{"nrhp_refnum":"85001915","name":"Shadelands Ranch House","other_names":["Shadelands Ranch Historical Museum"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2660 Ygnacio Valley Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Walnut Creek","county":"Contra Costa County","state":"CA","lat":37.92590080700006,"lon":-122.02040128199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-08-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1902 Colonial Revival ranch house at 2660 Ygnacio Valley Road in Walnut Creek, California, built for Hiram Penniman by the Oakland house builders Eckers and Sells. It sits on 2.68 acres of orchards and gardens, the remnant of a 350-acre ranch.","why_significant":"The house is the last remnant of a ranch tied to agricultural development in Contra Costa County, including the first large-scale commercial orchard operation in Ygnacio Valley. It is also described as one of the best remaining examples of Colonial Revival architecture in the county and the only major example in the Walnut Creek area.","narrative":"Set among old fruit and nut trees, palms and valley oaks on 2.68 acres in Walnut Creek, this two-story, 12-room redwood-frame house was built in 1902 for rancher Hiram Penniman by the Oakland builders Eckers and Sells. It is all that remains of a ranch that once covered about 350 acres. Penniman arrived in Ygnacio Valley in the early 1850s and planted orchards of prunes, peaches, apricots, pears and almonds. His sun-dried fruit, shipped to eastern markets, marked the valley's first large-scale commercial orchard operation. His son-in-law Albert Johnson later financed the conversion of much of the land to English walnuts. The Colonial Revival house, with wraparound porch, bay windows and a balustraded dormer, is considered more sophisticated than typical local architecture. Much of its interior and the original Penniman furnishings survive. The house became a museum in 1972, open to the public. A pump house and farm equipment remain on the grounds.","period_of_significance":"1900-1999 (specific date 1902)","architect_builder":"Eckers and Sells; Architect Unknown","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival with some craftsman details","criteria":[],"status_note":"In good condition; operated as a historic house museum managed by the Walnut Creek Historical Society for the City of Walnut Creek since 1972. The front porch was enclosed in 1943 and is used for exhibits.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.296492-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/85001915.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001915/d55cf9bc3f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001915/d55cf9bc3f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shadelands_Ranch_House_(Walnut_Creek,_CA).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:Shadelands_Ranch_House_(Walnut_Creek,_CA).JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858571","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadelands_Ranch","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15276611"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/contra-costa-county/shadelands-ranch-house-85001915/"}