Palmer, Judge Augustus C., House
Also known as: Palmer House; The Elms
Why it's listed
Built in 1873-74 at 1300 Cedar Street in Calistoga, this three-story frame house was constructed by Augustus C. Palmer, the town's first judge, as his own residence. Its Second Empire design includes a concave mansard roof with decorative shingles, dormers with semicircular arched windows, wooden corner quoins, and a long front porch with pierced brackets. A fine three-story spiral staircase survives inside. Palmer ran a large lumber yard across the Napa River and stables serving the Lakeport Stage Line, and he is known to have completed the interior carpentry himself. He sold his Calistoga holdings in 1880 and left the area. Later owners added bays to the sides between 1890 and 1901, and recent renovation restored the exterior to its early 1900s look. It is the only wood example of the style in Calistoga and one of the earliest in Napa County. A stone Second Empire house nearby, built in 1886, complements it.
Significance in brief: It is one of the earliest formal Second Empire houses in Napa County and the only example of that style in wood in Calistoga. It reflects the prominence of its owner-builder, the town's first judge and a lumber yard operator, and the prosperity of Calistoga in the 1870s and 1880s. It also keeps a high degree of integrity in materials, setting and feeling after exterior restoration.
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 79000504, listed January 31, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1300 Cedar St., Calistoga |
|---|---|
| County | Napa County |
| Listed | January 31, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000504 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1873-74 |
| Architect / builder | Builder: Augustus C. Palmer |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Private residence in excellent condition; the exterior was restored to its early 1900s appearance and the interior renovated. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 38.57732, -122.58046 (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 79000504.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133307956
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.