{"nrhp_refnum":"94000818","name":"Porter-French House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"248 S. Batavia St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Orange","county":"Orange County","state":"CA","lat":33.785130999000046,"lon":-117.86238593899998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-08-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Spanish Colonial Revival grove house at 248 S. Batavia Street in Orange, California, remodeled in 1917 from an 1890s Queen Anne/Victorian farmhouse for banker John Porter. The property also has a 1917 garage with apartment and a 1910 caretaker's cottage.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is the best surviving grove house of its style in the City of Orange and the only estate-sized Spanish Colonial Revival grove house still in its original setting. It represents the citrus industry, Orange's main economic force from about 1905 to 1930, and retains its 1917 appearance and integrity. It is also tied to prominent local families, the Porters and the Frenches.","narrative":"On a large lot in Orange, California, this stucco house with a red clay tile roof began as an 1890s farmhouse. In 1917 banker, developer and rancher John Porter remodeled it completely into a Spanish Colonial Revival home suited to his wealth and standing, adding porches, brick-topped piers and pergolas with Craftsman-style carved beam ends. The grounds include a 1917 garage with servant's quarters above, a 1910 building later used as a caretaker's cottage, and a few remaining orange and avocado trees from the former grove. The lot is what remains of a larger ranch of walnuts and oranges once owned by the Porters and later the Frenches. It was listed because it is the best surviving example in Orange of a grove house in this style, with its original yard and setting, and because it reflects the citrus industry's prosperity from 1915 to 1930. Both families used it to entertain civic leaders and groups.","period_of_significance":"1917","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Spanish Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and used as a single-dwelling residence; the owners planned to operate a bed-and-breakfast inn while continuing to live there.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.799682-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/94000818.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000818/f4959cf63d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000818/f4959cf63d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Eli Pousson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Porter-French_House,_Orange,_California.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Eli Pousson</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Porter-French_House,_Orange,_California.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860322","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133330658"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/orange-county/porter-french-house-94000818/"}