Longfellow-Hastings House
Also known as: Octagon House
Why it's listed
This octagonal house in Pasadena, California, was built in 1893 under the direction of Gilbert Longfellow, a Maine native who moved his family west for a son's health. It is a two-story, tongue-and-groove sided building with a brick foundation, a basement, and a belvedere atop a truncated pyramidal roof. The house is 38 feet across and holds four square rooms on each floor, arranged around a central stairway and chimneys. Longfellow followed the octagon style promoted by Orson Squire Fowler and repeated the design of an earlier octagon house he had built in Maine, swapping the roof deck for a belvedere. In 1917 the house was moved about one mile to South Allen Avenue, where two porches were added. It was recognized as a local landmark in 1973. Few octagon houses survive nationwide, and historians described this one as among the few reminders of Fowler's ideas in California. The Longfellow family kept ownership for generations.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as a rare Western example of the octagon style, of which only a limited number of structures remain in the United States. It follows the octagon designs promoted by Orson Squire Fowler and repeats an earlier octagon house Longfellow built in Maine. Historians Gebhard and Winter called it one of the few tributes to Fowler's ideas left in California.
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 82002197, listed March 2, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 85 S. Allen Ave., Pasadena |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | March 2, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82002197 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Gilbert Longfellow |
| Architectural style | Octagon (Fowler-style octagon house) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied private residence at the time of nomination; in poor-to-fair condition with water damage under the eaves from a deteriorating shake roof. Later notes in the file say it was moved again. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 34.14449, -118.11332 (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 82002197.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6673781
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.