{"nrhp_refnum":"73000416","name":"National Exchange Hotel","other_names":["Bicknell's Block"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"211 Broad St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Nevada City","county":"Nevada County","state":"CA","lat":39.262278362000075,"lon":-121.01802172799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-10-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture","Communications"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick hotel building at 211 Broad Street in Nevada City, California, built for a dentist, Dr. Bicknell, and completed in April 1856 as 'Bicknell's Block'. It opened as the National Exchange Hotel on August 20, 1856.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is one of the seven oldest structures remaining in the city's business district and the only one of that group still used for its original purpose. It is also described as one of the longest continuously operating hotels in the state. It served as a telegraph office, stage stop and freight and passenger service important to mining, and as the hub of the town's commercial and social life.","narrative":"Three stories of brick run about 100 feet along Broad Street in Nevada City, making this the most imposing building in the town's business district. Dr. Bicknell, a dentist, had it built, and a Mr. Todd planned and supervised the work. A newspaper notice in April 1856 called it the finest brick structure in the mountains. When a July 1856 fire destroyed the nearby U.S. Hotel, the Bicknell buildings survived almost unharmed, and the hotel's owners leased the block and opened it as the National Exchange Hotel on August 20, 1856. The facade has a wood portico, brick pilasters, a modeled brick cornice and cast iron railings. Inside, the dining room and bar occupy space once used by a telegraph office and freight and passenger services. The building is one of the seven oldest in the business district and the only one of them still used for its original purpose. It has operated as a hotel since 1856, though an 1890s annex was demolished in 1968.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (completed April 1856; hotel opened August 20, 1856)","architect_builder":"Built by Mr. Todd, who planned and supervised construction, for Dr. Bicknell","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition and in use as a hotel and dining room, with shops and business offices on the street level. The 1890s annex was torn down in 1968.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.579614-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/73000416.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000416/9c877cd0ea-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000416/9c877cd0ea-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Tadd and Debbie Ottman","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:National_Hotel_Nevada_City.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tadd and Debbie Ottman</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:National_Hotel_Nevada_City.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"85002520","name":"Nevada City Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/nevada-city-downtown-historic-district-85002520/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860140","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Exchange_Hotel","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6972510"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/nevada-county/national-exchange-hotel-73000416/"}