Fire damages Bright Eagle Mansion Fire damages Bright Eagle Mansion (September 21, 2005)

By Jane Knoerle

Almanac Staff Writer

The smell of smoke lingers at 1040 Noel Drive in Menlo Park where the Bright Eagle Mansion was the scene of a four-alarm fire on September 14.

The exterior of the historic three-story building appears untouched, except for broken glass in a fanlight window in the attic. The fire is believed to have started in a rear office and spread through the attic, with the cause yet to be determined. The mansion contains offices for more than 10 psychologists.

The building has been vacated while cleanup crews assess the damage. Efforts of firefighters were complicated by multiple roofs that had been added to the building, according to Battalion Chief Richard Auger, in command during the blaze. He estimated the damage at "hundreds of thousands of dollars." There were no injuries.

The fire began shortly before 6:30 p.m. Firefighters were able to control the blaze around 9 p.m.

The Bright Eagle Mansion is managed by Ventana Property Services, which has a large "Now Leasing" sign outside the building.
Many owners, lives

The historic house, near the intersection of Noel Drive and Ravenswood Avenue, has had many lives. Built as a private home in 1869 by T. Lemmon Meyer, it had several owners before it was bought in 1908 by Emma Noel.

The mansion assumed many guises during the next years. During World War I, it was used as the officers' club for Camp Fremont. After the war, it became the Laurel Court Hotel. In 1926 it was turned into the Pacific Coast Military Academy.

For many years the mansion was known as the Marie Antoinette Inn. The inn's restaurant was the venue for many parties and wedding receptions when it was operated by caterer Ollie Fickes.

In 1959 Mary Rafferty of Woodside bought the mansion and renamed it the Bright Eagle, which she operated as an antique shop. During the Bright Eagle years, the home was designated as an historical landmark for the City of Menlo Park.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

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