Outlands in the Eighty Acres

Outlands in the Eighty Acres, also known as Flanders Mansion is an 8,000-square-foot Tudor Revival house. It is significant as a work of architect Henry Higby Gutterson and for its innovative construction with light grey interlocking Precast concrete blocks. The mansion is preserved within the Mission Trail Nature Preserve in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 23, 1989.

History


Paul and Grace Flanders, married in 1920, came to Carmel in 1922, to build a home and start a business in real estate development. They purchased 80 acres of land from Dr. Daniel T. MacDougal, of the coastal botanical lab for the Carnegie Institution in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Flanders designed a two-story home, which they named the Outlands at 25800 Hatton Road, located on a hill overlooking the Carmel Mission, and Point Lobos.

The Flander's were one of the first Carmelites to hire an outside architect, Henry Higby Gutterson, to design and contractor Fred Ruhl to build their residence. He had supervised the architect for the first subdivision in northern California, the St. Francis Wood, San Francisco. The Flanders Mansion lies at the end of a long driveway off Hatton Road surrounded by upper end of the Mission Trail Nature Preserve. The "Outlands" English cottage design was one of the first use of this style of residential architecture in Carmel By-the-Sea. The construction with light grey interlocking Precast concrete blocks was produced by the Carmel Thermotile Company. The material was advertised as "fireproof, waterproof and practically everlasting."

In 1925, Flanders became the president of the Carmel Land Company and helped develop Hatton Fields, southeast of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The new company formed an office on Ocean Avenue between Louis S. Slevin's general merchandise store and the Carmel Bakery. Paul Flanders was president, Ernest Schweninger was secretary, and Peter Mawdsley was the treasurer.

The Carmel Art Institute was relocated to the Flanders Mansion, where the Institute continued to operate under John Cunningham.

In 1972, Mayor Gunnar Norberg mounted the "Save the Flanders Estate' campaign. As vice-mayor, he persuaded the City of Carmel to purchase the Flanders mansion and adjoining 14.9 acre from the Flanders heirs for $275,000 . It has become part of the 34-acre Mission Trail Nature Preserve. Part of this property is now the Rowntree Native Plant Garden at 25800 Hatton Road.

The non-profit organization Flanders Foundation was formed in 1998 to preserve, enhance, and maintain the city owned 34 acre the Flanders Mansion and Mission Trail Nature Preserve. As of 2018, the City of Carmel is looking for a curator to donate their time, skills, and financial resources to restore the Flanders Mansion in exchange for rent-free use of the Mansion for 20 years.

The city of Carmel enlisted historian Kent Seavey to carry out the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) to document the Flanders Mansion located at 25800 Hatton Road. The survey incorporated photographs by Lewis Josselyn, captured shortly after the mansion's construction. These images are important as they predate any alterations made to the site.