What we know so far about Bidwell Mansion burning down in the night
By Ken Magri
On Wednesday morning, December 11, at around 3:15 a.m., a fire broke out at Bidwell Mansion State Historical Park, the beloved 19th century home of Chico’s founder John Bidwell.
A witness reported seeing “a white man” walking away from an illegal fire that had been started near the mansion. The Chico Fire Department attacked the flames within minutes, joined by allied units, though the building inferno gutted the entire interior and left only the ghost of an outer shell.
It also left questions about structural integrity.
Chico Mayor Kasey Reynolds said that the Chico Fire Department coordinated with Chico Police Department, Cal Fire, CSUS Police, California State Parks, Butte Emergency Medical Services, Chico Public Works, PGE, and Cal Water on its response to the incident.
“Last night’s fire at the Bidwell Mansion is a devastating loss for Chico,” the mayor acknowledged. “Our firefighters, whether on duty or off, gave their all in the face of this fire.”
Prior to the disaster, the mansion had been fenced off with its exterior fitted by scaffolds from a comprehensive restoration project that was underway by the California State Parks. That effort was two-thirds completed. The state’s website still features detailed photos of the restoration progress, including time-lapse shots from the project’s start, which can be viewed here.
“Approximately 10% of the collections in the mansion were original -the rest of them were either replicas or mock-up displays,” said Matt Teague, Superintendent for the Northern Buttes District of California State Parks. “There was a self-portrait of John Bidwell and there was a piano that Annie used as well.”
Teague added that other small original items had already been removed to prevent possible damage from the restoration work.
Teague also confirmed that an arson investigation by the state’s fire marshal is now ongoing.
“Personally, I have been pretty intimate with this project,” Teague noted. “It’s still a shock for me, especially in the middle of a major park restoration project.”
Reactions pour in
“All who know and love Chico felt this loss deeply,” Chico City Councilmember Mike O’Brien lamented. “There are several things people associate with Chico: Bidwell Park, Downtown, Chico State, Sierra Nevada – and the Bidwell Mansion. Like Mayor Reynolds, I am also appreciative of the efforts of our first responders, especially Chico Fire, for their efforts to save Bidwell Mansion. It did not go down without a fight.”
Councilman Addison Winslow was also reflective.
“The mansion belonged to all of us, not the Bidwells nor any private interest in town,” he observed. “Our whole city and the state of California suffer the loss.”
California State Parks Director Armando Quintero did not downplay what the fire meant.
“For over a century this beloved landmark has stood as a testament to the legacy of John and Annie Bidwell and the community they helped shape,” Quintero said. “To see it so severely damaged is a profound loss that we all feel deeply.”
Ashley (Tittle) Moore, a Chico native and Director of Communications and Marketing at California State Parks Foundation, likely spoke for many locals when she said, “We are heartbroken by the devastating fire at Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park.”
She also noted, “We are reaching out to local park staff and partners to understand their immediate needs and explore how we can best support recovery efforts.”
The mansion’s history
Bidwell Mansion was designed by the architect William H. Cleaveland, who was also known for his designs of San Francisco’s original Palace Hotel and the Ralston Mansion in Belmont, California. In addition to the Bidwell home, Cleaveland is credited with designing Chico’s A. H. Chapman House, also called “Little Chapman Mansion,” on East 12th Street.
Bidwell Mansion was created in a style called “Italianate,” which emulates the high-tower palazzos of the Tuscan Renaissance and their wide projecting cornices with heavy brackets and ornate windows. Construction began in 1865 on John Bidwell’s 26,000-acre Rancho del Arroyo Chico. Building outer and inner brick walls that enclosed air space in-between for insulation, the brick was then covered on the outside with pinkish plaster.
Once inside, the 26-room mansion featured a spacious event hall, dining room, library and General Bidwell’s office, with the kitchen and laundry room located in the rear. The bedrooms were upstairs and included bathrooms with flushing toilets. The third floor included more guest rooms, an additional ballroom and a second office for the general. Also equipped with state-of-the-art gas lighting, construction was completed in 1868 at a cost of $56,000.
John and Annie Bidwell filled their mansion with modern Victorian furniture, marble-topped tables, slate fireplaces, lace curtains and wall-to-wall carpeting, all lost or damaged in the fire. Known to be gracious hosts, the Bidwells entertained guests like President Ruthaford Hayes, General William T. Sherman, suffragette Susan B. Anthony and naturalist John Muir.
The Mechoopda Tribe of the Chico Rancheria shares a history with the land on which the Bidwells built their mansion. For them, it was a dark time. John Bidwell himself offered a buffer of protection to some members of the tribe, though broader political forces leveled a sad fate for Chico’s First People: A plan to remove 461 Native Americans from Butte County lands began in 1863. In a forced two-week walk to Mendicino County only 277 reached their destination.
“Thirty-two people died en-route, and of those several were known to have been cruelly killed, in some cases for walking too slow,” according to the Mechoopda Tribe’s website. “Some men were shot for trying to escape, while others succeeded in their flight.”
But many of the Mechoopda were employed by John Bidwell at that time, living on his ranch and working for pay on the construction of the mansion. They were not forced into removal due to their association with Bidwell, “and in effect received his protection,” the tribe’s website noted. “Those from foothill villages who escaped the removal became residents of the new Mechoopda located on Bidwell’s Rancho Arroyo Chico.”
After Annie Bidwell’s death in 1918, the mansion was bequeathed to the Presbyterian Church to establish a Christian school. But with no success, it was turned over in 1923 to the Chico State Teacher’s College (now California State University at Chico). It became part of the California State Parks Department in 1964 and later renamed the Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park.
The future of the mansion
“As far as the future, that is yet to be determined,” said Councilmember O’Brien. “I am encouraged by the Honey Run Bridge rebuild, another community landmark, that is nearing completion … There is significance to that effort.”
The non-profit North Valley Community Foundation (NVCF) has already opened a Rebuild Bidwell Mansion Fund in an effort to jump-start a new restoration effort. “Created in partnership with Tri Counties Bank and California State University, Chico, Tri Counties Bank seeded the fund with a $50,000 donation,” said the NVCF press release.
Donations can be made online at www.nvcf.org/funds/rebuild-bidwell-mansion-fund or at any Tri Counties Bank location. Checks made out to Rebuild Bidwell Mansion Fund can also be mailed to: North Valley Community Foundation, 1811 Concord Ave., Suite 220, Chico, CA 95928.
“Like so many in our community, we were devastated by this news – and of course, when people receive bad news, they want to know how they can help,” said NVCF President and CEO Alexa Benson-Valavanis.
Councilmember Bryce Goldstein thinks the fire could start a community dialog.
“I hope this opens a conversation about how we can preserve the historic architecture of Chico on a broader scale,” Goldstein remarked. “Part of what makes Chico such a beautiful place is our abundance of beautiful bungalows and other buildings that working-class people built and still live in.”
Goldstein added, “I want our City to be proactive about protecting our community’s historic architecture from abandonment, greed, and poor planning.”
Councilmember Winslow had his own take on the mansion’s future.
“To me, it is representative of the way we can reappropriate the remains of conquest and colonization for everybody, and [transform] the symbols of private power and riches into public spaces,” he offered.
Mayor Reynolds summed up the day, saying “As we recover from the loss of our iconic Bidwell Mansion, we’ll continue to rely on the strength of our community to move forward.”
If you have any information that can help authorities with the fire investigation, please contact the Northern Buttes District Office at 530-538-2200.
Read more about John and Annie Bidwell from the CN&R archives. Here are in-depth, revealing profiles of them both, including living at the mansion during the 1800s.
If proper security was installed with surveillance cameras it is quite possible this could haven been avoided. Someone in the State Parks administration should answer to this. The Chico City Council should hold s public hearing and invite all parties involved to further explore this absolute failure in protecting the public’s trust.
that a good question