Palmer, Annie, House
Why it's listed
This small single-story house at 284 Main Street in Point Arena was built around 1875 and still serves as a single-family home. Its weatherboard walls rise to a front-facing gable with a boxed cornice and cornice return. Two-over-two double-hung windows with decorative crown molding flank the area near a four-panel door with a transom, sheltered by a small pedimented roof. The house reflects the second wave of home-building in Point Arena, when practical construction gained some decoration and a few stylistic touches. Its Greek Revival character is modest: the asymmetrical facade and limited classical detail suggest a builder following precedent rather than a formal design. Even so, it is regarded as an excellent example of small houses from its era. The braces over the entry, which replaced narrow posts, are the only alteration. The house once had an identical twin next door, lost to fire about eighty years earlier. It is also tied to local lore through Annie Palmer, a former owner and teacher.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as an excellent example of the small houses of the period, representing Point Arena's second wave of home-building, when modest decoration and some Greek Revival elements were added to functional design. It also holds a place in local lore through former owner Annie Palmer, a teacher who murdered her lover.
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 90001357, listed September 13, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 284 Main St., Point Arena |
|---|---|
| County | Mendocino County |
| Listed | September 13, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001357 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1875 (estimated) |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic and current use is a single-family dwelling; the only noted alteration is replacement of narrow posts with braces over the front door. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.91078, -123.69268 (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 90001357.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133306299
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.