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Overview

This two-story villa, created by an Italian artistocrat, Leonetto Cipriani, active in the Italian Risorgimento, was one of the first extensive country estates on the San Francisco Peninsula. Cipriani served as San Francisco Consul of the Kingdom of Sardinia between 1852 and 1855, residing in this house between about 1852 and 1862.

Building History

The first, large residence on this Belmont property was erected by Count Leonetto Cipriani (1812-1888), a Corsican by birth whose family had developed successful businesses in Tuscany. Cipriani was dispatched by King Victor Emmanuel II (1820-1878) to become the first Consul of the Kingdom of Sardinia to San Francisco in 1852. Cipriani purchased property in the Cañada del Diablo in what would become Belmont, CA, and proceeded to erect a prefabricated timber dwelling, built before large amounts of lumber had become available in the region.

The San Francisco Examiner related some of the history of his house in an article of 1880: “The first neighbor that occupied the [Belmont] valley was the celebrated Italian General, Cipriani, who had distinguished himself under Charles Albert, the predecessor of Victor Emmanuel, in the wars waged for the unity and liberty of Italy, and who, coming to America, had married an accomplished young lady, the daughter of one the first families of Baltimore. For Cipriani’s eminent services, his country had made him a General and a Senator. Cipriani bought the forty acres which now constitute the grounds of the [Ralston-] Sharon mansion, and erected a picturesque little residence on that mansion’s present site. Cipriani lived alternately between peaceful California vale and war-tossed Italy. In 1862, General Cipriani sold to W.C. Ralston the property, and Mr. Ralston was at first contented with building additions to the house, but, being in this way unable to entirely satisfy his architectural yearnings, in 1868, the then structure was entirely razed, and the present residence partially built and subsequently added to.”(See “Wedded,” San Francisco Examiner, 12/24/1880, p. 1.)

Banker William C. Ralston owner of great wealth deriving from Nevada's Comstock Silver Lode, purchased the house and acreage from Cipriani in 1862, just after most of Italy was unified on 03/17/1861. Ralston added onto the small house but decided to erect a large one from scratch in 1868.

Cipriani, returned to Italy and participated at the highest levels in the Italian Risorgimento led by Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882). He retired to his Corsican birthplace of Ortinoli di Centuri in the early 1880s, where he died in 1888.

Building Notes

Ralston Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings: Survey number HABS CA-1674; Building/structure dates: c. 1855 initial construction; National Register Number: 66000234; c. 1865-1870;

Demolition

The Cipriani Villa was razed by William C. Ralston in 1868.