History of the Design House Building

Many passersby notice and comment on the lovely mansion known as The Design House which is located in the heart of Oakdale, California.

The Design House was built in 1909 by Mr. William Andrew Patterson as a gift to his wife Ella Hughes. Mr. Patterson was a sheep and cattle rancher like his father Andrew Jackson Patterson who settled here in 1852. The mansion William built was designed by Green & Green at the turn of the century. One of the Green brothers was an architect and the other a builder. Their famous bungalow homes originated in Pasadena and spread up the coast into the valley. The Design House is a classic craftsman style bungalow with a mission influence. The window styles, trim & mission style stairwells defined their style of architecture. Upon hiring Green & Green, Mr. Patterson contracted with J.D. Fowler, the best builder in the area to build the house. Mr. Fowler also built the Bob Gilbert home located on 2nd Street and a very similar home on River Rd now occupied by the Rapenchuck family.

Williams father Andrew Jackson Patterson was the first representative from this district on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors and was an influence in bringing the Railway to the area. The Patterson family gave The City of Oakdale approximately three acres of property to build The Oakdale High School which was completed in 1906.

William Lindsay Rodden Sr. with his wife Emily and their son moved into the house upon the Patterson's vacancy and lived there until their death. At that time Bill Rodden Jr. sold the home to Jim & Barbara Cockran. At that time Jim was an insurance agent and opened an insurance office on the ground floor of the house and ran their business there until 1960. Barbara Cockran kept the home until it was sold to Tom & Julia Haidlen in December of 1986.

The business J. Haidlen Design Associates was formed in 1984 and has occupied the building since its purchase in 1987. As Julia and her daughter, Gretchen Haidlen Arbini, re-model the house, they work hard to keep the property as original as possible.