The Julia Morgan-designed mansion at 1650 The Alameda is changing hands.

Song Woo, founder and president of Lighthouse Management Group, purchased the 100-year-old structure and plans to open a branch of his Milpitas-based staffing and recruiting business there in September.

The mansion is one of the few remaining grand dame homes left on The Alameda and the only structure left in San Jose designed by the pre-eminent female architect in U.S. history.

Morgan, who is best known for Hearst Castle, designed the 5,000-square-foot, two-story home for James Pierce, vice president of Pacific Manufacturing Company, a mill in Santa Clara dating back to 1874. The rare mahogany and walnut woodwork used throughout the house came from the mill.

The home sat empty for many years until Bob Cullen and his wife, June Lim, acquired it in late 2005. Cullen operated his mediation and real estate development businesses out of it.

They spent months on an extensive, expensive and sensitive restoration. Skilled craftsmen were brought in to remove the old varnish, clean and refinish the woodwork, including the entryway and staircase, which are lined in walnut burl.

The house, which sits on almost half an acre at the corner of The Alameda and Villa Avenue, is well known for its distinctive porte-cochere entrance on the side, built with a high central step for exiting horse-drawn carriages.

Cullen and Lim put the structure up for sale in 2008, asking $3.1 million.

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In April of this year, the asking price was reduced to $2.2 million.

Julie Mercik, the Ritchie Commercial Real Estate agent who handled the sale with Roxana Baker, declined to reveal how much it sold for, although the figure will eventually become public record. Its pre-sale assessment was almost $1.7 million.

Woo says, "I've always been interested in those types of structures on The Alameda and you don't see too many for sale."

He says when he saw a "for sale" sign, he checked it out. "I didn't plan on purchasing it, but as it happened our firm was looking to expand our existing office space so the timing worked," he says.

"It's a beautiful structure and that's what caught my eye, and the history of it increased my interest level."

Cullen and Lim were generous in allowing nonprofit organizations to use the house for special events and it was part of the 2007 Autumn in the Rose Garden Home Tour benefit for St. Martin of Tours School.

Woo says his company will have about 15 employees there and will be using the entire structure, so he doesn't expect to open it to visitors.