{"nrhp_refnum":"90000119","name":"Fraternal Hall Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"140 University Ave. and 514 High St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Palo Alto","county":"Santa Clara County","state":"CA","lat":37.44340060700006,"lon":-122.16327018599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-02-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story stucco and brick commercial and meeting-hall building at University Ave. and High St. in downtown Palo Alto, California, built in 1898 with a 1905 annex on High St.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a notable part of Palo Alto's early history, only seven years younger than the town itself. It is the only Palo Alto building by San Francisco architect Samuel Newsom. It also housed fraternal organizations whose members were active in civic life and shaped the town's social life.","narrative":"Standing at the corner of University Avenue and High Street in downtown Palo Alto, this two-story stucco and brick building was completed in 1898 for local fraternal organizations, including the Foresters, Knights of Pythias, Masons and Workmen. They formed an association to raise money for a permanent meeting place, with shops on the ground floor helping pay for it. San Francisco architect Samuel Newsom designed it in a Renaissance revival style with Spanish Baroque window surrounds and a projecting cornice. M.P. Madison built it for $9,756, and a 1905 annex added a smaller meeting room. The 1906 earthquake brought down part of the upper wall and the cornice, and reconstruction restored the original design. It is the only Palo Alto building by Newsom, and it stood out among the town's early wooden structures. A 1982-83 restoration and seismic upgrade preserved its exterior and meeting rooms.","period_of_significance":"1898-1925","architect_builder":"Newsom, Samuel (architect); Madison, M.P. (builder); annex built by G.W. Mosher","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Renaissance (Renaissance revival with Spanish Baroque influence)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Restored and seismically upgraded in 1982-83; first floor houses a specialty store, second-floor meeting rooms restored, and the annex is used as a Western Union switch room.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.059762-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/90000119.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000119/e36e710461-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000119/e36e710461-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fraternal_Hall_Building,_140_University_Ave.,_Palo_Alto,_CA_5-27-2012_2-59-13_PM.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:Fraternal_Hall_Building,_140_University_Ave.,_Palo_Alto,_CA_5-27-2012_2-59-13_PM.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861675","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraternal_Hall_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55757590"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-clara-county/fraternal-hall-building-90000119/"}