Piru Mansion Tours Planned Sunday

The famed Piru Mansion will open its doors on Mother’s Day and allow visitors a rare peek at what is regarded as one of Southern California’s most lavish Queen Anne Victorian homes.

Admission and a guided tour is $10, which will benefit the Ventura County Museum of History and Art. Owner Ruth Newhall opens her restored home to the public for such charitable events about twice a year.

The mansion was built from 1886 to 1890.

In 1981, it burned to the ground and was meticulously rebuilt by Newhall and her late husband, Scott, with the aid of hundreds of photographs and a small army of skilled craftsmen who incorporated such original materials into the classic home as redwood, mahogany, mosaic tile and stained glass.

Newhall’s home has been up for sale for several years at a price of $2.7 million, but she is not particularly eager to sell.

Visitors are invited to bring their own lunch and picnic on the several acres of landscaped mansion grounds that lie amid orange groves. Children under 10 years old are not permitted inside the home, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A shuttle bus will drive visitors to the mansion from a free parking lot at Piru Elementary School, 3811 E. Center St.

Call 521-1441 for more information.