Hoyt-Scott House
Why it's listed
Built around 1875 on a rising corner lot overlooking Main Street in Point Arena, this one-and-a-half story house is an elaborate version of a standard L-plan dwelling. Its intersecting gabled roofs have clipped gables, and two dormers cut through a dentiled cornice. A shed-roofed porch rests on turned posts, a three-part bay window carries ornamental brackets, and hooded two-over-two windows appear throughout. Horizontal board siding covers the walls. In the 1870s the town's leading citizens built half a dozen or more large houses of this kind, and this one is described as essentially unaltered and extremely rare. The Hoyt family, who arrived in the 1860s and ran a dairy, were its first owners. In 1888 their daughter Belle and her husband H. B. Scott moved in. Scott was a merchant and rancher who ran the Scott Opera House and served as county supervisor and justice of the peace. The house was listed for its architectural value at the local level.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an essentially unaltered and extremely rare example of the large, elegant houses built in Point Arena in the 1870s. Its L-plan is embellished with clipped gables, dormers cutting through the cornice, a bay window and abundant Victorian detailing. It was also owned by prominent local families, the Hoyts and the Scotts.
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 90001354, listed September 13, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 10 Riverside Dr., Point Arena |
|---|---|
| County | Mendocino County |
| Listed | September 13, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001354 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1875 (estimated) |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently in use as a single-family residence; a small new addition has been attached to the east side. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.91109, -123.69236 (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 90001354.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q56269335
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.