{"nrhp_refnum":"79000503","name":"Francis, James H., House","other_names":["Francis House","Calistoga Hospital"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1403 Myrtle St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Calistoga","county":"Napa County","state":"CA","lat":38.576605448000066,"lon":-122.58253209799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-01-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story native stone Second Empire house at 1403 Myrtle Street in Calistoga, Napa County, California, built in 1886 for merchant and rancher James H. Francis. It was later used as the Calistoga Hospital.","why_significant":"It is believed to be the only stone Second Empire residence in Napa County and shows a level of local stonemasonry usually seen in wineries rather than houses. It is one of two Second Empire residences in Calistoga and reflects the prosperous 1870s and 1880s. It also stands as a focal point of one of the town's earliest residential neighborhoods.","narrative":"Built in 1886 on a corner lot at Spring and Myrtle Streets in Calistoga, this three-story house was made for James H. Francis, a local merchant and rancher. John Sexton built it from native stone quarried and cut south of town. Its square plan, projecting central pavilion, paired arched windows and bellcast mansard roof with pedimented dormers are typical of the Second Empire style. It is believed to be the only stone house of that style in Napa County, and its craftsmanship resembles stonework more often found in wineries. After Francis died in 1891 the house changed hands, and in 1918 it became the Calistoga Hospital, which operated until 1964. A large front portico and a masonry addition date from the hospital years, and the interior was altered, but the stone exterior has weathered well. At the time of the nomination the building stood vacant and deteriorating, still a prominent landmark in an early residential neighborhood.","period_of_significance":"1886","architect_builder":"Stonemason/builder: John Sexton (architect unknown; stone quarried and cut by John McPherson)","architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as vacant and unoccupied, in rapidly deteriorating condition; served as the Calistoga Hospital from 1918 until 1964.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.775393-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/79000503.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000503/4b37690620-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000503/4b37690620-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_H._Francis_House,_1403_Myrtle_St.,_Calistoga,_CA_10-22-2011_2-02-35_PM.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</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:James_H._Francis_House,_1403_Myrtle_St.,_Calistoga,_CA_10-22-2011_2-02-35_PM.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860014","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_H._Francis_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q96384129"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/napa-county/francis-james-h-house-79000503/"}