{"nrhp_refnum":"99000580","name":"Allen, Theophilus, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"601 Melville Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Palo Alto","county":"Santa Clara County","state":"CA","lat":37.443706278000036,"lon":-122.14802807299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-05-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":[],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large two-story Craftsman style frame house at 601 Melville Avenue in Palo Alto, California, built in 1905 with a garage and cottage on the same lot. It was designed by Oakland architect Alfred W. Smith and built by Gustav Laumeister.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an outstanding and unusually large example of California Arts and Crafts architecture under Criterion C. It is noted for decorative use of structural elements and fine woodwork, and for its link to the nearby Professorville district. It also showcases the work of builder Gustav Laumeister and architect A. W. Smith.","narrative":"Built in 1905 at the corner of Melville Avenue and Webster Street in Palo Alto, this two-story Craftsman house covers more than 8,000 square feet. Architect Alfred W. Smith of Oakland designed it, and Gustav Laumeister, a leading Palo Alto builder of Craftsman houses, constructed it. Dark wood shingles, intersecting gable roofs, clinker brick chimneys and diamond-paned leaded glass windows define the exterior, while a deep front porch spans the facade. Inside, red cedar paneling, beamed ceilings, built-in furniture and large fireplaces show the emphasis on fine woodwork and exposed structure. A garage and cottage from the same year remain behind the house. The house sits one block from the Professorville district, where Stanford professors built Craftsman homes. It was recognized for its outstanding expression of the Arts and Crafts aesthetic in design, plan and materials, and for its well-preserved condition despite modest alterations in the 1920s and later.","period_of_significance":"1905","architect_builder":"Smith, Alfred W., Architect; Laumeister, Gustav, Builder","architectural_style":"Bungalow/Craftsman","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Well preserved in its original setting; the form notes it was converted in part to rental units in the 1920s and is currently listed as multiple dwelling use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.889148-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/99000580.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000580/d9f999eb17-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000580/d9f999eb17-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Eugene Zelenko","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USA-Palo_Alto-Theophilus_Allen_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Eugene Zelenko</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USA-Palo_Alto-Theophilus_Allen_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861639","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophilus_Allen_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48849392"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-clara-county/allen-theophilus-house-99000580/"}