{"nrhp_refnum":"10000773","name":"Renzel, Ernest & Emily, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"120 Arroyo Way","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Jose","county":"Santa Clara County","state":"CA","lat":37.34242917300003,"lon":-121.87247016899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-09-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Ranch-style single-family house at 120 Arroyo Way in San Jose, Santa Clara County, California, on a sloped, wooded lot along Coyote Creek at the eastern edge of the Naglee Park area. Architect Chester Root designed it in 1939-40, and Kress & Gibson added to it in 1949-50.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant under Criterion A as the home of Ernest Renzel, a San Jose Chamber of Commerce member and City Council leader who championed the municipal airport, now San Jose International Airport. It is also significant under Criterion C as a very early local example of Ranch-style design that blends brick and wood siding with Modernist steel corner windows. Significance is local.","narrative":"Set on a sloped, wooded lot above Coyote Creek at 120 Arroyo Way in San Jose, this house was designed by architect Chester Root and built in 1939-40 as the home of Ernest Renzel. It reads as one story from the street and two at the rear. Brick and wood siding, deep boxed eaves, glass-block sidelights and steel corner windows give it a low, horizontal profile, and the interior has a paneled two-story living room with a brick fireplace. Kress & Gibson added a compatible south wing in 1949-50. The house is described as a very early local example of Ranch-style design in the early Modern period. It is also tied to Renzel's civic career. He promoted a municipal airport for San Jose beginning in 1938, led the 1940 bond campaign, and served on the City Council from 1944 to 1948. The airport later grew into San Jose International Airport.","period_of_significance":"1939-1950","architect_builder":"Chester Root (architect, 1939-1940); Gibson & Wheeler Inc. (contractor, 1939-1940); Kress & Gibson (addition, 1949-1950)","architectural_style":"Modern Movement: Ranch Style","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Historic and current function is single dwelling; the nomination states the property retains its historic integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.552938-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/10000773.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000773/77add5c85a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000773/77add5c85a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Gerosch","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ernest_and_Emily_Renzel_House_as_of_2012.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Gerosch</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:Ernest_and_Emily_Renzel_House_as_of_2012.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861772","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_%26_Emily_Renzel_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123923553"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-clara-county/renzel-ernest-and-emily-house-10000773/"}