Hard, Roswell Butler, House
.JPG){kind=link}
Why it's listed
Built of locally made hard red brick, this two-story Italianate house at 815 West First Street in Antioch was begun in 1867 and finished in 1869 by Roswell Butler Hard, a builder, rancher, county supervisor and sheriff. At the time it was the only dwelling in town made of the local brick. The T-shaped house has a low-pitched hip roof, a bracketed wood cornice and tall double-hung windows. Inside, decorative plaster cornices and ceiling medallions survive in the central hall and two eastern rooms, along with redwood trim and oak fireplaces. The grounds include a historic iron fence, a domed cistern that is the only one known to remain in Antioch, and plantings, some dating to the nineteenth century. Hard became Antioch's first mayor after incorporation in 1872, and the Board of Trustees met in the front parlor. The house was also used for civic, social and Masonic meetings. It is the town's only Italianate example and is listed for architecture and politics and government.
Significance in brief: The house was the home of Antioch's first mayor, Roswell Butler Hard, and hosted the first meetings of the town's Board of Trustees in 1872. It is also described as a good example of Italianate architecture and the town's only example of that style. It is one of the oldest buildings in the county.
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 93001020, listed September 30, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 815 W. First St., Antioch |
|---|---|
| County | Contra Costa County |
| Listed | September 30, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93001020 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1869-1888 |
| Architect / builder | Hard, Roswell Butler, Builder |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant, not in use. The house is described as largely close to its original appearance, with a verandah removed in the 1920s and a rear addition probably from the 1920s. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.01713, -121.81675 (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 93001020.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7370097
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.