In 1912, Bessie and Frederick Kohl began to plan, with the architects Howard and White, for the building of a Tudor-style mansion on 40 acres of land in Burlingame near Adeline Drive. The 63-room rose brick mansion was to be the central building in a grand estate which would include tennis courts, green houses, a rose garden, a large carriage house, and a 150,000-gallon reservoir. Since its completion in 1914, "The Oaks" mansion has opened its doors to countless famous people. The Kohl family, during their two-year residency, lavishly entertained dignitaries and the Peninsula elite. After Frederick and Bessie Kohl separated in 1916, Frederick moved to the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, and Bessie traveled to Europe to sing for the troops. The mansion stood unused, although it was maintained by servants until Frederick's death in 1921. In 1921, Frederick escaped to Monterey with his mistress, Mrs. Marion Louderback Lord. Despair overtook him and, over a solitary breakfast, he shot himself in the head. Frederick willed the mansion to Mrs. Lord. In July 1921, Lord rented the mansion to United Artists for the filming of Little Lord Fauntleroy, starring Mary Pickford and her husband, Douglas Fairbanks. Hollywood once again used the estate when Disney filmed the movie Flubber in 1996, starring Robin Williams. In 1924, Lord sold the mansion to the Sisters of Mercy for $230,000. It was a convent from 1924 to 1931, and it has been the home of Mercy High School since 1931. On October 17, 1989, the 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake affected the entire San Francisco Bay and Santa Cruz areas. While no one at the Kohl Mansion was injured, the mansion sustained $2 million in damages. Because of its historical status, the Federal Emergency Management Agency provided substantial funding for the restoration project. The rest of the funds were raised through the efforts of the Mercy High School Development Department.
Mascot
The original mascot for Mercy High School Burlingame was the Crusader Rabbit. The original idea apparently evolved from a TV cartoon in the 1950s that featured a Crusader Rabbit. The name of the series came from the concept of the rabbit as "a sort of crusading Don Quixote" and this rabbit has supported the Mercy Athletic teams since. In 1996, alumna Christie Weaver drew another version of the Crusader Rabbit for the yearbook, and this was used for sports logos. In 2010 the Mercy dance coach gave the Crusader Rabbit a facelift, naming her Hip-Hop the bunny, and appointing a person to play her for a year. The mascot competed at a national level for her half-time routine. Crusader Rabbit was seen at rallies and games throughout the year and helped to support the Student Body Officers in those activities. Today, the official mascot is simply “The Crusader”, and the sports teams are referred to as the Crusaders.
