Tucked away in California’s vast Central Valley agricultural fields is the former home of H.H. Welsh, founder of Sun-Maid raisins. Now, its owners, John Feaster and his wife, are selling the mansion on the five-acre estate in Del Rey, about 20 minutes from Fresno, for $3.95 million.
Feaster told The Epoch Times it will be hard parting with the home, because of all the fond memories created in the 20 years they lived there.
“Just the remoteness, the agriculture, sitting out, having a glass of wine, looking out at the grape vines,” said Feaster, a former dentist.
“I have our family gatherings, because we can entertain a lot of people for Thanksgiving, Christmas. ... It’s like a Norman Rockwell painting, because I have lights all over the gate in the front of the house and big Christmas trees.”
The couple is selling the property because Feaster has been having health challenges, making it difficult to climb the flight of stairs every day. They plan to move into a single-story home closer to their children and grandchildren.
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, President Herbert Hoover stayed in the home to rally Central California farmers.
Feaster said when they first moved in, the home had to go through major renovations, so they were not able to live in it for two years. Outside, the grounds were also renovated, and they added big entry gates. He hired a local artist to build a wrought iron fence around the property by hand for several months.
According to the listing, the 6-bed, 4-bath home consists of two living rooms, a formal dining room, sun rooms, and an office.
“The estate features 5 Batchelder-tile fireplaces, original chandeliers, a Spanish mahogany & oak stairway, Kokomo stained glass (also used by Tiffany), & custom padded silk walls,” states the listing.
The study includes original built-in cabinets with hand-rubbed lacquer and custom Donghia fabric drapery. The bedrooms have rare Limoges porcelain door knobs from France, and the master bath has heated marble floors.
The home has been restored and updated over the years with modern elements like a field-mounted solar array and a Mitsubishi split system for heating and cooling.
“We’ve got a huge kitchen with a big Wolf range and sub-zero refrigerator and two different dishwashers and pellet stoves in the rooms. We love the pellet stoves. They’re wonderful. They just give an ambiance and throw off a lot of heat,” said Feaster.
Outside, 12 original, century-old pomegranate and fig trees still stand, along with 50 different fruit trees on drip irrigation, a rose garden with David Austin roses, a chicken coop, and 200 feet of trellis flame table grapes.
They don’t sell the produce that grows on his property, but instead give it away.
“We had a home in Cambria for 20 years, a second home, and we’re still part of a wine group, and so I’m known as the pomegranate guy. When they’re ready, I just load them up and we take boxes of pomegranates to our wine club members and people in Cambria,” he said.
There is a full time caretaker who lives on the property and takes care of the pets, systems, and mansion. Feaster said he will continue with the new owner as well.
“It’s just a lifestyle that many people don’t have anymore,” said Feaster. “With the privacy and just the beauty of the old home, with the surrounding grounds, it’s just so much fun for entertainment. Everybody that comes out just is absolutely amazed by the home. And it’s kind of like it’s just in a time warp, and yet, it’s still modernized for modern living and comfortable.”
