Every Saturday morning, from April to November, residents of Grass Valley and nearby communities make their way to North Star House where the largest of the 3 terrific Nevada County Grower’s Markets is held on spacious grounds adjacent to a house designed by famed California architect, Julia Morgan. Also the designer of Hearst Castle later in her career, North Star House was just Morgan’s second residential commission, yet her distinctive style is apparent despite the damage of decades of neglect.
The beautiful 10,000 square foot North Star House, built in Morgan’s iconic California Craftsman style and finished in 1905, is owned by the North Star Conservancy, a private organization, whose efforts over the years have brought the building back from the brink of certain destruction. Years of work still remain to restore the house and every market day enthusiastic volunteers are on the site to show visitors the ground floor restorations and to encourage contributions and participation in the ongoing work.
The house is a mile from historic downtown Grass Valley, and was built for the superintendent of the North Star Mine, Arthur De Wint Foote and his wife, Mary Hallock Foote, a well known author and illustrator. Wallace Stegner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, ‘Angle of Repose’, is based on the life of the Foote family.
Gold mining operations ceased at the North Star Mine in 1956, and while time has not been as kind to the structures there as it has been to Empire Cottage and Mine, about a mile away and now a state park, the project of bringing it back has captured the imaginations of the community. If interest in the house on market days is any indication, only time, money and a great deal of work will be needed to restore the building to its former glory.
I rarely miss the Saturday market during the months growers bring their fresh produce from nearby farms and the Central Valley down the hill. I love hearing “we picked them this morning” and also go to the Tuesday version at the Rood County Center, up Highway 49 in Nevada City. While not as large as Saturday’s event, it has the benefit of being steps from another favorite of mine, the Madelyn Helling County Library. One stop shopping for some of life’s greatest pleasures.
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