{"nrhp_refnum":"78000681","name":"Rives, James C., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"10921 S. Paramount Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Downey","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":33.944880424000075,"lon":-118.13712053899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-05-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story wooden Georgian Revival residence with a dormer attic at 10921 South Paramount Boulevard in Downey, Los Angeles County, California, completed in 1912 for James C. Rives and designed by Neher & Skilling.","why_significant":"The house was the most imposing residence in Downey when completed and an architecturally distinctive local landmark, with details such as Ionic columns. It was built for James C. Rives, a prominent local lawyer, Los Angeles County District Attorney and Superior Court judge. With many of Downey's oldest landmarks lost to development, it is the key surviving link to the community's agricultural era before post-World War II suburbanization.","narrative":"Completed in 1912 on a large lot in Downey, this two-story wooden house was designed in the Georgian Revival style by Los Angeles architects Neher & Skilling for James C. Rives. Rives, born in Atlanta in 1864, was a local publisher, lawyer, Los Angeles County District Attorney from 1899 to 1902, Superior Court judge and walnut grower. The hipped roof has matching dormers, a boxed cornice with decorated frieze, and a two-story portico of Greek columns with a balcony above the entrance. Alterations have been minimal: a balustrade and dormer brackets were removed, and a side portico was shortened when Third Street was widened in the 1950s. The interior remains nearly original. A wooden water tower used as a storage shed and a walnut-drying structure resembling a carriage house also survive. The house was the most elegant residence in the area and is now the most important link to Downey's agricultural past before postwar suburban growth.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Neher & Skilling","architectural_style":"Georgian Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as excellent condition, occupied as a private residence, with minimal alterations; its future was undetermined at the time, with possible retention by the city or a service group under discussion.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.263433-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/78000681.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000681/0fe6349282-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000681/0fe6349282-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Floatjon","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JCRivesHouse.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Floatjon</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:JCRivesHouse.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859459","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133272950"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/rives-james-c-house-78000681/"}