{"nrhp_refnum":"80000827","name":"Old Backs House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"215 N. Claudina St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Anaheim","county":"Orange County","state":"CA","lat":33.839048579000064,"lon":-117.91458932999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-10-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A vernacular frame residence at 215 North Claudina Street in Anaheim, Orange County, California. Ferdinand Backs built the original two-room cottage in 1873, enlarged it in 1885, and it was moved twice, in 1885 and around 1900.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant for its architecture and for its association with the early history of Anaheim. Its evolution from a small immigrant cottage to a substantial dwelling records the growing prosperity of the Backs family and of the town. It is one of the oldest surviving homes in Anaheim and is tied to two early Anaheim families.","narrative":"Begun in 1873 as a two-room cottage behind a furniture and undertaking parlor, this house in Anaheim grew with the family that lived in it. Ferdinand Backs, a German immigrant cabinetmaker, added a second story after his 1875 marriage to Louisa Werder, whose family was among Anaheim's founders. In 1885 he moved the cottage two blocks to Claudina and Cypress Streets and added a larger one-story section and front porch. Around 1900 it was moved again to its present lot to make room for a new family home. The house keeps shiplap siding, double-hung windows, a bay window and an unusual hallway layout, and the low ceilings of the older south portion still show its cottage origins. It is considered locally significant for its architecture and for what it shows about Anaheim's growth into a commercial center, and it remains one of the town's oldest surviving homes.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Not Known","architectural_style":"Frame vernacular residence","criteria":[],"status_note":"Marked as occupied and in use as a private residence; described as virtually unaltered from its 1885 appearance apart from a small rear shed added in 1910.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.125157-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/80000827.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860292","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/orange-county/old-backs-house-80000827/"}