Lantarnam Hall
Also known as: Ford Country Day School
Why it's listed
Lantarnam Hall is a large Tudor Revival manor house in Los Altos Hills, built between 1914 and 1916 for financier Percy T. Morgan. Architect John H. Powers modeled the L-shaped, half-timbered house on Speke Hall, a Lancashire house of about 1589, blending Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean details. The house has about 11,000 square feet and 26 major rooms and spaces. Inside, Morgan's family incorporated European fragments, including a Great Hall ceiling from a Venetian palace, a Dutch balcony railing and old stained glass. The original 132-acre estate has shrunk to seven acres through subdivision. Morgan died in 1920, and after years of abandonment the house passed through several owners. In 1952 it became the Ford Country Day School, which still uses it. It was listed for its architectural quality and its link to Morgan, a director of the Union Trust Company and Wells Fargo Bank.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the best examples of Jacobean/Tudor Revival architecture on the San Francisco Peninsula, modeled on England's Speke Hall (c. 1589). It also has historical significance through its association with original owner Percy T. Morgan, a Bay Area financier. European architectural fragments and art are integrated into the house.
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 85003189, listed December 19, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 12355 Stonebrook Dr., Los Altos Hills |
|---|---|
| County | Santa Clara County |
| Listed | December 19, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003189 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1916 |
| Architect / builder | John H. Powers |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival / Jacobean / Elizabethan ("Jacobethan" Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and used as a school; the structure is sound, though the form says it needs repair and conservation. |
| Acreage | 7 |
| Coordinates | 37.35663, -122.12304 (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 85003189.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q55757597
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.