Citrus Heights city feature
About this landmark
A Sears Catalog house set among seven California plant biomes.
The Historic Rusch Home stands at 7301 Antelope Road in Citrus Heights. The house is a Craftsman-style structure of 1,712 square feet on a 2.14-acre lot, with three bedrooms and one bathroom. A rose garden adjoins the home. The present house was built in 1916 using a design ordered from the Sears Catalog and arrived by train at the Roseville station. It was constructed after a fire destroyed an earlier structure on the site in 1914.
The Volle family and the donation that built a park district
Fred and Julia Rusch were raised in the home by their grandparents, the Volle family. The land traces to 1858, when the Volle family purchased it as part of a ranch. In 1950, Fred and Julia Rusch donated 15 acres to the community. This donation led to the formation of the Sunrise Recreation and Park District. The home was designated a California Point of Historical Interest in 1991. During the 1990s, two former directors of the Sunrise Recreation and Park District occupied the home as a residence.
Today, the property is managed by the park district. A covered bridge feature in the park was built from an old railroad boxcar frame from the Southern Pacific Railroad. The property remains on Citrus Heights' historic sites list, and the Citrus Heights Historical Society lists Rusch Home tours as a recurring public event.
The botanical gardens and the broader Rusch Community Park
Rusch Botanical Gardens occupies two acres adjacent to the historic home. The gardens are organized around seven biomes of California, including rose, herb, citrus, and African plant collections. The gardens were originally laid out in 1916 and designated a State Site of Historical Interest. They are open daily from dawn to dusk.
The broader Rusch Community Park, located at 7801 Auburn Boulevard, spans 49.50 acres and is managed by the Sunrise Recreation and Park District. The park includes two swimming pools, twelve pickleball courts, one basketball court, one baseball diamond, two lighted softball diamonds, two multipurpose fields, a skate park, three children's play areas, a community center with gymnasium and five recreation rooms, and 443 parking spaces. The Historic Rusch Home is available for event reservations from June through August 20, with an indoor seated capacity of 35 and outdoor capacity of 200. Parking is accessed off Rosswood Drive on Rusch Drive.
Insurance connection: Homeowners coverage
Standard homeowners policies cover dwelling, other structures, personal property, loss of use, personal liability, and medical payments. When written on a replacement-cost basis, insurers must disclose that rebuild costs may differ from policy limits and provide rebuild estimates. Insurers must offer earthquake coverage for an additional premium. After a total loss from a declared disaster, an insurer cannot cancel during reconstruction and must renew at least once if the loss was not due to the policyholder's negligence. Eligibility and limits depend on the individual policy. The issued policy controls.
Primary sources: Sunrise Recreation and Park District fun facts page, Rusch Community Park official page, and Wikipedia's Rusch Botanical Gardens entry.
Insurance context is general information only. The issued policy and its endorsements settle coverage.