{"nrhp_refnum":"77000288","name":"Allen-Sommer-Gage House","other_names":["Gage House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"410 Normal St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chico","county":"Butte County","state":"CA","lat":39.726603787000045,"lon":-121.84137695899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story wood-frame Greek Revival house at 410 Normal Street in Chico, Butte County, California, built in 1861 for R.H. Allen on a half-block bought from General John Bidwell.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as the oldest family residence of its size and quality in Chico, predating the Bidwell Mansion by at least four years. It is also a rare Greek Revival example in an area where Italianate houses are more common. It is tied to early local education and to the Sommer family, prominent in Chico commerce and civic life.","narrative":"Built in 1861 at 410 Normal Street in Chico, this wood-clapboard Greek Revival house was erected for R.H. Allen on a half-block bought from General John Bidwell, who had laid out the town the year before. The lumber was hauled by ox team from Nimshew. Doric columns mark the doorway and porch, and a balustraded second-story veranda opens through paired French doors. The nomination describes it as the oldest family residence of its size and quality in Chico, predating the Bidwell Mansion by at least four years. Allen, a teacher, opened a private school on the upper floor in 1862; it later served as the first public school in the new city district. C.J. Sommer, a jeweler and watchmaker, bought the house in 1880, and it has stayed in his family since, apart from rentals to two presidents of the Normal School. Interior remodeling, a bathroom, and later additions altered the house, but its facade and garden setting remain largely intact.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific date 1861)","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and occupied, with alterations over time; used as a private residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.429152-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/77000288.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77000288/d5fc3ed51f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77000288/d5fc3ed51f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Frank Schulenburg","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Allen-Sommer-Gage_House_in_January_2021.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:Allen-Sommer-Gage_House_in_January_2021.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"91000636","name":"South of Campus Neighborhood","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/south-of-campus-neighborhood-91000636/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858420","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130751392"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/butte-county/allen-sommer-gage-house-77000288/"}