Newland House
Also known as: The Newland House Museum
Why it's listed
Built in May 1898 for rancher William Newland and his wife Mary, this 1-1/2-story frame Victorian sits on a blufftop at 19820 Beach Blvd. in Huntington Beach. Santa Ana contractors Dawes and Kuechel built it for $1,430. Its most notable feature is an octagonal turret with its own peaked roof. A sunporch and sleeping room were added in 1915 for a recovering daughter and to display Mary Newland's Indian basket collection. The house now occupies two-thirds of an acre, all that remains of a 500-acre ranch, along with a water tower. It is valued as a rare pre-1900 building in a city where many houses were torn down or moved after oil was found in the 1920s. The Newlands also helped shape the town, supporting its first schools, church, newspaper and bank. Restored and furnished with items from 1900 to 1920, it operates as the city's only house museum.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a rare surviving pre-1900 building in Huntington Beach and the only known Queen Anne style house in the city. It remained a working family ranch house into the 1950s without being moved or significantly altered. It is also tied to William and Mary Newland, who helped found the city's first schools, churches, newspaper and bank.
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 85003374, listed October 24, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 19820 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | October 24, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003374 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899, 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Dawes and Kuechel, Santa Ana contractors |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne (Victorian) |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored and open to the public as a house museum, the only one in Huntington Beach; condition listed as excellent. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 33.67632, -117.98800 (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 85003374.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q43148391
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.