National Register of Historic Places listings in Santa Clara County, California facts for kids

Location of Santa Clara County in California

Have you ever wondered about the oldest and most special buildings or places in your area? In Santa Clara County, California, there are many amazing spots that are officially recognized for their history! These places are listed on something called the National Register of Historic Places. It's like a special list of important buildings, areas, or objects across the United States that are worth protecting because of their past.

There are 119 places in Santa Clara County on this list. Six of these are even more special and are called National Historic Landmarks. Think of them as the "superstars" of historic places! One place used to be on the list but isn't anymore. Let's explore some of these cool historic spots!

What is the National Register of Historic Places?
- What Makes a Place Historic?
Special Places: National Historic Landmarks
Other Cool Historic Spots
Places That Are No Longer Listed
Images for kids

What is the National Register of Historic Places?

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the nation's historic places that are worth saving. It's managed by the National Park Service, which is part of the U.S. government. When a place is added to this list, it means it's important to the history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture of the United States.

Being on the National Register helps protect these places. It encourages people to preserve them and can even offer special grants or tax benefits to help with their care. It's a way to make sure that future generations can learn from and enjoy these pieces of history.

What Makes a Place Historic?

A place can be considered historic for many reasons. Maybe it's where an important event happened, or it was home to a famous person. It could also be a great example of a certain type of architecture, like an old Victorian house or a unique modern building. Sometimes, it's a whole area, like a historic downtown street, that tells a story about how a town grew.

Special Places: National Historic Landmarks

Out of all the places on the National Register, a few are chosen as National Historic Landmarks. These are places that are considered to be important to all of American history. Santa Clara County is lucky to have six of these very special landmarks!

Hanna-Honeycomb House in Stanford: This unique house was built in 1937 by a famous architect named Frank Lloyd Wright. It's called the "Honeycomb House" because of its unusual hexagonal (six-sided) shape. It's a great example of modern architecture.
Lou Henry Hoover House in Stanford: This was the home of Lou Henry Hoover, the wife of President Herbert Hoover. It's a beautiful house with a mix of architectural styles, and it shows how important she was in American history.
New Almaden in San Jose: This is an old mercury mining area. It was one of the most important mercury mines in the world during the California Gold Rush. It played a huge role in the history of mining and industry in California.
Frank Norris Cabin near Gilroy: This cabin belonged to Frank Norris, a famous American writer. He wrote important novels about life in California and the American West. This cabin was his peaceful retreat.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel in San Jose: This chapel is important because of its connection to Cesar Chavez, a famous leader who fought for the rights of farmworkers. It was a key meeting place for the United Farm Workers movement.
Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at Moffett Field: This is a huge wind tunnel used for testing aircraft and spacecraft designs. It's part of the Ames Research Center and has been very important for aerospace research and space exploration.

Other Cool Historic Spots

Beyond the landmarks, many other places in Santa Clara County are on the National Register. They tell different stories about the area's past.

Historic Homes and Buildings

Many old houses and buildings are on the list because of their unique architecture or the people who lived there.

Agnews Developmental Center in Santa Clara: This historic district includes buildings from what was once a large mental health facility. The clock tower is a well-known part of the campus.
Ainsley House in Campbell: This beautiful house was built in 1925 and is now a museum. It shows what life was like for a wealthy family in the early 20th century.
Jose Maria Alviso Adobe in Milpitas: An adobe house is a building made from sun-dried mud bricks. This one is very old and gives us a peek into California's early history.
Ashworth-Remillard House in San Jose: This grand house is a great example of Victorian architecture.
De Anza Hotel in San Jose: A classic hotel building that shows the style of downtown San Jose in the 1930s.
Hayes Mansion in San Jose: This huge mansion was built in 1905 and is now a hotel and conference center. It's known for its beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival style.
Hewlett-Packard House and Garage in Palo Alto: This is where Hewlett-Packard, one of the first big technology companies, started! It's a simple garage that became the birthplace of Silicon Valley.
Hotel Sainte Claire in San Jose: This fancy hotel from the 1920s is a landmark in downtown San Jose.
Winchester Mystery House in San Jose: This famous mansion is known for its strange design, with stairs leading to ceilings and doors opening to walls. It was built by Sarah Winchester, the widow of the rifle magnate.

Schools and Libraries

Several old schools and libraries are recognized for their role in education and community life.

Campbell Union Grammar School and Campbell Union High School Historic District in Campbell: These buildings represent the history of education in the city of Campbell.
East San Jose Carnegie Branch Library in San Jose: This library was built with money from Andrew Carnegie, a famous businessman who funded many libraries across the country.
Gilroy Free Library in Gilroy: Another Carnegie library, showing how important these buildings were for communities to access books and learning.
Milpitas Grammar School in Milpitas: An important building in the history of Milpitas education.
Saratoga Village Library in Saratoga: This old library building now serves as a used book store, still supporting the community.

Other Interesting Places

Alviso Historic District in Alviso: This district covers a whole area that was once a busy port town. It shows how important water travel was in early California.
First Unitarian Church of San Jose in San Jose: A beautiful and historic church building.
Forbes Mill in Los Gatos: This old mill building tells the story of early industry in the area.
Hakone Gardens in Saratoga: These beautiful Japanese gardens are a peaceful and historic spot.
Paul Masson Mountain Winery in Saratoga: This winery is famous for its history of winemaking in California.
NASA Ames Wind Tunnel Historic District at Moffett Field: This area includes several important wind tunnels used by NASA for aerospace research.
Santa Clara Depot in Santa Clara: An old train station that was a key part of transportation in the past.
Southern Pacific Depot (Diridon Station) in San Jose: Another important train station that connected San Jose to other parts of California.

Places That Are No Longer Listed

Sometimes, a historic place might be removed from the National Register. This can happen if the building is destroyed or changed so much that it loses its historic importance.

Donner-Houghton House in San Jose: This house was sadly destroyed by a fire in 2007.
Murphy Building in San Jose: This building was demolished in 1976.
Santa Clara Verein in Santa Clara: This building was demolished in 1991.
Troy Laundry in San Jose: This building no longer exists; apartments are there now.

It's a reminder that even historic places can be lost, which makes it even more important to appreciate and protect the ones that are still standing!

Images for kids

Agnews Developmental Center
Ainsley House
Theophilus Allen House
Alviso Historic District
Jose Maria Alviso Adobe
Ashworth-Remillard House
Building at 27-29 Fountain Alley
Campbell Union Grammar School
Campbell Union High School Historic District
Christian Church of Gilroy
Civic Art Gallery
De Anza Hotel
Pedro de Lemos House
Dohrmann Building
T. B. Downing House
Dunker House
East San Jose Carnegie Branch Library
First Unitarian Church of San Jose
Forbes Mill
Fraternal Hall Building
Arthur Monroe Free House
Galindo-Leigh House
Gilroy Free Library
Green Gables
Greenmeadow
Willard Griffin House and Carriage House
Hakone Gardens
Capt. James A. Hamilton House
Hanna-Honeycomb House
Hayes Mansion
Hensley Historic District
Hewlett-Packard House and Garage
Highway 152 Tree Row
Edgar Holloway House
Lou Henry and Herbert Hoover House
Hostess House
Hotel Montgomery
Hotel Sainte Claire
Warner Hutton House
Kee House
Andrew J. Landrum House
Le Petit Trianon
Leib Carriage House
James Lick Mansion
Live Oak Creamery
Los Gatos Historic Commercial District
MacFarland House
Malaguerra Winery
Paul Masson Mountain Winery
McCullagh-Jones House
Miller-Melone Ranch
Milpitas Grammar School
Moir Building
Charles Copeland Morse House
Mountain View Adobe
NASA Ames Wind Tunnel Historic District
New Almaden
Norris House
Frank Norris Cabin
Old City Hall (Gilroy, California)
Palo Alto Medical Clinic
Palo Alto Station
Palo Alto Stock Farm Horse Barn
Peralta Adobe
Pettigrew House
Picchetti Brothers Winery
Professorville
Ramona Street Architectural District
Rengstorff House
Ernest & Emily Renzel House
Roberto-Sunol Adobe
Roma Bakery
Ross House
St. James Square Historic District
Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph (San Jose)
Downtown Historic District (San Jose, California)
Santa Clara Depot
Santa Clara Verein
Saratoga Foothill Club
Saratoga Village Library
Paul Shoup House
Southern Pacific Depot
John Adam Squire House
Twohy Building
U.S. Post Office (Palo Alto, California)
Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel
US Naval Air Station Sunnyvale, California, Historic District
Villa Mira Monte
Villa Montalvo
We and Our Neighbors Clubhouse
Welch-Hurst
Wheeler Hospital
Wilson House
Winchester Mystery House
Woodhills
Earl and Virginia Young House
Yung See San Fong House
Donner-Houghton House

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National Register of Historic Places listings in Santa Clara County, California Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.