During the 1890s, the San Francisco elite began to bring their families to country homes where they could entertain in extravagant style. Within this social climate, Charles Baldwin chose an estate near the Cupertino crossroads to build his romantic mansion and develop a vineyard and winery. Baldwin had recently married Ella (also called Virginia) Hobart, daughter of W.S. Hobart of Comstock Lode riches.

Versatile San Francisco architect Willis Polk was commissioned to design a pavilion reminiscent of the style of buildings at Versailles. The result was an elegant country estate nestled among sprawling oak trees and acres of vineyards. The neoclassic design of the house includes Ionic columns and arched windows. Conceived in the style of Louis XVI, the ornately paneled dining room was furnished in white and gold. The spacious salon was an acclaimed trend-setter with its crystal chandelier, sconces, and fireplace. Floor-to- ceiling bookshelves and an oval skylight are still features of the library. The grounds featured a formal sunken garden, pathways edged with balustrades, and a reflecting pool. A 1902 issue of House and Garden magazine contains photographic illustrations of the pavilion and gardens.

Le Petit Trianon was created for family use and entertaining. In a farm house located behind the Trianon, cooking and domestic chores took place. Ranch hands and guests stayed in the two cottages that still stand north of the building. The Baldwins dazzled the locals with impressive parties, electricity, and the area’s first automobile.

The next owners were Harriett Pullman, heiress to the railroad sleeping car fortune and husbands Francis Carolan, and, after his death, Arthur Schermerhorn. The Carolans' guests included diplomats attending the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915. It was E.F. Euphrat, president of Pacific Canning Company, who sold the property in 1959 to the Foothill College District as the site for the De Anza campus with a specific request to save the Trianon and the massive stone winery, which later became the college bookstore.

By 1968, however, district officials were considering demolishing the former country manor rather than paying to renovate it. A hue and cry was raised, led by Cupertino historian Louis Stocklmeir and former college district trustee Mary Levine. Together, they formed the Trianon Foundation to raise funds to restore the crumbling house. The foundation succeeded in getting Le Petit Trianon listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and grant money was awarded to the restoration project. District officials including Superintendent Calvin Flint were surprised at the vigor and success of the fund raising effort for salvation of the Trianon.

The building was moved from its original site, where the Flint Center for the Performing Arts stands today, to a temporary location behind the college’s Learning Center building. The once elegant villa sat weather beaten and abandoned on railroad ties until 1974, when it was moved onto a permanent foundation. With funds raised primarily in the local community, restoration work was completed in 1982 with the building’s six major rooms converted to educational uses: exhibit hall, classroom, research library, lobby area, and offices.

Le Petit Trianon now houses the California History Center, a program of the Social Science Division of De Anza College, and the California History Center Foundation, a community based, nonprofit organization.