{"nrhp_refnum":"72000244","name":"Modjeska House","other_names":["Forest of Arden"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Modjeska Canyon Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Modjeska","county":"Orange County","state":"CA","lat":33.70864592300006,"lon":-117.62430426199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-12-11","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1990-12-14","areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture","Performing Arts","European"],"significance_levels":["national","state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Ranch home known as Arden or the Forest of Arden, a wood-sided house with outbuildings and gardens on about 4.5 acres on Modjeska Canyon Road in Modjeska, Orange County, California, built in 1888.","why_significant":"It was the retreat of Shakespearean actress Helena Modjeska and her husband Karol Bozenta Chlapowski from 1888 to 1906. They lived there between theatrical tours, and the house hosted well-known guests. Modjeska was also active in local benefit performances.","narrative":"Arden, also called the Forest of Arden, is a white-painted wood house with outbuildings and gardens set among live oak and sycamore woodland in Modjeska Canyon, Orange County. Built in 1888, it served as the ranch home of the Polish-born Shakespearean actress Helena Modjeska and her husband Karol Bozenta Chlapowski, who lived there between theatrical tours until 1906. Modjeska named it after the Forest of Arden in As You Like It. Her memoirs credit Stanford White with the design, though this has not been confirmed elsewhere. Guests included pianist Ignace Jan Paderewski, members of the Barrymore family, Edwin Booth and members of the Otis Skinner family. Modjeska also took part in local benefit performances, training amateur performers and lending costumes. The property keeps redwood interior walls, original beds, a dining table, a stone-lined wine cellar and a small hexagonal house thought to be a Polish milk house.","period_of_significance":"1888-1906","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as fair, with the house and grounds maintained in good condition; one downstairs room has an added bank of windows. Occupied as a private residence at the time of nomination.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.034029-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/72000244.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000244/abfafef357-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000244/abfafef357-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Coolsheep2","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:California_-_Modjeska_House_-_20180915141520.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Coolsheep2</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:California_-_Modjeska_House_-_20180915141520.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860280","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modjeska_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6889473"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/orange-county/modjeska-house-72000244/"}