The Treadwell Mansion and companion Carriage House were built between 1870 and 1880. Architect Clinton Day combined elements of Gothic Revival style and Stick/Eastlake style for the design of the Treadwell estate for John and James Treadwell, owners of the Tesla coal mine in Alameda County.
In 1922, the property was purchased by Frederick Meyer, founder of the California College of the Arts, to serve as the California College of the Arts campus. In 1926 the school completed its move to the new campus, where it remains today, and the Meyer family moved into the top floor of the Treadwell Mansion, now called Macky Hall.