{"nrhp_refnum":"73000450","name":"Hihn Building","other_names":["Superintendent's Office"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"201 Monterey Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Capitola","county":"Santa Cruz County","state":"CA","lat":36.97304439800007,"lon":-121.95063827399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-03-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story redwood commercial building at 201 Monterey Avenue (corner of Capitola and Monterey Avenues) in Capitola, Santa Cruz County, California, estimated to have been built in 1883 and used as the superintendent's office for Frederick A. Hihn's Capitola operations.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it Capitola's oldest commercial structure and an excellent example of Santa Cruz County commercial architecture before 1900. Its vague classical styling in local redwood is likened to Portuguese-settled coastal villages. It also served as headquarters for the F. A. Hihn Company's resort town of Capitola, described as possibly California's first seaside resort town.","narrative":"Standing at the corner of Capitola and Monterey Avenues, this two-story redwood building is thought to date from about 1883, though no exact construction date is recorded. Its vague classical styling, steep gabled roof, drop siding, angled main entrance and circular medallions in the cornice frieze recall Portuguese-settled coastal villages of California. It served as the office of the superintendent for Frederick A. Hihn's company town of Capitola, with public offices downstairs and the manager's private office and living quarters above. The superintendent oversaw street repairs, beach clean-up, concessions and cottage rentals until the late 1920s. Hihn and S. A. Hall began developing the area as Camp Capitola in 1874, a tent resort reached by narrow gauge railroad, which is described as possibly California's first seaside resort town. The building is called Capitola's oldest commercial structure and a good example of the county's commercial architecture before 1900. It has been restored and remains in commercial use.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vague classical styling, reminiscent of early California Portuguese fishing villages","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as excellent and altered; recently restored and brought up to code. Present use is commercial and the property is occupied.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.540686-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/73000450.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000450/6d06cb7ff5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000450/6d06cb7ff5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Mrwrite","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hihn_Building_-_Santa_Cruz_County,_California.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Mrwrite</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hihn_Building_-_Santa_Cruz_County,_California.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861863","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hihn_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q85766556"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-cruz-county/hihn-building-73000450/"}