Visiting the Helena Modjeska House

Fame is fleeting. It may not seem that way in this day and age when we’re constantly inundated with the comings and goings of various socialites, actors, influencers and royals but there will come a day when nearly all of them are forgotten. For instance, have you ever heard of Helena Modjeska? I’m guessing not but a little over a century ago she was one of the world’s most famous people. Despite this (or perhaps because of it) she decided to settle not in Paris, New York or London but a quiet corner of Orange County and today Arden: Helena Modjeska House and Gardens has been beautifully preserved so that her legacy may not be entirely forgotten.

Helena Modjeska was born in Krakow, Poland in 1840 and by the age of 30 she was a star of the Polish stage. Shortly after, she decided to retire from the theatre and immigrated to America intending to live a life of ranching and farming. Soon enough, the realities of farm labor hit and she returned to the stage becoming America’s top Shakespearean actor. Though she performed all over the world she found her personal paradise in a quiet Orange County canyon now called Modjeska Canyon.

Rather than start from scratch,Modjeska and her husband purchased an existing ranch nestled in an oak grove and enlisted famed architect Stanford White to help turn into into her dream home. Once complete, she called it Arden as the oak grove reminded her of the forest in Shakespeare’s As You Like It.

For nearly 20 years she lived a bucolic life on her estate before moving to Newport Beach shortly before her death in 1909. After she sold the property it became a vacation resort and restaurant until it was sold the Walker family, founders of Farmer’s and Merchants Bank. They remained good stewards for 60 years before selling it to the county so that it could be preserved and shortly after it became a National Landmark.

Today, Arden: Helena Modjeska Historic House and Gardens is open to the public.The grounds are open for limited hours Wednesday through Sunday but to tour the home reservations are required. I first visited the Modjeska House about 20 years ago and didn’t find it particularly memorable. In the ensuing years my knowledge of historic properties and my passion for preservation grew significantly and I decided a repeat visit was due.

I don’t know what I was thinking all those years ago but the Modjeska House is an absolute treasure. Beautifully restored, the interior has been as faithfully as possible returned to the way it was during Modjeska’s occupation. Th rooms are outfitted just as they were during her residency and walking through gave me a true sense of what life was like for her over a century ago.

Inside are so many beautiful treasures including an elaborate handwritten and illustrated book of fairy tales penned by her which must be seen in person. She was an incredibly gifted person who absolutely deserves to be remembered. Thanks to the stewards of the Helena Modjeska House her legacy continues and, though she may be little known today, she never will be truly forgotten.