{"nrhp_refnum":"94001500","name":"Brittan, Nathanial, Party House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"125 Dale Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Carlos","county":"San Mateo County","state":"CA","lat":37.50041913700005,"lon":-122.27194245299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-12-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-a-half story redwood-framed octagonal \"folly\" at 125 Dale Avenue, San Carlos, San Mateo County, California, built in 1872 for Nathanial Brittan as a party house and clubhouse.","why_significant":"It is significant under Criterion C as one of the few surviving 19th-century examples of the Octagon Mode in California. It embodies the traits of a once-popular building type and shows the individuality of expression possible within it. The exterior and upper-floor interior remain largely intact, giving it strong integrity.","narrative":"Built in 1872 on a steep hillside in San Carlos, this two-and-a-half story redwood octagon was Nathanial Brittan's party house, where he entertained San Francisco Bohemian Club friends with hunting, drinking, gaming and dining. Five steep gabled bays wrap the upper floor, and an octagonal cupola with a witch's cap crowns the roof. The upper room, about nine hundred square feet, keeps its beaded redwood paneling and a walk-in brick fireplace modeled, probably, on European hunting lodges. A brick foundation doubles as a cistern, reflecting Brittan's interest in water development. The designer and builder are unknown. The house is significant as one of very few surviving nineteenth-century octagons in California, a form popularized by Orson Squire Fowler in 1853. Only two others remain in San Francisco, and it is the only other known example in the Bay Area. Later changes, including a 1926 kitchen addition and c. 1950 window alterations, left its overall character intact. It is now a private residence.","period_of_significance":"1872","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Mid-19th Century/Octagon Mode","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Current use is a single-family dwelling; historically it served as a social clubhouse. The exterior is only slightly altered and the upper-floor interior is largely intact.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.213049-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/94001500.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94001500/e4ecab9a3c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94001500/e4ecab9a3c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nathanial_Brittan_Party_House,_125_Dale_Ave.,_San_Carlos,_CA_9-5-2011_4-17-28_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:Nathanial_Brittan_Party_House,_125_Dale_Ave.,_San_Carlos,_CA_9-5-2011_4-17-28_PM.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861490","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathanial_Brittan_Party_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q83515507"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-mateo-county/brittan-nathanial-party-house-94001500/"}