Muckenthaler Cultural Center
The Muckenthaler House, now known as the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, is a magnificent Spanish Colonial Revival style home built in 1925 in Fullerton, California.
Walter and Adella Muckenthaler erected the 18-room estate on this hill near Fullerton in 1925, and it served as the hub of their citrus and nut farming business as well as their family home for more than four decades.
Harold Muckenthaler, their son, presented the mansion and the surrounding 8.5 acres to the city in 1965, with the condition that his childhood home be utilized to serve the public with experiences that encourage creativity and imagination, while preserving the estate’s tradition and architecture.
The Muckenthaler Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
The land is still owned by the City of Fullerton, but it is operated by The Muckenthaler Cultural Center Foundation and its elected Board of Directors. The City and the Muck have a good working relationship in the best interests of our shared citizens.
Every year, the Muck hosts around 100 events. These include concerts in our spectacular outdoor amphitheatre and cabaret performances in our inside cabaret venue. This includes our five free-to-the-public Cultural Festivals, art gallery exhibits, a lecture series, and occasional cinema screenings.
The Muck is also the region’s top wedding location, with Colette’s Catering, our exclusive on-site wedding planners and caterers, leading the charge.
Awards
The 2009 Fullerton Chamber of Commerce Quality of Life award for best non-profit organization in the city, the 2010 Arts Program of the Year award from Arts Orange County, and past OC Parenting reader’s poll awards for Best Historic Site, OC Register’s finalist for Best Museum, the 2012 winner for Orange Coast Magazine’s Most Eclectic Venue, the 2013 winner for Orange Coast Magazine’s Best Arts Education, the 2014 winner for OC Register’s Best Art Gallery, and 2016 Superintending
Residence
The wrought iron staircase railing in the entryway of the house was imported from Italy.
The Ernest Batchelder Tile Company designed the tiles that surround the fireplaces and cover the solarium floor.
The library and conservatory are decorated with historical furniture, including some Muckenthaler family heirlooms.
The mansion’s gallery features art from around the world, with exhibits rotating quarterly.
Gardens
A nine-acre property with a wooded knoll, several trees and palms, gently sloping and vast flat event lawns, and a rose garden.
Built-in seats in an outdoor amphitheater.
The old citrus grove reservoir has a stone gazebo.
Italian garden with palms and an iron gazebo.
Decorative lights adorn the Center Circle Patio.
Sculpture Garden is located throughout the site.
The Sunset Garden on the western margin is made up of drought-resistant wildflowers and grasses.
Next Point of Interest: Fullerton Museum Center