{"nrhp_refnum":"00000856","name":"Steinbeck, John, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"132 Central Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Salinas","county":"Monterey County","state":"CA","lat":36.67661190600006,"lon":-121.65900842699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-08-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Literature","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-one-half story wood-frame Queen Anne style house at 132 Central Avenue in Salinas, Monterey County, California, built in 1897-98 for local merchant J.J. Conner by an unidentified builder.","why_significant":"It is significant under Criterion B for its association with author John Steinbeck, who was born and raised there and wrote early stories and two novels, The Red Pony and Tortilla Flat, in the house. It also appears in his novel East of Eden. The form also argues it is an excellent, intact example of the free classic sub-style of Queen Anne architecture.","narrative":"Built in 1897-98 for Salinas merchant J.J. Conner, this one-and-one-half story wood-frame house at 132 Central Avenue is a lively example of Queen Anne design. Sunburst motifs, spindlework, sawn trim, dentil courses and a small conical-roofed corner bay decorate its exterior, and it sits behind its white picket fence on a corner lot. John Steinbeck was born in the house in 1902 and lived there for roughly twenty-two years. He wrote his first short stories here and completed The Red Pony and Tortilla Flat, the novel that brought his first major recognition. The house also appears in his 1952 novel East of Eden. The building has changed little: a garage was dug beneath it after 1935, a rear porch was enclosed in 1974, and the kitchen was altered for restaurant use. The nomination calls it the best remaining property associated with Steinbeck the writer and the best builder-built Queen Anne house in Salinas.","period_of_significance":"1912-1926/1933-1935 (literature); 1897-98 (architecture)","architect_builder":"Unknown (builder not yet identified)","architectural_style":"Late Victorian/Queen Anne","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Currently used as a restaurant operated for a non-profit organization; the interior principal rooms were kept intact when converted in 1974.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.924626-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/00000856.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000856/29a35d2b96-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000856/29a35d2b96-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Original uploader was Googie man at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SteinbeckHouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Original uploader was Googie man at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SteinbeckHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859969","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck_House_(Salinas,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6258989"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/monterey-county/steinbeck-john-house-00000856/"}