{"nrhp_refnum":"66000215","name":"Larkin House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"464 Calle Principale","address_restricted":false,"city":"Monterey","county":"Monterey County","state":"CA","lat":36.59802028450005,"lon":-121.89629276062436,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1960-12-19","areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story adobe house at 510 Calle Principale in Monterey, California, begun in 1835 and completed in 1837 by merchant Thomas O. Larkin. It is now a state-owned museum.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that it was the first Monterey residence to combine a New England-style timber frame with an adobe shell, creating a widely imitated prototype for the so-called Monterey-Colonial style. It also marks a turning point in California adobe building. Larkin, the first U.S. Consul in California, played a key role in events leading to annexation.","narrative":"Larkin House in Monterey is a two-story adobe built by New England merchant Thomas O. Larkin between 1835 and 1837 at a cost of nearly $5,000. Roughly 46 by 52 feet, it has two-foot-thick whitewashed adobe walls, a hipped shingle roof and a broad two-story veranda. Because sawmills were lacking, Larkin combined a handhewn redwood frame with a lighter adobe shell, which allowed an upper floor and larger window openings than earlier Spanish and Mexican adobes. He also introduced interior chimneys with fireplaces in each room, wallpaper, milled doors and double sash windows. The design became the prototype for what is called the Monterey-Colonial style and was widely copied. Larkin served as first U.S. Consul in California and as confidential agent in the events leading to annexation. He sold the house in 1850. His granddaughter bought it in 1922 and donated it to the State of California in 1957. It now operates as a museum.","period_of_significance":"1835","architect_builder":"Thomas O. Larkin","architectural_style":"Monterey-Colonial","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, in excellent condition and altered, and used as a museum under state ownership.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.481978-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/66000215_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000215/0215375065-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000215/0215375065-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jsweida","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Larkin_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jsweida</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:Larkin_House.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"70000137","name":"Monterey Old Town Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/monterey-old-town-historic-district-70000137/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857974","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larkin_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6489615"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/monterey-county/larkin-house-66000215/"}