{"nrhp_refnum":"78000824","name":"Colony House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"137 Strathearn Pl.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Simi","county":"Ventura County","state":"CA","lat":34.27499701600004,"lon":-118.80198787299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-09-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Colony House is a two-story framed Victorian house built in 1888 as a pre-fabricated structure shipped from Chicago to the Simi Colony in Simi Valley, Ventura County, California. It was moved in 1970 to Strathearn Historical Park at 137 Strathearn Place.","why_significant":"The house is one of only two surviving pre-fabricated houses from the Simi Colony, a venture tied to California's 1880s land boom. A group of Chicago doctors planned a health resort and sold pre-cut Victorian houses shipped west. The house was moved in 1970 to avoid demolition.","narrative":"Colony House is a two-story Victorian dwelling with a high gable roof, flush board-and-batten siding, bracketed eaves and molded window trim. It began as one of the pre-cut, partly assembled houses ordered by a group of Chicago doctors who planned a health resort in Simi Valley during California's 1880s land boom. The houses were shipped by rail to Saticoy in November 1888 and hauled by wagon to Simi Valley. Twelve arrived, forming the nucleus of the small town. This house stood at Second and Ashland Streets, sheltered several families, and later served as a church parsonage. It gained a large front and side veranda, a rear lean-to added in 1935, and interior changes over the years. In 1970 it was donated to the Simi Valley Historical Society and moved to Strathearn Historical Park to avoid demolition. Only two of the colony houses survive. It now serves as a museum, with restored upstairs rooms.","period_of_significance":"1888","architect_builder":"Chicago pre-fab (pre-fabricated house from a Chicago company; no individual architect named)","architectural_style":"Victorian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by the Simi Valley Recreation and Park District and used as a museum in Strathearn Historical Park; second-floor rooms restored.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.372788-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/78000824.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000824/fdc6975955-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000824/fdc6975955-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Los Angeles","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colony_House,_Simi_Valley.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles</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:Colony_House,_Simi_Valley.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123862326","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_House_(Simi,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14681774"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/ventura-county/colony-house-78000824/"}