Italian Mediterranean style mansion nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, in Saratoga, California. It was constructed from 1912 to 1914 by California statesman and businessman James Duval Phelan. Three original vintage matte-finish 8.5 x 6.5 photos of guests on the patio of Villa Montalvo on March 21, 1915, with each photo neatly labeled in an unknown hand with the date and location. One photo shows a small crowd milling around and visiting, while the other two are slightly more formally posed, with many of the guests facing the camera including a young Franklin D. Roosevelt, one of him standing and holding a cigar near the owner and builder James Duval Phelan, and also showing Vice President Thomas Marshall sitting in a wicker chair. In fine condition. Phelan extended an invitation to President Woodrow Wilson to the villa during the annual Blossom Festival. However, due to the president’s concern about the war in Europe, the invitation was declined. In his stead, Wilson dispatched a distinguished delegation headed by Vice President Thomas Marshall, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, and a number of other Washington dignitaries. RR Auction COA.
