When Alexander purchased the large estate in the rolling East Bay foothills, the land featured fruit orchards, farms and vestiges of the Spanish rancho days. The elegant mansion was built as a wedding gift for his beloved Josephine in December 1899.

In 1906, the estate was purchased by I.W. Hellmann Jr. who worked for Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco, as a summer home for his family. They dubbed their estate Oakvale Park. By 1913 the mansion was remodeled to accommodate the growing Hellmann family and their acquisitions from European travels.

The Hellmann’s enjoyed the estate together for fourteen years until Mr. Hellmann died in 1920. Mrs. Hellmann kept the estate, where her children and grandchildren came for long summer days, until the late 1950's. During the Hellmann era the landscaping at the northern end of the estate was developed, and the swimming pool and Dinkelspiel House were added to the estate.

The estate was purchased by the City of Oakland in the early 1960's with the intent of using the grounds and mansion as a conference center. The latter did not prove feasible and a non-profit organization was formed in 1971 to preserve and restore the estate for the public benefit. For many years, the non-profit group and the City jointly operated the estate.

In June 1989 an Agreement was entered into between the City of Oakland and the non-profit Dunsmuir House and Gardens, Inc. whereby the City gave the non-profit full responsibility for funding, operating, promoting, preserving, restoring, developing and improving Dunsmuir House and Gardens Historic Estate. The 50-acre estate is to be used as an educational, historical, cultural, and horticultural resource.

We enthusiastically invite you to visit the Dunsmuir House & Gardens Historic Estate while you are in Oakland.