"Big Four" House
Why it's listed
Originally three adjacent brick stores at 220-226 K Street in Sacramento, this building was put up in 1852 by Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington and Mark Hopkins. As their railroad venture grew, the structures were joined into one, with walls cut through to enlarge the office space. From 1862 to 1873 it served as the general offices of the Central Pacific Railroad, before the company moved to San Francisco. Here the four men known as the Big Four, with Charles Crocker, organized the western section of the first transcontinental railway, and they later founded the Southern Pacific Railroad. Its importance comes from those events rather than from its architecture. When urban renewal threatened the K Street neighborhood, the State of California carefully disassembled the building in 1966-67 and re-erected it on the north side of I Street in Old Sacramento. The exterior was renovated to its 1862-73 appearance, and it was being prepared as a museum.
Significance in brief: The building housed the first general offices of the Central Pacific Railroad from 1862 to 1873. Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins and Charles Crocker, the "Big Four," planned, financed and built the western end of the first transcontinental railway here. They also took control of the Southern Pacific Railroad here. Significance rests on these events, not on architectural distinction.
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 14000782, listed October 15, 1966. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 220-226 K St., Sacramento |
|---|---|
| County | Sacramento County |
| Listed | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference number | 14000782 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Built by Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, and Mark Hopkins (1852) |
| Architectural style | Commercial-style brick building |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated July 7, 1961 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Disassembled by the State of California in 1966-67, reassembled on I Street and exterior restored to its 1862-73 appearance; owned by the State and described as work in progress, to open as a museum. |
| Within district | Old Sacramento Historic District |
| Coordinates | 38.58468, -121.50441 (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 14000782.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4905730
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.