Murphy, D. J., House
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Why it's listed
This small single-story Italianate cottage at 291 McLeod Street in Livermore was built before 1891 and moved from the city's Northern Addition to its present corner lot that May. It originally held about 1,120 square feet. Porches in California Bungalow style, probably added around World War I, and a rear addition altered its look. From 1891 until his death in 1921 it was the home of Daniel J. Murphy, a Livermore businessman, postmaster and Justice of the Peace who became Alameda County Supervisor in 1911. He worked to improve roads and helped establish the Arroyo Sanitarium, a county tuberculosis hospital. Architecturally, the house is one of 25 Italianate cottages left in Livermore, and one of only six that kept their design integrity, including original millwork. The house was condemned in 1976 and left vacant, and the deteriorated additions were to be removed so it could return to residential use. Its listing was meant to support preservation and restoration.
Significance in brief: It was the home from 1891 to 1921 of Daniel J. Murphy, a Livermore businessman and Alameda County Supervisor who worked on road improvement and helped establish the Arroyo Sanitarium. It is also one of the few remaining Italianate cottages in Livermore that kept its original design. It was considered locally significant.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78000649, listed April 6, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 291 McLeod St., Livermore |
|---|---|
| County | Alameda County |
| Listed | April 6, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78000649 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | E.D. Murphy (builder) |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condemned by the Livermore City Building Department in July 1976 and described as vacant and deteriorated; later additions were slated for removal and restoration by the Livermore Heritage Guild. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 37.68152, -121.76608 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78000649.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133252211
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.