{"nrhp_refnum":"82002206","name":"Kaehler-Rector House","other_names":["Judge Rector Home"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"408 W. 25th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Merced","county":"Merced County","state":"CA","lat":37.308681758000034,"lon":-120.47757816299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-01-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story redwood-frame Queen Anne house of about 5,000 square feet at 408 West 25th Street in Merced, California, built 1891-1894 to designs by Louis Wegner for George Kaehler.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the finest remaining examples of Victorian Queen Anne architecture in Merced County and one of the city's \"old castles.\" It was designed by the locally known architect and builder Louis Wegner, and its integrity remains high. Original owner George Kaehler and second owner Judge E. N. Rector were both prominent in Merced history.","narrative":"Built between 1891 and 1894 at 408 West 25th Street in Merced, this two-story redwood house is a large Queen Anne residence of about 5,000 square feet. Its asymmetrical form includes a corner turret with a cone-shaped roof, a complex roofline of hips and gables, and a long veranda with turned columns that wraps around the east side. Inside are a mahogany staircase, ceiling medallions, ornate mantels with ceramic tiles, and imported engraved brass hardware. Louis Wegner, a German-trained architect and builder who twice served as Merced's mayor, designed it, and it is the grandest of his surviving local works. George Kaehler, a liquor wholesaler, was the original owner. Judge E. N. Rector, who served on the county Superior Court for 38 years, lived there from 1903 until 1941. Locals count it among Merced's \"old castles.\" Changes are limited to enclosed rear porches, added bathrooms, and rear apartments.","period_of_significance":"1891-1894","architect_builder":"Louis Wegner","architectural_style":"Queen Anne (Victorian)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Excellent condition and occupied as a private residence; alterations are confined to the rear, where apartments were created.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.381203-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/82002206.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002206/d58981e6d3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002206/d58981e6d3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"William Hoffknecht","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KR_House_Merced.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">William Hoffknecht</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:KR_House_Merced.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859845","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaehler%E2%80%93Rector_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14682895"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/merced-county/kaehler-rector-house-82002206/"}