Franz, Emmanuel, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1879 at 31 N. Oak Street in Ventura, this one-and-a-half story Italianate cottage has a truncated hipped roof, broken pedimented gables on all four sides, paired brackets and dentils under the eaves, and tall narrow windows with pedimented hoods. A Palladian window sits under the front gable, and an ornate widow's walk crowns the shiplap-sided house. Inside, four rooms open off a central hall, each with a fireplace. Emmanuel Franz, an Austrian immigrant and early merchant, had the house built and moved his bride there in 1880. His store stood half a block away on Main Street, and his family owned the house until 1975. The nomination describes it as the last unaltered urban Italianate cottage from the 1870s in Ventura and a survivor of the city's first building boom. Builder J.J. Mahoney is suggested as the likely builder because of similarities to the Schiappapietra house.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the only remaining unaltered example of urban Italianate cottage architecture from the 1870s in Ventura. It is a remnant of the fine residences of the original downtown and the city's first building boom. It is also tied to the early settlement of Ventura through Franz, an early merchant who ran one of the first mercantile businesses on Main Street.
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 82002282, listed June 25, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 31 N. Oak St., Ventura |
|---|---|
| County | Ventura County |
| Listed | June 25, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82002282 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Possibly J.J. Mahoney |
| Architectural style | Italianate cottage |
| Areas of significance | European, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and used as a private residence; condition listed as fair and unaltered, on its original site. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 34.28127, -119.29494 (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 82002282.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5373228
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.