{"nrhp_refnum":"70000141","name":"Castro, Jose, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"S side of the Plaza","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Juan Bautista","county":"San Benito County","state":"CA","lat":36.84435776500007,"lon":-121.53609689748944,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-04-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1970-04-15","areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story adobe house with a New England-type timber frame at the southwest corner of 2nd and Washington Streets, facing the plaza in San Juan Bautista, San Benito County, California. It was built in 1840-41 by Jose Castro.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an excellent example of the Monterey-colonial style outside the capital, combining a timber frame with an adobe shell and an upper-floor veranda like the Larkin House prototype in Monterey. It also has exposed mud-block construction and unusual details such as glass panes beside the entrance. It has historical associations with Castro, the Donner Party member Patrick Breen, and several notable visitors.","narrative":"Facing the plaza in San Juan Bautista, this two-story adobe was built in 1840-41 by Jose Castro, Commandant General of Northern California, as a residence for his secretary and an office for his own administrative use. Its plastered adobe walls and tile gable roof are supported by a heavy New England-style timber frame, left exposed inside, which allowed a second story and larger window and door openings. Cantilevered verandas on the north and south sides shelter the walls and give access between upper rooms. Glass panes beside the entrance door depart from the Monterey prototype and suggest Greek Revival influence. The house is regarded as an excellent example of Monterey-colonial architecture outside the capital. Patrick Breen, a Donner Party member, bought it in 1848. The State of California acquired it in 1935, and it is now part of the state historic park. Visitors have included Sherman, Fremont and Grant, and Helen Hunt Jackson began writing Ramona there.","period_of_significance":"1840-41","architect_builder":"Jose Castro","architectural_style":"Monterey-colonial","criteria":[],"status_note":"Much altered but in good condition; owned by the State of California and open to the public as part of San Juan Bautista State Historic Park.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.452155-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/70000141_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000141/85eb391f66-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000141/85eb391f66-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Intranila","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Castro_Adobe.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Intranila</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:Castro_Adobe.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"69000038","name":"San Juan Bautista Plaza Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/san-juan-bautista-plaza-historic-district-69000038/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858010","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Castro_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6279298"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-benito-county/castro-jose-house-70000141/"}