{"nrhp_refnum":"80000823","name":"Bontadelli, Peter J., House","other_names":["The Empire House(1979)"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"119 Cayuga St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Salinas","county":"Monterey County","state":"CA","lat":36.677012079000065,"lon":-121.77124825099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-07-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame house at 119 Cayuga Street in Salinas, Monterey County, California, built by painting contractor Peter J. Bontadelli for himself and probably moved to this site and enlarged around 1907 after the 1906 earthquake.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the finest and only classic example of French Second Empire (\"Parisian\") architecture in Monterey County, with a boldly modeled mansard roof and classical detailing. It is also tied to Bontadelli, a Swiss-born craftsman trained in Paris who became a leader in Salinas's Swiss-American community. The nomination argues it may yield information on Salinas's architectural development and the evolution of that community.","narrative":"Set in an older, increasingly commercial neighborhood of Salinas, this two-story frame house at 119 Cayuga Street is described as the finest and only classic example of French Second Empire architecture in Monterey County. Its mansard roof is covered in alternating rows of diamond and fishscale shingles above a scroll-sawn bracketed cornice, and the dormer windows carry classical pediments. The house was built by Peter J. Bontadelli, a Swiss-born painting contractor trained in Paris who moved to Salinas in 1875. He helped found the Swiss-American Rifle Club and was a leader in the area's Swiss-American community. The house was probably moved to this lot and enlarged around 1907, after the 1906 earthquake, and further additions were made in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Interior features include redwood trim, carved paneled doors, and a mahogany fireplace mantel. It was listed for its architectural quality and its link to local Swiss-American history.","period_of_significance":"prior to 1907","architect_builder":"Peter J. Bontadelli","architectural_style":"French Second Empire (\"Parisian\")","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition, altered and moved, and occupied; used for commercial and private residence purposes. The Empire House name appears for 1979.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.235727-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/80000823.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000823/240fa57159-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000823/240fa57159-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Rramosphoto","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Empire_House.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Rramosphoto</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:The_Empire_House.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859895","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_J._Bontadelli_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14683637"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/monterey-county/bontadelli-peter-j-house-80000823/"}