Held-Poage House
Also known as: Held--Poage Memorial Library
Why it's listed
Built in 1903 at 603 W. Perkins Street in Ukiah, this redwood house combines Queen Anne complexity with Colonial Revival simplicity. Its round two-story corner tower with a witch's hat roof, wrap-around porch with Tuscan columns, and gabled dormer with finials make it highly visible from the street. Local architect and contractor Samuel M. Orr designed and built it. The house was the home of Ethel Poage-Held and William D. L. Held. Held served in the California State Assembly, where he authored a constitutional amendment providing for the direct primary, and later became Mayor of Ukiah and a Superior Court judge. The family kept the property for 65 years, and it is described as the only historic residence in Ukiah to escape multiple owners, subdivision of its lot or poor maintenance. Alterations were limited, including a 1924 kitchen and plumbing update. Since 1969 it has housed the Mendocino County Historical Society's research library and a museum of period furnishings.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as one of Ukiah's most prominent turn-of-the-century residences, notable for its completeness of detail and quality. It is also tied to Ethel Poage-Held and William D. L. Held, a state assemblyman, mayor and Superior Court judge. It is described as the only historic residence in Ukiah to have avoided multiple owners, lot subdivision, inferior alterations or poor maintenance.
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 87002292, listed January 7, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 603 W. Perkins St., Ukiah |
|---|---|
| County | Mendocino County |
| Listed | January 7, 1988 |
| Reference number | 87002292 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1903-1937 |
| Architect / builder | Samuel M. Orr |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne/Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as the headquarters, research library and living museum of the Mendocino County Historical Society; described as well maintained and nearly original. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 39.14849, -123.21231 (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 87002292.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133307634
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.