Walter and Adella Muckenthaler built the 18 room mansion in 1925 atop this hill in Fullerton and it served as the center of their citrus and nut farming business, as well as their family home, for more than four decades.
In 1965, their son Harold Muckenthaler donated the mansion and the surrounding 8.5 acres to the city with the proviso that his childhood home be used to provide the public with experiences that stimulate creativity and imagination, while conserving the heritage and architecture of the estate.
And in 1999, The Muckenthaler Mansion received designation by the National Registry of Historic places.
Today, though the City of Fullerton maintains ownership of the property, it is managed by The Muckenthaler Cultural Center Foundation and its elected Board of Directors. The City and the Muck enjoy a strong spirit of cooperation in the best interest of our mutual constituents.
The Muck produces close to 100 events annually. These include concerts in our extraordinary outdoor amphitheatre, and our indoor cabaret space. That includes our five free-to-the-community Cultural Festivals, our Art gallery exhibits, a lecture series, and occasional film events.
The Muck is also the premier wedding venue in the region; and we are proud to have Colette’s Catering, our exclusive on-site wedding planners and caterers, leading that effort.
Our education department continues to grow in both performance and reach. In the past few years we have expanded from one summer day camp, to five—including one for kids on the Autism spectrum. We have built a world class recording studio and strengthened the finest ceramics facility in the region. Our classes served over 40,000 people each year. Some of these are classes here on site, but many are in facilities for victims of domestic violence, or shelters for the homeless. Some are in the schools and libraries of Fullerton, some are in prisons in Southern California.
In 2018, we established our state-of-the-art recording studio. In 2019, we began an Artist-in-Residence program with Lara Wilson, Choreographer and Leader of The Assembly, followed by Poet and Educator Katharine Zaun in 2020, and Artist Erin Schalk in 2021.
We follow Harold Muckenthaler’s vision. We inspire through the arts.
