{"nrhp_refnum":"73000428","name":"Rains, John, House","other_names":["Rancho Cucamonga"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"7869 Vineyard Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cucamonga","county":"San Bernardino County","state":"CA","lat":34.11122048200008,"lon":-117.61077469199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Historic - Aboriginal","Agriculture","Transportation","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick ranch residence at 7869 Vineyard Avenue in Cucamonga, San Bernardino County, California, built 1860-1861 for John Rains on the former Rancho Cucamonga.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as believed to be the oldest fired-brick residence still standing in San Bernardino County. It was the home of John Rains, who developed a large vineyard and built California's first commercial winery. The site was also a long-known stopping point and road junction for explorers, traders and travelers.","narrative":"This brick house at Cucamonga, in San Bernardino County, was begun in 1860 by John Rains on the former Rancho Cucamonga, and his family moved in the next year. Built of heavy red-clay brick with east and west wings around a central patio, it was roofed with thatch covered in brea and tallow. It also had an early cooling system of floor ducts carrying creek water. The nomination describes it as probably the oldest fired-brick residence still standing in the county. Rains expanded the vineyard and built the first commercial winery in California, which survives as a state landmark. The house later became a center of social life for wealthy southern families. After Rains was murdered in 1862, his widow lost the rancho by the 1870s. Later owners remodeled the house. After a recent sale it stood empty and was vandalized until San Bernardino County acquired it and began planning its preservation.","period_of_significance":"1860-1861 (construction dates of house); 19th century","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered by later owners who repaired it, gave it a new roof and remodeled it; after its sale it stood empty and was vandalized. Acquired by San Bernardino County, with steps under way to protect and preserve it.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.660873-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/73000428.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000428/fb3ee421eb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000428/fb3ee421eb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Einbierbitte","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Rains_House_2.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Einbierbitte</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:John_Rains_House_2.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860788","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rains_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20858232"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-bernardino-county/rains-john-house-73000428/"}