{"nrhp_refnum":"89002273","name":"Porter-Vallejo Mansion","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"29 Bishop St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pajaro","county":"Monterey County","state":"CA","lat":36.90151307000008,"lon":-121.74997778099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-01-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Economics","Asian","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic residential property at 29 Bishop Street in Pajaro, Monterey County, California, centered on a mansion that began as an 1874 Gothic Revival house and was enlarged into a Queen Anne residence in 1895-99, with a tankhouse, playhouse and barn.","why_significant":"It is tied to John T. Porter, a leading figure in the economic development of the Pajaro Valley and in the 1888 relocation of Watsonville's Chinatown across the county line (Criterion B). It is also an early residential work of architect William H. Weeks, rich in Queen Anne detail (Criterion C).","narrative":"Porter-Vallejo Mansion in Pajaro began as a modest 1850s house built by Antone Vallejo, moved to its present site and remodeled in the Gothic Revival style in the 1870s by banker and businessman John T. Porter. Between 1895 and 1899, architect William H. Weeks enlarged it into a 23-room Queen Anne mansion with Shingle Style and Colonial Revival touches, keeping the earlier front door, bay, south ell and interior details. A tankhouse, playhouse and barn also survive. Porter was a major force in the Pajaro Valley economy, founding the Pajaro Valley Bank, and in 1888 he negotiated moving Watsonville's Chinatown across the county line to a new site near his home. The house was also an early showcase for Weeks, who later designed many Watsonville homes. It is the first in the Watsonville area said to have electric lighting, installed in 1892. Its current use is listed as vacant.","period_of_significance":"1895-1900","architect_builder":"Weeks, William Henry (architect); Porter, John Thomas (significant person and owner)","architectural_style":"Queen Anne","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Current function listed as vacant/not in use; the 1920s rear addition is described as poor quality, and the tankhouse shows dry rot but is in good condition.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.996087-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/89002273.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89002273/d3c82df628-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89002273/d3c82df628-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"User:Ronbo76","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Porter-Vallejo_Mansion.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Ronbo76</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Porter-Vallejo_Mansion.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859954","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter%E2%80%93Vallejo_Mansion","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14683696"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/monterey-county/porter-vallejo-mansion-89002273/"}