{"nrhp_refnum":"00001166","name":"Stow House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"304 N. Los Carneros Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Goleta","county":"Santa Barbara County","state":"CA","lat":34.44292000200005,"lon":-119.85181455899999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-09-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-one-half story modified Gothic-style cottage at 304 North Los Carneros Road in Goleta, Santa Barbara County, California, built in 1872-73 as the main ranch house of the Stow family's La Patera ranch.","why_significant":"The house is significant for its association with Edgar Whitney Stow, who lived there from 1915 to 1949. He was a prominent agriculturist and ranch owner who gained an international reputation for research on lemon tree productivity. He also helped develop the agricultural cooperative movement in Santa Barbara County and represented independent farmers as a State Senator.","narrative":"Built in 1872-73 by Sherman Stow of fir shipped from Puget Sound, this Gothic Revival cottage in Goleta served as the main house of the La Patera ranch. It has board-and-batten walls, a steeply pitched cross-gabled shingle roof, decorated vergeboards and a stone foundation. A second-story Italianate addition was made around 1885, and porches were redesigned between 1913 and 1915. The northern wing was later removed, leaving an L-shaped plan. The house is recognized for its link to Edgar Whitney Stow, who lived and managed the ranch here from 1915 to 1949. He expanded lemon cultivation to 300 acres, built a research laboratory and hothouse beside the house, and studied disease-resistant rootstocks, insecticides and irrigation. His findings drew attention from growers in California and abroad. He also supported agricultural cooperatives and served as a State Senator. The house keeps its rural setting and exotic plantings, and it is now a museum.","period_of_significance":"1915-1949","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Gothic; Italianate","criteria":["B"],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition with very little alteration since 1915-49; now used as a museum on a county-owned parcel.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.225071-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/00001166.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001166/2c2cb481db-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001166/2c2cb481db-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"User:Edgy01 (Dan Lindsay)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stow_House_7245.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Edgy01 (Dan Lindsay)</a>, <a href=\"https://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:Stow_House_7245.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861629","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stow_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7620663"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-barbara-county/stow-house-00001166/"}