Johnson, J. Neely, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1853 at 1029 F Street, this brick Greek Revival house is the only surviving example of residential Greek Revival architecture in Sacramento and one of the few homes from the early 1850s still standing. It has two stories over a ground-level basement, a shallow attic, and a double veranda beneath a triangular pediment, supported by octagonal wooden columns. Inside are a long staircase with a hand-turned rail, two marble fireplaces and traces of stencil work. The house also has notable occupants. Peter Burnett, California's first governor, lived there in 1853. John Neely Johnson, the fourth governor, lived there in 1856, and Judge David S. Terry moved in after him. Later residents included a pharmacist, H.C. Kirk, whose family kept the house for many years. The house was later divided into apartments and, by the mid-1970s, stood boarded up and fenced, awaiting restoration, amid cleared land planned for a neighborhood park.
Significance in brief: The house is described as one of the few surviving early-1850s residences in Sacramento and the city's only existing example of residential Greek Revival architecture. It was also home to several figures of local, state and national importance, including two of California's first four governors, Peter Burnett and John Neely Johnson.
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 76000512, listed September 13, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1029 F St., Sacramento |
|---|---|
| County | Sacramento County |
| Listed | September 13, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76000512 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | At the time of nomination the windows and doors were boarded up, the house was fenced, and it was in fairly sound condition but needed repair; later correspondence reports vandalism and stripping of the house while it awaited restoration. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 38.58454, -121.49039 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 76000512.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6106609
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.