{"nrhp_refnum":"72000214","name":"Dunsmuir House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Peralta Oaks Ct.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oakland","county":"Alameda County","state":"CA","lat":37.74302845100004,"lon":-122.14732966799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-05-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large three-story wood-frame mansion on Peralta Oaks Court in Oakland, Alameda County, California, built in 1899 for Alexander Dunsmuir and designed by San Francisco architect Eugene Freeman. It is owned by the City of Oakland and sits within a larger estate in a wooded valley.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant for its architecture and landscape. It is a restrained late Victorian country house with classical Greek-order detailing, a Tiffany-glass skylight and well-preserved interiors. The grounds were designed by John McLaren. Its romantic history and later ownership by banker I. W. Hellman, Jr. have also drawn strong public interest.","narrative":"Dunsmuir House is a seventeen-room, three-story wood-frame mansion in a quiet wooded valley in Oakland. Alexander Dunsmuir had it built in 1899 for Josephine Wallace, and San Francisco architect Eugene Freeman designed it. The white front facade has a broad porch, a second-story balcony and tall Corinthian columns beneath a triangular pediment, while the other sides are plainer. Inside are beamed ceilings, paneled walls, eleven fireplaces and a domed skylight of stained Tiffany glass above the main staircase. John McLaren designed the surrounding gardens, and many of his features survive. Banker I. W. Hellman, Jr. bought the property in 1906, and his family later used it as a summer home. Oakland acquired it in 1962. The house is considered a good example of a large American country house from the end of the Victorian era, with notably intact interiors and landscaping. Public open houses drew thousands of visitors, and a nonprofit group formed to preserve it.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1899)","architect_builder":"Eugene Freeman, architect (San Francisco); built for Alexander Dunsmuir","architectural_style":"Late Victorian country house with restrained classical (Greek order) treatment","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as unoccupied, in fair condition and little altered. City renovation work was under way, and a preservation corporation was formed to use it as an educational and historical feature.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.04559-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/72000214.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000214/73a5dd2bd1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000214/73a5dd2bd1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"David Brossard","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Brossard_-_Dunsmuir_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">David Brossard</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Brossard_-_Dunsmuir_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858206","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunsmuir_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5315691"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/alameda-county/dunsmuir-house-72000214/"}