{"nrhp_refnum":"72000250","name":"McElroy Octagon House","other_names":["Colonial Dames Octagon House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2645 Gough St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Francisco","county":"San Francisco","state":"CA","lat":37.79781267800007,"lon":-122.42736794299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-02-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story octagonal house at 2645 Gough Street, San Francisco, built in 1861 by William C. McElroy and his wife as a dwelling. It is now a headquarters and museum for the National Society of Colonial Dames.","why_significant":"It is an example of the octagon house fashion of the 1850s and 1860s, inspired by Orson Squire Fowler's 1848 book \"A Home for All.\" Of at least five octagonal houses once in San Francisco, it is one of the last two and the only one maintained and open to the public. It was saved from demolition and restored in 1952.","narrative":"Octagon House at 2645 Gough Street in San Francisco is an eight-sided, two-story building completed in 1861 for miller William C. McElroy and his wife Harriet. Originally built of concrete made from lime, cement and gravel, it is now covered in clapboards and topped by a small octagonal wooden cupola. Paired double-hung windows light each side, and a classical porch shelters the recessed entrance. The design follows the octagonal plan promoted by Orson Squire Fowler in his 1848 book, which argued that eight-sided rooms received more sunlight. At least five such houses once stood in San Francisco, and this is one of the last two and the only one open to the public. The McElroys lived here until 1891, and the poet Daniel O'Connell later lived in it for about three years, hosting writers and artists. In 1952 the Colonial Dames saved it from demolition, moved it across the street and restored it. It now serves as their California headquarters and a museum of 18th century furniture and manuscripts.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1861)","architect_builder":"William C. McElroy and wife (builders); restoration directed by Warren Perry, F.A.I.A.","architectural_style":"Classical, influenced by Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in good condition; used as headquarters of the Colonial Dames in California and as a museum. It has been altered and moved from its original site.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.236282-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/72000250.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000250/a1d0f350da-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000250/a1d0f350da-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Jaredzimmerman","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:McElroy_Octagon_House_2022.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jaredzimmerman</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:McElroy_Octagon_House_2022.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861206","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McElroy_Octagon_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6801074"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-francisco/mcelroy-octagon-house-72000250/"}