Fullerton : Historic Muckenthaler Home Will Be Opened for Weddings

The two-story home, with its Italian Renaissance architecture and lush 8 1/2-acre gardens, once belonged to one of Fullerton’s most prominent families. Now, the stately Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton will be rented by the city for weddings and receptions from April to September.

Although the center is the site of city-sponsored fine art exhibitions, education programs and theater-on-the green, its romantic history also made it a popular place for a wedding.

Weddings had been held on the grounds for 15 years, but were halted two years ago when the center was closed for restoration.

Walter Muckenthaler, a former Fullerton city councilman, built the center in 1924 as a dream home for his wife, Adella Kraemer, who was the daughter of one of the largest agricultural families in north Orange County. When Muckenthaler died in 1958, the family donated the home and the grounds to the City of Fullerton with the stipulation it be used as a cultural center.

The center, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Buildings, recently underwent a two-year, $575,000 restoration. “It was a complete interior refurbishing,” said Joe Felz, community services supervisor. “Repainting, new gallery designs, doors, landscaping, new windows. All the indoor facilities were redone.”