Landmark: Carolands Gate House

At the corner of Ralston and Eucalyptus Avenues in Hillsborough, a charming French-style cottage catches the eye. Constructed in 1929 with detailed ornamentation, a slate roof and hand-painted overhead beams, the 1,000-square-foot Gate House marked the entry to the Carolands subdivision leading up to the Carolands Chateau. The Gate House originally housed a live-in attendant charged with greeting and admitting residents and visitors to the community. After being abandoned as a residence in the 1970s, the Gate House fell into disrepair. In 2007, Hillsborough residents Jim and Sally Meakin led a successful fundraising drive to restore the building and construction was completed in 2010. A familiar sight to passersby and students at nearby Crocker Middle School and North School, the historic bungalow now serves as a multi-use outpost for the Hillsborough Police Department.