The owners of this striking-looking home are seeking a new resident — or president.
For a cool $25 million, a deep-pocketed house hunter can now live out their West Wing fantasies on the West Coast.
In Hillsborough, California, about a 30-minute drive from downtown San Francisco, a palatial spread that bears a striking resemblance to the real White House in DC is up for grabs and asking that mighty sum, its listing brokerage told The Post.
Located at 401 El Cerrito Ave., the 24-room “Western White House” not only fits 11 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and four powder rooms — but it also has a library inspired by the Oval Office and, outside, a rose garden. Also outside, a white facade accented with rounded protrusions and mighty columns give even more visions of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
The home dates to 1878, when it was built for a real estate developer and cattle rancher named William Henry Howard. Howard then sold it to Charles Frederick Crocker, heir to the Central Pacific Railroad fortune. Roughly 10 years after Crocker died, in 1897, the family sold the house — without the land underneath — to a contractor, who moved the mansion a half-mile away, where it remains on a 2.9-acre lot. George Hearst, the son of media magnate William Randolph, became the owner, and in 1930 tapped architect Julia Morgan to redo the home — the result being the White House-like appearance.
Shailesh Mehta, the former chairman and CEO of credit card giant Providian Financial, owns the 22,300-square-foot mansion, which he bought for slightly north of $6 million in 1997, according to Bloomberg. At that time, Mehta and his son had intended to buy separate, adjacent lots of land where they would build their own homes.
“My son had just gotten married, and — coming from Indian culture — the concept was that we would remain close but still have our own boundaries,” he told Bloomberg. “So we were looking to buy two lots next to each other in Hillsborough. He’d build a home on one, I’d build a larger one on the other, and as we grew older we’d switch.”
But then the Western White House became available. It was in contract to a billionaire who couldn’t get his cash out of the Philippines due to a currency freeze, so Mehta — intrigued by the prospect of owning it — drove over to check it out. His broker said that if he could close fast on the sale, the home would be his.
“We liked the property and the security, and it’s so understated from the outside, we all just fell in love,” Mehta told the publication. “Plus, it was quicker than building two new houses.”
Mehta lived there with his wife and college-age daughter — along with his son and his new daughter-in-law. But since 1997, the kids have all moved out — and the place is just too big for Mehta and his wife.
Beyond the presidential exterior, listing images show ornate fireplaces, French doors that open to outdoor entertaining areas, a massive eat-in chef’s kitchen, a movie theater with plush seating and a large gym.
The 6,630-square-foot ground level — one of three primary floors — houses only entertaining spaces. The second floor includes six bedrooms — and one level up, the attic floor opens to a roof terrace. Outside, there’s a pool with lots of space for lounge seats.
During his time there, Mehta has used the home for engagement parties, weddings, political fund-raisers and family parties.
“We love this house,” he told Bloomberg. “And we’ll miss it. But every home has its time.”
The Gilson Team, Jennifer Gilson and Sophia Waldman of Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty, holds the listing.
