{"nrhp_refnum":"91000636","name":"South of Campus Neighborhood","other_names":["See Also:Allen-Sommer-Gage House","Stansbury House"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Bounded by W. 2nd, Normal, W. 6th and Cherry Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chico","county":"Butte County","state":"CA","lat":39.72425806700005,"lon":-121.84312069471055,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-06-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential historic district in Chico, Butte County, California, covering parts of the original townsite neighborhood south of the present university campus, bounded by W. 2nd and W. 6th Streets and Normal and Cherry Streets. It has 116 contributing and 49 noncontributing buildings, mostly dating from 1862 to 1930.","why_significant":"The neighborhood was laid out by General John Bidwell and was long Chico's most desirable and prestigious place to live, with the largest homes of prominent citizens. It holds a wide range of architectural styles from the 1860s through the 1920s. The text notes that university expansion, institutional construction and student rental conversions have removed or altered many buildings.","narrative":"South of Campus is a residential district in Chico, California, on the grid of streets that General John Bidwell laid out in 1860 and 1863. It covers twelve whole blocks and eleven partial blocks, with 116 contributing and 49 noncontributing buildings, most built between 1862 and 1930. From the start it was the preferred address in town, close to downtown, the railroad depot, the churches and the Normal School, and it holds the homes of many prominent citizens. The buildings range from small cottages to large two-and-a-half-story houses in Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Prairie, Monterey Revival and other styles. Two houses, the Stansbury House and the Allen-Sommer-Gage House, were already individually listed. Mature walnut, redwood and chestnut trees, hitching posts and carriage stepping stones add to the setting. The university's growth has brought demolitions, parking lots, a telephone company building and many student rental conversions, which have reduced the integrity of some structures.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Local builders named include Walter Hann, A. J. Bryan, L. Van Vlack and Sacramento builder George Pearl.","architectural_style":"Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman","criteria":[],"status_note":"Mostly in residential use, with many homes converted to student rentals, fraternities and sororities. Some buildings are restored, others altered, and some have been demolished for university and church projects.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.044971-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/91000636.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000636/3434fa3dcf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000636/3434fa3dcf-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Frank Schulenburg","credit_html":"Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eames_House,_South_Campus_Historic_District_of_Chico,_California.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858452","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Campus_Neighborhood","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7566493"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/butte-county/south-of-campus-neighborhood-91000636/"}