{"nrhp_refnum":"80000826","name":"Backs, Ferdinand, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"225 N. Claudina St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Anaheim","county":"Orange County","state":"CA","lat":33.83752191200006,"lon":-117.91370843799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-10-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large two-story Colonial Revival house with a rear carriage house at 225 North Claudina Street in Anaheim, Orange County, California, built 1902-1904 for Ferdinand and Louisa Werder Backs, with Edward Neihaus of Berkeley as builder.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the finest example of turn-of-the-century Colonial Revival architecture in Old Anaheim, notable for its craftsmanship, detailing and well-preserved grounds. It is also tied to the Backs and Werder families, among Anaheim's oldest and most prominent, and shows the lifestyle of the town's upper social class soon after 1900.","narrative":"Built between 1902 and 1904, this two-story Colonial Revival house at 225 North Claudina Street in Anaheim was the home of Ferdinand Backs, a cabinetmaker who founded the town's first undertaking and furniture business, and his wife Louisa Werder Backs, whose family were among Anaheim's founding settlers. Edward Neihaus, a Berkeley builder, constructed it, and the interior woodwork was milled in Berkeley. The exterior features intersecting gambrel roofs, clapboard siding, a curved porch with bowed columns, bay windows and diamond-paned sash. A matching carriage house stands at the rear, and the lot retains mature trees and gardens. The interior keeps its spindlework, birdseye maple fireplace, built-in buffet and original oak floors. The nomination describes it as the finest turn-of-the-century Colonial Revival house in Old Anaheim and notes visits by guests such as Madam Modjeska and Governor Hiram Johnson. Alterations were minor, and the house was being carefully restored.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific dates: begun 1902, finished 1904)","architect_builder":"Builder: Edward Neihaus","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied private residence in good condition, virtually unaltered; the owner was undertaking an authentic restoration at the time of the form.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.651496-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/80000826.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000826/d40d0793c4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000826/d40d0793c4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FERDINAND_BACKS_HOUSE,_ANAHEIM,_ORANGE_COUNTY,_CA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FERDINAND_BACKS_HOUSE,_ANAHEIM,_ORANGE_COUNTY,_CA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860161","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Backs_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126916033"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/orange-county/backs-ferdinand-house-80000826/"}