{"nrhp_refnum":"78000817","name":"Emporium","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"735 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Jamestown","county":"Tuolumne County","state":"CA","lat":37.95267036900003,"lon":-120.42372404099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-02-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story late Victorian commercial brick building at 735 Main Street in Jamestown, Tuolumne County, California, built in 1897 and designed and built by C.H. Wilson.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the Emporium is architecturally significant for its outstanding, largely unaltered facade with a two-story gallery, double archwork and Eastlake detailing. It is also historically significant as a pioneer department store in Tuolumne County that operated until 1969 and served as a telephone station between 1906 and 1923.","narrative":"Built in 1897 at 735 Main Street in Jamestown, the Emporium is a rectangular two-story brick commercial building with living quarters upstairs and a sales room and offices below. Its facade features a roofed second-story balcony with four symmetrical arches repeated at street level, along with Eastlake finials on the false front. C.H. Wilson served as both architect and builder for J.W. Witney and Sons, and a contemporary newspaper called it among the most imposing business buildings in Tuolumne County, apart from the Hotel Victoria. The Emporium operated as a pioneer department store selling clothing and furnishings, passing to Moses Areant and then, in 1928, to Porter and Barendregt, who ran it until 1969. From 1906 to 1923 it also served as a county telephone station. The facade and ground floor retain their original millwork and integrity, and the building is a focal point on its street. Restoration of the upstairs apartment and dance hall was under way when the property was nominated.","period_of_significance":"1897","architect_builder":"C.H. Wilson","architectural_style":"Late Victorian with Eastlake detailing","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in fair condition and occupied; the upstairs apartment and dance hall are being restored to their 1897 appearance, and the roof, parapet and chimneys have been repaired.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.390276-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/78000817.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000817/d8b1094a7c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000817/d8b1094a7c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Bobak Ha'Eri","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0724-CA-Jamestown-Emporium.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bobak Ha'Eri</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0724-CA-Jamestown-Emporium.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123862272","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emporium_(Jamestown,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133571404"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/tuolumne-county/emporium-78000817/"}