Morse, Charles Copeland, House
Why it's listed
Completed in 1892 at the corner of Fremont and Washington Streets in Santa Clara, this two-story, wood-frame Queen Anne house with a basement is the largest Victorian-style residence still standing in the city. It sits on a landscaped lot with an iron picket fence, a magnolia, two pepper trees and a two-story carriage house. Details include curved corner windows, Tiffany glass over doors and windows, carved wooden fireplaces with ceramic inlays, and a shingled roof with a dunce-cap bay. Charles Copeland Morse, born in Maine in 1842, arrived in California in 1859, worked as a house painter, and in 1877 bought a vegetable seed farm. He built it into one of the largest seed growers in the world, and his firm later merged with D. M. Ferry and Co. A local newspaper called the house "the house that seeds built." Restoration was under way at the time of listing, and the exterior remained original.
Significance in brief: The house is the largest remaining Victorian-style residence in the City of Santa Clara and a well-executed example of late Queen Anne architecture. It is also tied to Charles C. Morse, a pioneer of commercial seed production whose company grew into one of the largest seed growers in the world and later merged into Ferry-Morse Seed Co.
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 77000347, listed April 13, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 981 Fremont St., Santa Clara |
|---|---|
| County | Santa Clara County |
| Listed | April 13, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77000347 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 (specific date: built in 1892) |
| Architectural style | Late Queen Anne Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Economics, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Being restored by the owners to correct deterioration; the exterior is in its original condition and the interior was altered somewhat many years ago. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 37.35212, -121.94572 (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 77000347.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5076459
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.