{"nrhp_refnum":"76000478","name":"Oroville Chinese Temple","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1500 Broderick St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oroville","county":"Butte County","state":"CA","lat":39.51354453600004,"lon":-121.56191040199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-07-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A complex of three brick and block buildings with a courtyard garden at 1500 Broderick Street, Oroville, Butte County, California. The Main Temple was built and dedicated in 1863, with later additions through 1868-1870 and 1968.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the complex is a rare survivor of the large Chinese community that lived in Oroville in the early years of California statehood. It served as the religious, business and social center of that community. Its simple buildings combine eastern and western design elements and reflect pioneer-era constraints.","narrative":"Oroville's Chinese Temple is a complex of three buildings around a landscaped courtyard on Broderick Street. The red-brick Main Temple was dedicated in 1863 and holds statues of Chinese deities. A Chan Room was added beside it around 1870 as a private family temple. Behind it stands a two-story brick building from 1868 to 1870, with a Council Room below and the Moon Temple above, entered through a circular doorway symbolizing the circle of life. A Tapestry Hall, designed by Philip Choy, was added in 1968 to display artifacts, along with a Chinese-style garden, pavilion and replica worker's dwelling. The complex was listed because it survives from a time when an estimated 10,000 Chinese lived in the area, and it served as their religious, business and social center. Its plain brick buildings blend eastern and western design. The City of Oroville has owned it since 1937 and has operated it as a museum since 1959, while worshippers still visit.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Tapestry Hall (1968) designed by Philip (Phillip) Choy; earlier buildings built by residents of the Chinese settlement using locally fired brick","architectural_style":"Simple classic-origin style stripped of decoration, similar to Gold Rush era structures, combined with Chinese design elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition marked good; owned by the City of Oroville and open to the public as a museum since 1959, with worshippers still visiting. A 1975 inspection found limited earthquake damage.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.136124-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/76000478.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000478/54e98383ce-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000478/54e98383ce-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Frank Schulenburg","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oroville_Chinese_Temple,_October_2020-4018.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Frank Schulenburg</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:Oroville_Chinese_Temple,_October_2020-4018.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858441","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oroville_Chinese_Temple","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2775619"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/butte-county/oroville-chinese-temple-76000478/"}