{"nrhp_refnum":"12000126","name":"Ensign, Dr. Orville S., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"304 S. Laurel Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ontario","county":"San Bernardino County","state":"CA","lat":34.060860701000024,"lon":-117.65289122599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-03-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story redwood Eastlake-style house at 304 South Laurel Avenue in Ontario, California, built in 1893 as a family home with an attached medical office, along with a non-contributing detached garage.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is one of the most elaborate and intact Eastlake-style homes surviving in Ontario, where few large Victorian homes remain. It meets Criterion C for embodying the characteristics of a type and period and for its high artistic values. Its ornamental detailing and largely original interior remain intact despite a changed surrounding setting.","narrative":"Built in 1893 for physician Dr. Orville S. Ensign, this two-story redwood house at 304 South Laurel Avenue in Ontario served as both a family residence and a medical office. Contractor John Gerry built it for about $3,000. The house displays Eastlake features: lattice-style stick work and beaded bargeboards on the gable ends, a wraparound veranda, a recessed second-story balcony, carved wood posts, and shiplap siding broken by paneling. Inside, the redwood staircase, moldings, and doors survive in original condition. Alterations in 1912 added plumbing, a bathroom, a sunroom and a mud room, and later owners removed enclosures from the porch and balcony in 1980. The surrounding area has shifted to railroad and industrial uses, yet the property retains a high degree of integrity. It is considered significant as one of the finest surviving Victorian-era Eastlake homes in Ontario, where many comparable houses have been lost. A non-contributing 1930s garage also stands on the lot.","period_of_significance":"1893-1912","architect_builder":"Gerry, John (contractor); Manley, Robert (contractor)","architectural_style":"Late Victorian / Stick/Eastlake","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as in good condition with minor maintenance needed; used as a single dwelling and multiple dwelling. The detached garage is in poor condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.428993-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/12000126.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000126/f463d91bce-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000126/f463d91bce-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Einbierbitte","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orville_Ensign_House_3.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Einbierbitte</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orville_Ensign_House_3.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860745","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133445310"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-bernardino-county/ensign-dr-orville-s-house-12000126/"}