Helme-Worthy Store and Residence
Also known as: Worthy Building and Residence
Why it's listed
Two early buildings on Walnut and Sixth Streets in Huntington Beach preserve the look of the town's first settlement years. One is a two-story Western Falsefront store built in 1904 for the M. E. Helme House Furnishing Company, with its wooden cornice, lap siding, large transom windows and a central stairway to upstairs apartments. The other is a farmhouse dating to the 1880s, moved into town in 1903 from the countryside between Santa Ana and Huntington Beach, making it the oldest house in the city. Matthew E. Helme, who owned both, was on the first Board of Trustees and served as mayor. He worked on water service, fire equipment, street paving and lighting, gas bonds and the city manager system. The store is the only Western Falsefront building left in south and central Orange County, and the pair are described as the clearest visual reminders of early Huntington Beach, since the rest of the downtown commercial district has lost its original character.
Significance in brief: The store is the only surviving Western Falsefront commercial building in south and central Orange County and the only pre-1910 commercial building in the city to keep its original front facade. The house is the oldest in Huntington Beach. Both are tied to Matthew E. Helme, a first Board of Trustees member and fourth mayor who shaped the city's early services and government.
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 86003668, listed March 31, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 513--519 Walnut St. and 128 Sixth St., Huntington Beach |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | March 31, 1987 |
| Reference number | 86003668 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1903-1917 |
| Architectural style | Western Falsefront (store); simple farmhouse style (residence) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house is in good condition and lived in by a member of the original family. The store has a furniture restorer and a dance studio on the ground floor, with apartments above, and restoration has begun on one apartment. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 33.65880, -118.00263 (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 86003668.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16983801
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.