Celebrating Restoration of Hillsborough Landmark

Artistry and grace came together in the celebration June 6th of the reconstruction of the historic Carolands gatehouse designed by Harold G. Stoner. A once-forgotten piece of Hillsborough history has found a new purpose as part of the town’s law-enforcement infrastructure. The former gatehouse of the Carolands Chateau subdivision, which had fallen into disrepair, has been completely refurbished thanks to a partnership between the city and a group of volunteers and donors. Sally Meakin, who led the effort to save the building along with her husband Jim, said she’s breathing a “huge sigh of relief” now that the project, aside from a few finishing touches, is complete. The Meakins credit fellow Hillsborough residents George and Anna Hsu for saving the project with a donation of $300,000. “If it weren’t for the Hsus, I don’t know where it would have ended up,” said Meakin who sees the cottage as an important link between Hillsborough’s aristocratic past and its scaled-back, if still exclusive, present. “This one building is so distinctive and so charming, and it is certainly representative of the era when the huge estates were starting to be subdivided,” she said. http://mercurynews.com/

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Posted June 8, 2010