{"nrhp_refnum":"71000153","name":"Sinclair, Upton, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"464 N. Myrtle Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Monrovia","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.162144959000045,"lon":-118.0009213538552,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-11-11","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1971-11-11","areas_of_significance":["Literature"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1923 reinforced-concrete, neo-Mediterranean style house at 464 N. Myrtle Avenue in Monrovia, Los Angeles County, California, at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, with a converted garage study and a concrete-block papers vault behind it.","why_significant":"It was the principal residence of author and social critic Upton Sinclair from 1942 until 1966. Nearly all of his later works were written here, including most of the Lanny Budd series. The nomination presents Sinclair as one of the most influential American novelists on social justice.","narrative":"Built in 1923, this tall, square reinforced-concrete house in Monrovia, California, sits against the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Its neo-Mediterranean facade features an arched travertine doorway with a small balcony above, and the interior has plastone floors, a lofty living room and dining room, and a chair elevator and garden ramp installed for the second Mrs. Sinclair. It matters because author Upton Sinclair lived here from 1942 to 1966, seeking seclusion from Pasadena's growing congestion and unwelcome visitors. He converted the double garage into a study and built a concrete-block vault for his papers. Most of his later writing was done here, including much of the Lanny Budd series, whose third volume, The Dragon's Teeth, won the 1942 Pulitzer Prize. Sinclair, known for The Jungle and for social-reform writing, sold the house in 1967. The house remains largely unaltered and is used as a private residence.","period_of_significance":"1942-1967","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Neo-Mediterranean","criteria":[],"status_note":"Private residence in good condition; fence removed, lawn replanted and minor interior changes made, otherwise unaltered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.828542-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/71000153_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000153/86a7fc646b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000153/86a7fc646b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Doncram","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UptonSinclairHouse-186-sm.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doncram</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:UptonSinclairHouse-186-sm.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857944","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upton_Sinclair_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7899399"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/sinclair-upton-house-71000153/"}