Stoner House
Also known as: Stoner Mansion
Why it's listed
Perched on a knoll above Tivy Valley near Sanger, this one-and-a-half story wood frame house was built in 1910 for Bertrand L. and Cornelia Stoner. Locals call it the Stoner Mansion. It is a large California Bungalow with a low gable roof, broad eaves, scribed barge boards, cedar-shingled upper walls, three-tier clapboard below, and a covered porch and tall fireplace made of river rock from the nearby Kings River. Fourteen rooms hold roughly 4,000 square feet, and a matching 1910 barn stands to the southeast. Restoration in the early 1980s replaced the roof, gutters, kitchen cabinets and plaster while keeping original windows and hardware. The nomination presents the house as the finest example of its type in the valley and the largest of its older homes. It also links the Stoners to the Kings River Thermal Tract, where early settlers turned dry cattle and grain land into productive orchards and vineyards.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is the finest large California Bungalow of its period in Tivy Valley and the only home of its kind built there in the early 1900s. It is also tied to the early agricultural development of the Kings River Thermal Tract. Its significance is local.
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 85003145, listed October 17, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 21143 E. Welson Ave., Sanger |
|---|---|
| County | Fresno County |
| Listed | October 17, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003145 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900-1999 (specific date 1910) |
| Architectural style | California Bungalow |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and restored; used as a private residence, with the form's use boxes also marking agriculture and unoccupied. |
| Acreage | 19.7 |
| Within district | Big Creek Hydroelectric System Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.76582, -119.40828 (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.
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 85003145.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q85803587
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.