{"nrhp_refnum":"00001180","name":"Sonoma State Home-Main Building","other_names":["Sonoma State Hospital","Sonoma Developmental Center"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"15000 Arnold Dr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Eldridge","county":"Sonoma County","state":"CA","lat":38.34905199100007,"lon":-122.51970040499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-10-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Health/Medicine"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story-over-basement red brick and terracotta institutional building in the Victorian Gothic style at 15000 Arnold Drive, Eldridge, Sonoma County, California. It opened in 1908 and was designed by State Architect George Sellon, incorporating remnants of an 1891 building.","why_significant":"It is the oldest remaining building of California's first facility for the education and care of developmentally delayed children (Criterion A). It is also a very good institutional example of Victorian Gothic architecture and the focal point of the campus (Criterion C). The Home also took part in early intelligence testing work and in the era's sterilization practices.","narrative":"Rising three stories above a basement on the grounds of the Sonoma Developmental Center in Eldridge, this red brick and terracotta building opened in 1908 as the main building of the Sonoma State Home. It replaced an 1891 structure largely destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, and the two slightly projecting rear sections are remnants of that first building. State Architect George Sellon designed it in the Victorian Gothic style, with cream glazed terracotta trim, a slate roof and an arched entry porch. It was listed for its role as the oldest surviving building of California's first facility for the care and training of developmentally delayed children, founded in 1883, and for its architecture. The Home later took part in early intelligence testing studies and in sterilization programs that the nomination describes with alarm. The building is now vacant and needs repair, though its exterior retains very high integrity.","period_of_significance":"1908-1950","architect_builder":"Sellon & Hemmings, Architects: McElroy/Copeland & Pierce of San Fran","architectural_style":"Late Victorian/Gothic (Victorian Gothic)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Currently vacant and showing signs of neglect, especially from birds entering the building; exterior brick and terracotta remain in excellent condition and the building is in need of repair.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.039192-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/00001180.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001180/f0ade0bb32-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001180/f0ade0bb32-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sonoma_State_Home,_Main_Building,_15000_Arnold_Dr.,_Eldridge,_CA_6-12-2010_6-03-39_PM.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</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:Sonoma_State_Home,_Main_Building,_15000_Arnold_Dr.,_Eldridge,_CA_6-12-2010_6-03-39_PM.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123862134","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoma_Developmental_Center","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7562181"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/sonoma-county/sonoma-state-home-main-building-00001180/"}