Rozas House
Why it's listed
Six rooms in a long, L-shaped wood frame building line Polk Street in San Juan Bautista, California. Probably built in 1856 by a Chilean merchant named Samit, it is an early example of board-on-end construction without wall studs. Each room opens by its own door onto the street and onto a rear porch, a plan that appears to derive from a common mid-nineteenth century California vernacular form of rooms facing a courtyard, here executed in wood rather than adobe. The nomination considers it the oldest wood frame structure in a town known for its adobe landmarks. Ambrosio Rozas, Sr. bought the house soon after it was built for his son, Ambrosio Rozas, Jr. His wife, Emelda Lugo Rozas, granddaughter of Los Angeles alcalde Antonio Maria Lugo, lived there until 1950, a total of 75 years. Original room divisions, doors, trim, and roof framing survive, though the porches were added later.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a rare wood frame structure from the early American period in a town of mostly adobe landmarks, and is considered the oldest wood frame structure in San Juan Bautista. It is also tied to the settlement and continuing occupation of the town by old Hispanic California families. Its plan adapts a common mid-nineteenth century California vernacular form of street-facing units to wood frame construction, which is described as quite unusual.
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 82002243, listed April 12, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 31 Polk St., San Juan Bautista |
|---|---|
| County | San Benito County |
| Listed | April 12, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82002243 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Sammit (attributed) |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence; condition is marked deteriorated and altered, on its original site. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 36.84475, -121.53899 (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 82002243.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14683842
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.