Larkin House facts for kids
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Larkin House
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U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
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Larkin House
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 Location in Monterey Peninsula
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| Location | 510 Calle Principal, Monterey, California |
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| Built | 1835 |
| Architect | Thomas O. Larkin |
| Architectural style | Monterey Colonial—Spanish Colonial |
| Part of | Monterey Old Town Historic District (ID70000137) |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000215 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | December 19, 1960 |
| Designated NHLDCP | April 15, 1970 |
The Larkin House is a very old and important house in Monterey, California. It was built in 1835 by a man named Thomas O. Larkin. Many people believe it was the first two-story house ever built in California!
The house has a special design. It mixes building ideas from Spanish Colonial homes with styles from New England in the eastern United States. This mix created a new and popular style called Monterey Colonial. The Larkin House is so important that it's recognized as both a National and a California Historical Landmark. It's also a key part of Monterey State Historic Park.
What Does the Larkin House Look Like?
The Larkin House is in the old part of Monterey, California. You can find it where Calle Principal and Jefferson Street meet. It's a two-story house made of wood. Its walls are built from adobe, which are sun-dried mud bricks. The roof is low and gently sloped.
Three sides of the house have a two-story porch or balcony. This porch has a flat roof and is also made of wood. Inside the house, you can see the wooden posts and beams that hold it up. There's also a cozy fireplace and a chimney.
The house was once part of a much larger property. It shares land with another building called the Sherman Quarters. A famous general, William Tecumseh Sherman, even mentioned the house in his writings. He called it "the adobe back of Larkin's," and said its entrance was in the Larkin House gardens.
The Story of the Larkin House
In 1832, Thomas O. Larkin moved to California from Massachusetts. He joined his half-brother, John B. R. Cooper, in business. Larkin became a very important American in Monterey. At that time, Monterey was the capital of Alta California, which was part of Mexico. Larkin was even the only American consul (a type of government representative) to Mexico in Monterey.
Larkin wanted to build a house that looked like the homes from his home state of New England. However, the local sawmills couldn't give him enough redwood lumber for that kind of house.
So, Larkin came up with a clever idea. He built a wooden frame for the house, like homes in New England. But then, he covered the walls with whitewashed adobe bricks. This way of building, using a wooden frame with mud bricks, made the house stronger and leaner than older adobe buildings. These older buildings were mostly made just from mud and straw.
Because the house was so stable, it could have a large second story and a long covered porch. This covered porch also helped protect the adobe walls from rain and water damage.
By mixing the New England style with California materials like adobe and redwood, Larkin created a unique architectural style. It brought together ideas from Spanish and Mexican settlers with those of Americans moving into California. This new style quickly became popular across California. The Larkin House is thought to be the first two-story house in California and the first to have a chimney.
The Larkin House was named a California Historical Landmark in 1933. Later, in 1960, it became a National Historic Landmark. Today, it's part of the larger Monterey State Historic Park, which is also a National Historic Landmark District.
See also
