{"nrhp_refnum":"97001188","name":"Wasco Union High School Auditorium","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1900 Seventh St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wasco","county":"Kern County","state":"CA","lat":35.59475189900007,"lon":-119.34650387899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-09-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Renaissance Revival school auditorium on the Wasco Union High School campus at 1900 Seventh Street, Wasco, Kern County, California. Built 1928-1929 to a design by architect Ernest J. Kump Sr. of Fresno.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion A for social history, as the community's main venue for graduations, school events, concerts and civic gatherings from 1929 through 1947. It is also significant under Criterion C for architecture, as a well-preserved Renaissance Revival design by Kump with Exposition colors, plaster ornament and original interior murals. It is the oldest surviving building on the campus.","narrative":"Completed in 1929, this 1,182-seat auditorium sits on the Wasco Union High School campus in Kern County, California. Architect Ernest J. Kump Sr. of Fresno designed it in the Renaissance Revival style, with stuccoed walls, hip roofs of Spanish clay tile, a front portico with three arches, and cast plaster theatrical motifs. Inside, murals decorate the foyer and proscenium, and stenciled borders run throughout. It is the oldest remaining building on the campus, and later changes have been modest, including fire escapes added in 1959 and new carpeting in 1979. Its significance rests on two points. It served as the setting for graduations, school plays, concerts and community events from 1929 through 1947, and its bright Exposition-inspired colors and ornament make it an unusually intact example of its style in a small farming town. Oil-industry tax revenue helped pay for construction shortly before the Great Depression.","period_of_significance":"1928-1947","architect_builder":"Kump, Ernest J., Architect, Fresno, CA; Johnson, A.O., Engineer, Fresno, CA; Mellencamp, E.H., Builder, Fresno, CA","architectural_style":"Renaissance Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"In almost constant use as a school auditorium; described as in good condition, with water damage, worn paint and vandalized seats needing repair.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.263749-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/97001188.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001188/7c36ba347c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001188/7c36ba347c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Bobak Ha'Eri","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2010-1227-WascoUHSAud.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bobak Ha'Eri</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2010-1227-WascoUHSAud.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858875","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasco_Union_High_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7971368"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/kern-county/wasco-union-high-school-auditorium-97001188/"}