{"nrhp_refnum":"86001951","name":"Barron-Latham-Hopkins Gate Lodge","other_names":["Gate House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"555 Ravenswood Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Menlo Park","county":"San Mateo County","state":"CA","lat":37.45483423400003,"lon":-122.17933335499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-08-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A redwood-frame gate lodge at 555 Ravenswood Avenue in Menlo Park, California, built in 1864 for William Eustace Barron as the gatekeeper's cottage of his country estate, with additions in 1897 and 1906. It is owned by the City of Menlo Park.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the last remnant of the large, fashionable country estates of the 1860s in California, and that gate lodges of this date no longer exist elsewhere in the state. It is also significant for its association with three private owners (Barron, Latham and Timothy Hopkins), each of whom contributed to California history. It is a Second Empire building with a Mansard roof.","narrative":"This redwood-frame gate lodge at 555 Ravenswood Avenue in Menlo Park began in 1864 as the gatekeeper's cottage for William Eustace Barron's country estate. Topped by a steep shingled Mansard roof and trimmed with heavy Second Empire window moldings, it grew in three stages: the original octagonal-plan cottage, a mid-section added in 1897 by Timothy Hopkins for tenants including an Episcopal vicar, and a 1906 addition after the earthquake that raised the building onto a concrete foundation and added a second floor. Later owners included Milton Latham, who renamed the estate Thurlow Lodge, and the Hopkins family, who used the lodge as a summer home until 1941. The estate's other buildings were demolished in 1942, leaving the lodge and its gate. The Army, Stanford University and finally the City of Menlo Park, in 1968, held it afterward. The nomination presents it as the last 1860s gate lodge of its kind in California and notes the 1864 gate and French bronze statuary as associated features within the boundary.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900- (specific dates 1864, 1897 and 1906)","architect_builder":"Builder/architect unknown on the form; the text names William Eustace Barron as builder and first owner.","architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and occupied; owned by the City of Menlo Park and used as a museum and park.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.896776-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/86001951.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861486","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-mateo-county/barron-latham-hopkins-gate-lodge-86001951/"}