Restoration of the Joseph Pleasants Stone Building at Arden

Restoration of the Joseph Pleasants Stone Building at Arden is a winner for the 2025 Preservation Design Award for Preservation or Restoration. Award recipients are selected by a jury of top professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, and history, as well as renowned architecture critics and journalists. Tickets and sponsorship options are available at californiapreservation.org/programs/awards/.

About Restoration of the Joseph Pleasants Stone Building at Arden

The Joseph Pleasants Stone Building is the oldest building on the grounds of Arden: Helena Modjeska Historic House and Gardens, a National Historic Landmark once home to world-renowned Shakespearean actress Helena Modjeska.

Constructed around 1875 by early Orange County homesteaders Joseph Pleasants and Mary Refugio Carpenter, the building was used to keep supplies cool during the summer months. Pleasants sold the ranch to Helena Modjeska in 1888 and the second floor of the Stone Building later became living quarters for staff working at the property, including Modjeska’s gardener Theodore Payne, well-known for pioneering the use of California native plants in the early 20th century.

In 2023, OC Parks completed a meticulous nine-month restoration of the second floor interior and exterior, ensuring preservation of existing character-defining and historic features. The project was paid for, in part, by a Save America’s Treasures grant from the National Park Service.

Community Importance

The restoration of the Joseph Pleasants Stone Building takes visitors back in time and offers a unique, authentic snapshot of life for early homesteaders in Orange County. The restored second floor opens the building entirely to the public for the first time.

The Pleasants Stone Building was built around 1875 by Joseph Pleasants and Mary Refugio Carpenter on the grounds of Arden, a tranquil and rustic canyon property in the Santa Ana Mountains. In 1888, world-renowned Shakespearean actress Helena Modjeska purchased the property and worked with famed New York architect Stanford White to design an expansion of the Pleasants’ homestead. A Polish immigrant, Modjeska and her husband, Charles Bozenta Chlapowski, spent the off-season at Arden, named after the forest setting of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”

In the 1890s, the second floor of the Pleasants Stone Building served as living quarters for staff working at Arden, including Theodore Payne, who worked as Modjeska’s gardener. After leaving Modjeska’s employment, Payne would become a pioneer cultivator of California native plants devoted to educating Southern Californians about the beauty and ecological benefits of our native plant landscapes.

Today, the Pleasants Stone Building and grounds at Arden remain tucked away amidst a live oak grove on the banks of Santiago Creek. OC Parks is entrusted with the long-term care of the site, ensuring it is preserved for generations to come. Arden, one of two sites in Orange County designated a National Historic Landmark, named a California Historical Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is open to the public year-round for free guided tours.

About CPF and the Awards

The California Preservation Awards are a statewide hallmark, showcasing the best in historic preservation. The awards ceremony includes the presentation of the Preservation Design Awards and the President’s Awards, bringing together hundreds of people each year to share and celebrate excellence in preservation.

The California Preservation Foundation (CPF), a 501c3 nonprofit, was incorporated in 1978. We now support a national network of more than 36,000 members and supporters. Click here to learn how you can become a member.