The Piru Mansion was built between 1886 and 1890 by David Caleb Cook, who grew up in Illinois and founded a religious book publishing company, still in business in Elgin, Illinois.
Mr. Cook's health failed when he was in his mid-thirties. Seeking a favorable climate, he selected Ventura County, and purchased the Mexican land grant, Rancho Temescal. He laid out the town of Piru, built a hotel, a Methodist church, and, finally, the Mansion.
A devout Methodist, Mr. Cook set out to create a profitable fruit ranch and a new Garden of Eden. Restricting his orchards to fruits mentioned in the Bible, he planted dates, grapes, pomegranates, figs, apricots, and olives.
The Mansion was originally illuminated by gas from local natural gas wells and had no electricity nor running water. On the grounds is a small circular three-hole outhouse, which was in use until the turn of the century. Hugh Warring bought the Mansion in 1912 and installed two adjoining bathrooms on the second floor. His family owned the house for 56 years.
In 1968, Mr. and Mrs. Scott Newhall bought the house from the Warring estate and set about restoring it. The earthquake of February 1971 knocked down the two large chimneys and cracked plaster.
Ten years later in February 1981, the Newhalls were in the process of modernizing the kitchen when a spark from a painter's torch started a fire that burned the Mansion to the ground. Guided by photographs and by the knowledge of people who had helped maintain the house over the years, the owners undertook reconstruction. The rebuilt Mansion was completed in December 1983.
The 1994 Northridge earthquake also took its toll on the Mansion, knocking down two chimneys; but the structure survived intact and the damage was repaired. In 2003, the Mansion was purchased by its fourth owner, David Newhall Hill, a member of the Newhall family. Mr. Hill is restoring and maintaining the grounds to preserve its spectacular grandeur.
