{"nrhp_refnum":"71000211","name":"Ventura County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"501 Poli St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ventura","county":"Ventura County","state":"CA","lat":34.282478938000054,"lon":-119.29312396999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-08-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A county courthouse at 501 Poli Street in Ventura, California, built in 1912 on a hillside site. Its original portion has two L-shaped wings and a central dome and was designed by Albert C. Martin of Los Angeles.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant for its architecture, a well-proportioned classical design with a distinctive glazed terra-cotta facade. It also notes how few buildings of this caliber remain in California. Its preservation, with the city committed to restoring the exterior, was expected to have a stimulating effect on downtown Ventura.","narrative":"Perched on a hillside at the head of California Street in Ventura, this courthouse was completed in 1912 to designs by Los Angeles architect Albert C. Martin, an early job in his career. The original portion has two L-shaped wings joined by a central section topped with a copper-sheathed hip roof. Its front walls are faced in glazed terra-cotta, and sixteen engaged columns with tapering fluted shafts give the facade its classical character. The main entrance has a richly ornamented pediment and lacelike metal gates. Inside, a marble lobby and monumental marble stairway stand out. Later additions filled in the rear between the wings. The county had abandoned the building as unsafe, and the city offered to buy it, make it structurally sound and restore its original exterior. Supporters valued it as one of few buildings of its caliber in California, and its prominent site makes it visible across the city and from the freeway.","period_of_significance":"1912","architect_builder":"Albert C. Martin (Los Angeles)","architectural_style":"Classical, possibly inspired by Italian and French Renaissance architecture","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as fair and altered; the terra-cotta facing has deteriorated. The city planned to buy the building from the county, make it structurally sound, restore the exterior and use it as City Hall.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.49266-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/71000211.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000211/c296a8540a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000211/c296a8540a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OLD_COUNTY_COURTHOUSE_OF_VENTURA,_CA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD</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:OLD_COUNTY_COURTHOUSE_OF_VENTURA,_CA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123862372","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventura_County_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7920372"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/ventura-county/ventura-county-courthouse-71000211/"}