William Shipsey House
Why it's listed
Built in 1894 at the corner of Mill Street and Johnson Avenue in San Luis Obispo, this two-story redwood-sided house blends Queen Anne and Eastern Stick styling. Architect Hilamon Spencer Laird designed it, and the Maino construction firm built it for attorney William Shipsey. Its exterior shows fish-scale and decorative shingles, carved brackets, a mansard-roofed front porch and an original carved redwood front door. Inside, the floor plan survives, along with eleven-foot ceilings, fir floors, lincrusta wall coverings, and combination gas and electric light fixtures. A recent restoration repaired deterioration from deferred maintenance, and a new carriage-house-style garage was added at the rear. Shipsey served as city attorney and mayor, helped bring California Polytechnic School to San Luis Obispo, and lived here until his death in 1922. The house was listed for his local importance and as a well-preserved example of Laird's work and local craftsmanship from the 1890s.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to William Shipsey, a local lawyer and mayor who helped guide the city through change, including the siting of what became Cal Poly. It is also an excellent example of local design and craftsmanship with Queen Anne and Eastern Stick features by architect Laird and builder Maino & Moore.
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 10000115, listed March 31, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1266 Mill St, San Luis Obispo |
|---|---|
| County | San Luis Obispo County |
| Listed | March 31, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000115 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1894 - 1922 |
| Architect / builder | Laird, Hilamon Spencer, Architect; Maino & Moore, Builder; Waite & Ryan, Mill Work |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Queen Anne, Stick/Eastlake |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Law, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recently restored; the original exterior features and interior floor plan remain intact. A new non-contributing garage/carriage house stands at the rear. Used as a single dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.28583, -120.65010 (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 10000115.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14684266
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.