I think I’ve actually driven by this house once. I wish I could say I had been in it. Early this morning, this historical landmark was destroyed by a fire. The house was once the home of a survivor of the Donner Party–the group who survived being trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountains in the mid-1800s by cannabalism. The house was built in 1881 and is one of the oldest Victorian homes in San Jose. It’s always sad to see great historical architecture go.

Here’s what the Houghton Donner house used to look like.

 

Here’s what it looks like now. (photo from NBC11.com in San Jose)