{"nrhp_refnum":"66000083","name":"John Muir National Historic Site","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4202 Alhambra Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Martinez","county":"Contra Costa County","state":"CA","lat":37.99132170000007,"lon":-122.13134781299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1962-12-29","areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Conservation","Literature","Science","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A National Park Service historic site at 4202 Alhambra Avenue in Martinez, California, centered on the 1882-3 Victorian Italianate John Muir House, a Carriage House, and the circa 1849 Martinez Adobe, on land the federal government acquired in 1964.","why_significant":"The site is argued to be of national significance in conservation, literature, science and social/humanitarian concerns because of John Muir's work to establish national parks and to bring his nature experiences to the public through writing. It is of regional significance in agriculture and architecture, for a late Victorian country house and a California-Mexican rancho adobe, and for plantings by Muir and his father-in-law.","narrative":"John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, California, preserves the home and ranch buildings where the naturalist and writer lived and worked. The main building is a two-story wood frame house of 1882-3, designed by Wolfe & Son of San Francisco in the Victorian Italianate style, with a cupola, oriel windows and quoins. Nearby are a Carriage House and the Martinez Adobe, a two-story rancho building probably built in 1849. Muir wrote most of his work in the second-floor study of the house and met there with other conservation leaders. The nomination credits him with major influence on the creation of national parks and forest reserves, and with describing the glacial origins of Yosemite Valley. It also notes the plantings of more than 120 plant varieties begun by Muir and his father-in-law, Dr. John Strentzel. The federal government acquired the property in 1964 as a memorial to Muir.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Muir House: Wolfe & Son, Architects, San Francisco; built by Sylvesters and Langabee, San Francisco. Martinez Adobe: Vicente Martinez.","architectural_style":"Victorian Italianate (Muir House); California (Mexican) rancho style (Martinez Adobe)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by the National Park Service and operated as a museum and park; the Muir House is described as in a good state of repair, with restoration and rehabilitation done since 1964.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.665659-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/66000083.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000083/6e099d287f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000083/6e099d287f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"NPS","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Wanda-John_Muir_National_Historic_Site.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">NPS</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Wanda-John_Muir_National_Historic_Site.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858540","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir_National_Historic_Site","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1701162"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/contra-costa-county/john-muir-national-historic-site-66000083/"}