{"nrhp_refnum":"92001684","name":"Thomas House","other_names":["Turrentine House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"208 E. Fifth Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Escondido","county":"San Diego County","state":"CA","lat":33.11903575100007,"lon":-117.07745240399998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1992-12-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-one-half story Queen Anne cottage at 208 East Fifth Avenue in Escondido, San Diego County, California, built in 1886 for George V. Thomas, with a low sandstone block wall along the street sides.","why_significant":"The house is described as the oldest house in Escondido. It is tied to George Valentine Thomas, one of five brothers who promoted and developed the town after buying the land in 1886. The reviewer accepted it under Criterion B for this association, with later additions seen as compatible with the original structure.","narrative":"Built in 1886 at 208 East Fifth Avenue, this one-and-one-half story Queen Anne cottage is described as the oldest house in Escondido. George Valentine Thomas, one of five brothers who bought the land that became Escondido and set about subdividing and promoting it, had it built, and the ground floor first served as the office of the Escondido Land and Town Company. The house has an irregular cross plan, a multi-gable roof, shiplap siding and wood windows. Changes made between 1896 and 1907 added a three-sided bay window, an enlarged porch with classical columns, a bathroom, a dormer and an extended dining room. These alterations are considered compatible with the original cottage. The Thomas family later joined with the Turrentine family through marriage in 1906, and four generations have lived here. A low sandstone block wall, typical of Escondido, surrounds the yard. The property was listed for its association with Thomas and the town's early development.","period_of_significance":"1886-1907","architect_builder":"Thomas, George V. (builder); architect unknown","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Queen Anne Cottage","criteria":["B"],"status_note":"Described as in very good condition and still used as a single-family dwelling; it has been lived in by four generations of the Turrentine family.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.882451-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/92001684.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001684/4f3b24a53b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001684/4f3b24a53b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"scerruti","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_House_2012-09-25_13-27-25.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">scerruti</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:Thomas_House_2012-09-25_13-27-25.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861003","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_House_(Escondido,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5754550"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-diego-county/thomas-house-92001684/"}