from ships, and early innovations like a basement water wheel used to power a washing machine.

Following the death of Nick in 1957 at age 94, the property passed through several dedicated stewards. These included Dr. R. Hosking and the Smith family, who initiated a major restoration in the 1960s. During the 1970s, Don and Betty Smith celebrated the heritage of the property by planting classic garden roses. Current owners Ron and Jill Gutzman acquired the estate in the early 2000s to undertake a meticulous renovation. They refinished the inlaid floors, restored the roof, and imported specially fabricated metal cresting from Pennsylvania to replace the missing originals. They also saved the historic garage by lifting it onto a new foundation to serve as a home brewery. Captivating in its restored beauty, the home was featured on the HGTV program If Walls Could Talk and was beautifully immortalized in the beloved Thomas Kinkade painting Victorian Christmas II.