Appendix G - Chico Enterprise

Transcription

APPENDIX G
HISTORIC RESOURCES
Historical Resources Inventory and Evaluation Report
Enloe Medical Center Master Plan and Expansion of Facilities
City of Chico, Butte County, California
Prepared for:
Pacific Municipal Consultants
140 Independence Circle, Suite C
Chico, California 95973
Prepared by:
JRP Historical Consulting
1490 Drew Avenue, Suite 110
Davis, California 95616
October 2004
October 2004
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The Enloe Medical Center (EMC) plans to expand its hospital located on the Esplanade in the
City of Chico, Butte County, California, in a four phase master plan that is to include new
construction and remodeling of existing facilities. EMC must comply with the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to proceed with the hospital master plan. The City of Chico
is responsible for certifying CEQA compliance. Pacific Municipal Consultants (PMC) is
preparing the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project’s CEQA compliance. PMC
hired JRP Historical Consulting to conduct studies for the EIR to identify possible historical
resources that the EMC project may impact. Such impacts could be considered a significant
effect on the environment under CEQA. This report identifies historical resources that are listed
in, determined eligible for listing in, or appear eligible for listing in the National Register of
Historic Places (NRHP) and/or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) and
would be considered historical resources for the purposes of CEQA. The City of Chico does not
have a historic preservation landmarks ordinance by which these resources could be further
evaluated. The resources in this report have been evaluated under NRHP criteria and in
accordance with Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the CEQA Guidelines using the CRHR criteria
outlined in Section 5024.1 of the California Public Resources Code.
EMC, the City of Chico planning staff, PMC, and JRP identified resources in the four phase plan
that the project is likely to directly or indirectly impact in order to establish the study area for
historical resources. The historical resources study area encompasses fifteen properties including
the hospital itself, at 1531 Esplanade, and fourteen current and former residences that are situated
near the hospital. This report does not identify or evaluate known or possible archaeological
resources.
Figure 1 shows the project location, and Figure 2 shows the project vicinity. These figures are
provided in Section 1. Figure 3, provided in Section 2, depicts the historical resources study area
with the survey population properties identified with map reference numbers. JRP prepared
Department of Parks and Recreation Primary and Building Structures and Objects Record forms
(DPR 523 forms) for the properties in the study area. The DPR 523 forms are provided in
Appendix A. The properties in the EMC historical resources study area do not appear to meet
the criteria for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR and thus they do not meet the criteria to be
considered historical resources for the purposes of CEQA.
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October 2004
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Summary of Findings....................................................................................................................... i
1.
Project Description.................................................................................................................. 1
2.
Research and Field Methods ................................................................................................... 4
3.
Historic Overview................................................................................................................... 7
3.1.
Settlement of Chico and Its Early Development............................................................. 7
3.2.
Chico Development – Late Nineteenth Century to Mid- Twentieth Century................. 9
3.2.1.
Development of Chico Vecino.............................................................................. 10
3.2.2.
Development of Enloe Hospital............................................................................ 19
3.3.
Late Twentieth Century Changes Around Enloe Hospital ........................................... 27
4.
Description of Resources ...................................................................................................... 31
5.
Findings and Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 33
5.1.
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 33
5.2.
Historic Evaluations...................................................................................................... 34
6.
Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 42
7.
Preparer’s Qualifications ...................................................................................................... 46
FIGURES
Figure 1:
Figure 2:
Figure 3:
Figure 4:
Project Location Map .................................................................................................... 2
Project Vicinity............................................................................................................... 3
Historical Resources Study Area ................................................................................... 6
Enloe Medical Center Expansions .............................................................................. 22
TABLES
Table 1: Properties in the study area that are not historical resources under CEQA.................... 33
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October 2004
PHOTOGRAPHS
Photograph 1: 246 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 9) . ....................................................... 13
Photograph 2: 226 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 10) . ..................................................... 15
Photograph 3: 225 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 15) . ..................................................... 16
Photograph 4: 1536 Arcadian Avenue (Map Reference 6) ......................................................... 17
Photograph 5: Enloe Hospital, original second story and tower (Map Reference 12) . .............. 23
Photograph 6: Enloe Hospital Maternity Ward, West Sixth Street (Map Reference 12) . .......... 24
Photograph 7: Enloe Hospital Administration Wing (Map Reference 12) ................................. 25
Photograph 8: Enloe Hospital Tower (Map Reference 12) . ....................................................... 26
Photograph 9: 1660 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 1) . ....................................................... 27
Photograph 10: 229 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 13) . ................................................... 28
Photograph 11: 140 West Sixth Avenue (Map Reference 2) ...................................................... 29
Photograph 12: 1507 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 11) . ................................................... 30
ATTACHMENTS
Appendix A:
DPR 523 Forms
iii
1.
October 2004
PROJECT DESCRIPTION1
The City of Chico, serving as the Lead Agency, is evaluating the environmental effects of the
proposed Enloe Medical Center (EMC) Master Plan, which includes the expansion of existing
facilities, removal of existing buildings, and the construction of new structures. The result would
be the expansion of total floor area of the hospital and ancillary facilities from the current
268,201 square feet to 439,201 square feet, a 63 percent increase, with corresponding growth in
patient beds from 204 to a possible 346. Furthermore, the construction of two proposed parking
garages would increase the facility’s footprint within the campus by approximately 238,780
square feet and contribute to a net increase in the total number of off-street parking spaces from
647 to 1,159. Approximately 17,540 square feet of buildings on the campus will be removed to
make room for the hospital expansion.
EMC currently operates a helicopter pad at the top of the existing bed tower, and owns one
helicopter that it uses to transport patients to the hospital. As potential mitigation for noise
issues associated with the anticipated increased use of helicopter transport resulting from the
project, an onsite refueling station is being considered to reduce the number of flights to Chico
Municipal Airport for refueling. This would entail the installation of an underground fuel tank
and a fuel line connection to the top of the hospital tower. Helipad operations associated with
implementation of the Master Plan will be evaluated by a helipad operations specialist, with
technical data provided to assist in the evaluation of the potential environmental impacts
associated with this aspect of the Master Plan.
Implementation of the Master Plan is proposed to occur in four phases during the time period
2005-2025, with one major construction phase for the hospital expansion itself. The phasing
plan could result in multiple phases being developed concurrently. Neighborhood residents
expressed a number of concerns very early in the Master Plan process regarding changes in
parking characteristics, vehicular circulation patterns, traffic generation and neighborhood traffic
impacts that would occur as a result of the Master Plan’s implementation. One of the objectives
of the Master Plan is to “reflect, maintain, and improve the livability of the Chico Vecino
neighborhood through improved vehicle circulation and off-street parking accommodations that
separate hospital traffic from residential trips.”
1
PMC provided text for the project description.
1
October 2004
Figure 1 shows the EMC project location in the Chico region. Figure 2 shows the EMC project
vicinity in Chico Vecino and its relationship to downtown Chico and freeway US99.
Figure 1: Project Location Map (Source: PMC)
2
Figure 2: Project Vicinity
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October 2004
2.
October 2004
RESEARCH AND FIELD METHODS
EMC and the City of Chico, with assistance from PMC and JRP, established the study area for
identifying possible historical resources that are likely to be directly or indirectly impacted by the
EMC four phase hospital master plan. The historical resources study area encompasses fifteen
properties including the hospital itself, at 1531 Esplanade, and fourteen current and former
residences that are situated near the hospital. Properties within the historical resource study area
may be demolished or materially altered as part of the project or will be situated immediately
adjacent a construction area. All the properties within the study area are at least forty-five years
old.2 The steps taken to identify possible historical resources and potential impacts the project
may have on historical resources follow Section 15064.5 of the CEQA guidelines. Figure 3
depicts the historical resources study area and identifies the survey population for this study by
map reference numbers. This report does not identify or evaluate known or possible
archaeological resources.
JRP reviewed the results of the records search that Thomas A. Parilo & Associates had
conducted in June 2003 at the Northeast Center of the California Historical Resources
Information Center in Chico on behalf of the City of Chico. JRP then reviewed and considered
the public comments regarding historical resources that the city received in May 2004 regarding
the EMC master plan, as well as a summary of comments from the neighborhood scoping
meeting held on May 5, 2004. JRP Senior Architectural Historian Christopher McMorris
contacted John Gallardo, President of the Chico Heritage Association, and discussed this
project’s process for identifying possible historical resources. Mr. McMorris and Mr. Gallardo
also discussed the buildings in the study area that Chico Heritage previously inventoried in the
1980s. Mr. Gallardo planned to present the EMC master plan project as an item of discussion at
Chico Heritage’s August 2004 board meeting and stated that he would provide JRP additional
information, if any, regarding historical resources in the study area following that meeting. JRP
did not receive any additional information from Mr. Gallardo.3
2
Buildings, structures, objects, sites, and districts listed in or eligible for listing in the NRHP or CRHR are generally
at least fifty years old. Standard practice for historical resources study follows Office of Historic Preservation
policy for project review that requires properties over forty-five years old to be evaluated. In general, this provides
leeway between the project review period and project construction. The study area for this project does not include
all buildings on or near the EMC campus because it does not appear that they will be directly or indirectly impacted
as such impact is defined in Section 15046.5 of the CEQA Guidelines regarding historical resources.
3
John Gallardo, Chico Heritage Association, personal communications with Christopher McMorris, JRP, July 20,
2004.
4
October 2004
JRP also reviewed the NRHP, Office of Historic Preservation Determinations of Eligibility for
the NRHP, California Inventory of Historic Resources, California Historical Landmarks,
California Points of Historical Interest, and California Historic Bridge Inventory to identify
whether resources in the study area had been previously evaluated. The only properties within
the study area that were previously studied were the houses at 1660 Magnolia Avenue (Map
Reference 1) and 246 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 9) that Chico Heritage inventoried in
the 1980s and that have since been converted to hospital uses. JRP collected the Chico Heritage
Historic Resource Inventory forms for these two properties during its research for this project.4
JRP conducted fieldwork and research in Chico in July 2004. JRP recorded the fifteen properties
in the study area and described them in detail on DPR 523 forms. JRP prepared a historic
context to address the themes and background for the possible historical resources in the study
area and evaluated those resources under NRHP and CRHR criteria on DPR 523 forms. JRP
conducted research in Meriam Library at California State University Chico, Chico Branch of the
Butte County Library, City of Chico building permit records, Butte County Assessor records at
the assessor’s branch office in Chico, California State Library in Sacramento, and Shields
Library at the University of California Davis. The relevant themes and context in which to
discuss the historical significance of these resources is the development of the Chico, Chico
Vecino, and Enloe Hospital during the early to mid twentieth century. This discussion is
presented in Section 3. The description and evaluation of the survey population properties are
summarized in Sections 4 and 5. Refer to the references listed in Section 6 for a complete listing
of materials consulted, and to Section 7 for JRP staff professional qualifications. The DPR 523
forms are included in Appendix A.
4
National Park Service, National Register Information System, online database: http://www.nr.nps.gov/; Office of
Historic Preservation, Directory of Properties in the Historic Property Data File for Butte County; Department of
Parks and Recreation, California Inventory of Historic Resources, March 1976; Office of Historic Preservation,
California Historical Landmarks, (Sacramento: California State Parks, 1996); Office of Historic Preservation,
California Points of Historical Interest, (Sacramento: California State Parks, May 1992); Caltrans California
Historic Bridge Inventory, online database: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/structur/strmaint/historic.htm; and Chico
Heritage Association, Chico Historic Resource Survey, 1983.
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October 2004
Figure 3: Historical Resources Study Area
6
3.
October 2004
HISTORIC OVERVIEW
The following overview provides general background on the development of Chico and the
Chico Vecino area that surrounds Enloe Medical Center. This provides historic context for
evaluating the resources in the study area for this project, including the hospital facility and the
surrounding residential, and former residential, properties.
3.1. Settlement of Chico and its early development
The first European / American settlement of the eastern Sacramento Valley came in the 1840s
when William Dickey and Edward A. Farwell obtained Mexican land grants in 1844. The first
permanent settlement in the vicinity of the project occurred when John Potter obtained 2,200
acres of the Farwell Grant, located south of Big Chico Creek, and settled in what is today
downtown Chico. James Williams and others received the patent to the Farwell grant in 1863. It
was later subdivided into both small and large landholdings south of downtown Chico. John
Bidwell purchased the William Dickey grant, “Rancho del Arroyo Chico” in 1849, a rancho of
more than 22,000 acres on the north side Big Chico Creek, and obtained the clear patent on the
land in 1860. With later additions, Bidwell’s “Rancho Chico” eventually grew to over 25,000
acres, including the land on which downtown Chico now sits.5
John Bidwell is the central figure in the development of Chico and its surrounding area during
the nineteenth century. He arrived in California in 1841 and worked for John Sutter before
making a rich gold strike on the North Fork of the Feather River at a site later named “Bidwell
Bar.”6 With his new wealth, Bidwell purchased the Rancho del Arroyo Chico and established his
residence north of Big Chico Creek.7 In the early 1850s, Bidwell built a grist mill opposite his
residence, and constructed a general store, hotel and stage stop on the Marysville to Shasta stage
5
Francis A. Riddell, “Maidu and Konkow,” Handbook of North American Indians Volume 8, Robert F. Heizer,
editor Volume 8, William C. Sturtevant, general editor, (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1978), 370;
Bill Talbitzer, Butte County, An Illustrated History (Northridge, CA: Windsor Publications, Inc., 1987), 20; George
C. Mansfield, History of Butte County (Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1918), 135 and 168; Reproduction
of Wells’ and Chambers’ History of Butte County, 1882 and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and
Pioneers (Berkeley: Howell-North Books, 1973), 179.
6
The location of Bidwell Bar is now located under Lake Oroville, which was created by the construction of Oroville
Dam in 1968.
7
Donovan Lewis, Pioneers of California (San Francisco: Scottwall Associates, 1993), 63-74; Talbitzer, Butte
County, 18, 26. John Bidwell built the current Bidwell Mansion on the Esplanade in 1868. This house was
Bidwell’s third residence in this location.
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October 2004
road (which later became the Esplanade). Bidwell was a successful farmer and he encouraged
both agricultural and commercial settlement of the area.8
One of the ways he influenced the city's history was that Bidwell was responsible for laying out
and subdividing the land that became the City of Chico. He commissioned county surveyor J.S.
Henning to lay out a 50 block townsite in 1860. Henning set out the city on a tract of land south
of the Big Chico Creek north of Little Chico Creek and centered the town on the Marysville /
Shasta Stage Road (now Main Street and the Esplanade) that ran by Bidwell’s stage stop north of
Big Chico Creek. To stimulate development, Bidwell gave away lots to anyone willing to build,
which created a building boom in Chico that increased the population to over 3,700 by 1870.9
That same year, Chico’s first expansion occurred when A. G. Chapman laid out a town on the
southeast edge of Chico that he called Chapmanville. Although this area was not included in
Chico’s initial incorporation in 1872, it was later annexed into the city. Bidwell and his wife,
Annie, also set aside areas for public use, which over time included the central city plaza,
churches, schools, the city cemetery, and Bidwell Park. Bidwell’s ranch produced wheat as well
as a variety of fruit, and he encouraged others to plant various crops. This encouragement of
crop diversity led, in part, to Chico’s canning industry, which began in the 1880s.10
Bidwell and others invested in various forms of transportation to and from Chico during the
1850s and 1860s, which were crucial to the city’s growth. Farmers transported their agricultural
products to Sacramento by steamship from Chico Landing on the Sacramento River. Although
riverboats made frequent stops at Chico Landing, the landing was located six-miles from town
which limited its usefulness. A network of stage and wagon roads connected Chico to other
towns such as Oroville and Marysville, and the first railroad was completed to Chico in 1870.
During the 1860s, Bidwell and his business partners constructed the Chico and Humboldt wagon
and toll road from Chico to the state’s eastern border through Susanville in Lassen County.
During this period, Bidwell promoted the growth of Chico and helped secure its place along the
California to Idaho postal route when he served as representative in Congress between 1864 and
1866.11
8
Talbitzer, Butte County, 326; Reproduction of Wells’ and Chambers’ History of Butte County, 222-223, 242;
Warren L. Johnson, “Pleasant Valley: The Growth of an Unincorporated Fringe of Chico, California,” thesis, Chico
State College, July 1968, 17-28.
9
Mansfield, History of Butte County, 168; Reproduction of Wells’ and Chambers’ History of Butte County, 289.
10
Talbitzer, Butte County, 326; Reproduction of Wells’ and Chambers’ History of Butte County, 222-223; Johnson,
“Pleasant Valley,” 17-28.
11
Johnson, “Pleasant Valley,” 17-28; Mansfield, History of Butte County, 242.
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October 2004
Transportation improvements continued as the California and Oregon Railroad extended its line
north from its Sacramento terminus to Chico in 1870, opening Chico and the surrounding area to
further development. With the arrival of the railroad, which was later acquired by the Southern
Pacific Railroad, Chico was well situated as a service and shipping center for area miners,
farmers, and lumbermen. The timber industry in particular developed quickly. Chico also
served as a hub for Sacramento to Oregon passenger transportation, as well as east-west travel, in
particular to Nevada’s Humboldt mines. While the Gold Rush first brought settlers to Butte
County and the Chico area, it was agriculture, the timber industry, and its prominent location for
service transportation that generated continued steady development of the area. Such successful
growth influenced the choice for the placement of a Chico State Normal School (now California
State University, Chico) in 1888. Encouraged by this transportation and economic development,
Bidwell laid out the Chico Vecino, discussed below, as a residential subdivision north of his
mansion during this period.12
3.2. Chico Development – Late Nineteenth Century to Mid- Twentieth Century
Chico’s growth slowed during the 1890s, as the city suffered under the economic depression that
was affecting the entire state. The economic slump of the 1890s largely ended for Chico shortly
after the turn of the new century when the Diamond Match Company located a new plant on 300
acres just south of Chico in 1903. The company employed 2,500 workers within a few years,
which created a housing shortage in the city and prompted an increase of new residential
building and creation of subdivisions on the surrounding land.13 The arrival of the Diamond
Match Company spurred a period of enormous development in Chico from the early to midtwentieth century. The city annexed large areas and constructed many important public
improvements during this time, including transportation to serve the residential expansions.
John Bidwell died in 1900, but his influence continued in Chico during the early part of the
century with the construction of many community improvements on land he and his wife set
aside for public use. This came during a national trend for community improvement advocated
by the Progressive movement. The expanding number of churches, the establishment of county
library services in 1913, and the growing number of public schools in the community reflected
12
Johnson, “Pleasant Valley,” 17-28; Mansfield, History of Butte County, 242, 264, 291, 326, and 406; Talbitzer,
Butte County, 68; Reproduction of Wells’ and Chambers’ History of Butte County, 228; Mansfield, History of Butte
County, 317.
13
Mansfield, History of Butte County, 362.
9
October 2004
this attention to cultural institutions. The City of Chico also received the stewardship of Bidwell
Park, passed from Annie Bidwell’s estate during this period.14 Several municipal improvement
projects were initiated during this time such as the construction of a city sewer system, street
paving, concrete sidewalks, and an electrolier system for the business section. Both new and old
subdivisions were served by the Chico Electric Railway Company, which incorporated in 1904
with the backing of the Diamond Match Company. The railway connected the Diamond Match
plant with downtown Chico as well as outlaying developing subdivisions. In November 1905,
Northern Electric purchased the Chico Electric Railway, which was in turn taken over by
Sacramento Northern Railroad in 1918.15
3.2.1. Development of Chico Vecino
During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, Chico’s residential development
spread first in the area north of downtown and across Big Chico Creek while land to the south of
the city, beyond Chapmanville, and to the west bordering the railroad tracks was developed for
industrial use. The area beyond the tracks to the west was highly valued agricultural land, so
most residential growth around Chico in the early twentieth century occurred north and northeast
of the city.
John Bidwell was the first large landholder in Chico to subdivide his land, and he laid out the
Chico Vecino (translated Chico neighborhood) subdivision north of town and between Big Chico
Creek and Sandy Gulch (now Lindo Creek) for residential sale in 1888. The area was
subdivided into large lots along the extension of Chico’s Main Street that Bidwell named “the
Esplanade.” Many other subdivisions followed. Large corporate interests such as Diamond
Match Company, as well as other landowners, also developed areas around the city.16 Annie
Bidwell also continued selling large tracts of the rancho for residential development, in part to
pay off financial encumbrances after her husband's death. Initially, residential development
occurred in Bidwell Subdivisions 16, 19, and 20, east of Chico Vecino and between Big Chico
Creek and Sandy Gulch. Some of the land, however, remained in use for small orchards and
some dairies, while larger parcel subdivision occurred west of the railroad tracks and north of
14
Mansfield, History of Butte County, 362; Joseph McGie, History of Butte County, Vol. 2 (Oroville: Butte County
Board of Education, 1982), 206.
15
Vernon J. Sapper, “Street Car Lines,” Sacramento Northern: Interurbans Special 26, 20:2 (Los Angeles: 1962),
81-83.
16
“Chico, Butte County, California,” (Chico: Chico Chamber of Commerce, Spring 1903), n.p.
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October 2004
Sandy Gulch. When Annie Bidwell died in 1918 there were twenty-one subdivisions,
(containing from 10 to 350-acre lots), that bore the name of Bidwell in and around Chico. Many
of these subdivisions, particularly those located west of what was then called Shasta Road (now
the upper portion of the Esplanade), were marketed to settlers from the East and Middle West
states for small-scale farming. Some of the Bidwell Subdivision lots were not sold until the
1930s when real estate developers re-subdivided the lots for suburban-style housing. In contrast
to development after World War II, most of the early suburban residential areas around Chico,
such as Chico Vecino, were annexed by the city to ensure they had adequate urban services
because developers felt annexation of these areas made the houses more attractive to buyers.17
Chico Vecino was laid out in eight lot blocks of spacious 90 by 200 foot lots around the
Esplanade. Although properties sold quickly at first, the subdivision remained sparsely
populated during the 1890s and early 1900s.18 Originally, only blocks between Spruce Avenue
on the west and Citrus Avenue on the east were subdivided into residential lots with undivided
half blocks reserved for future parks or school sites at various locations throughout the
subdivision. By 1901, larger lots could be found on the west end near the railroad line, and on
the east edge of the residential subdivision.19
Bidwell established the Esplanade at the center of Chico Vecino, with a 165-foot right-of-way, a
central main roadway 40 foot wide flanked by park strips about twelve feet wide, and narrower,
parallel roadways about 20 feet wide. Originally, the east park strip was an equestrian path and
the west park strip was reserved for bicycles. Rows of trees ran the entire length of the
Esplanade through Chico Vecino and were intended to provide a sense of serenity that was in
keeping with the spacious homes set in landscaped gardens.20 In 1904, the Chico Electric
Railway laid the original main track on the Esplanade’s east park strip to connect Chico Vecino
to downtown Chico. This transit link encouraged more residents to build in the neighborhood.
17
B. L. McCoy, Official Map of Butte County, California, Compiled and drawn from Official Records and Actual
Surveys by B. L. McCoy, County Surveyor (San Francisco: Britton & Rey, 1901); M. C. Polk, Official Map of
Butte County, California (Oroville, California, 1913); Johnson, “Pleasant Valley,” 28-29, 34-42; Mansfield, History
of Butte County, 361.
18
Ripples Along Chico Creek: Perspectives on People and Times (Chico: Butte County Branch, National League
of American Pen Women, 1992), 59; Lois McDonald, “Chio Esplanade (Chico Vecino)” Diggin’s, 35:2 (Butte
County Historical Society, 1991), 36; Sanborn Map Company, Chico, Butte County, California, Fire Insurance
Maps, 1902 and 1909.
19
Subdivision Map, Chico Vecino, 1888, Special Collections, Meriam Library, CSU, Chico; Sanborn Insurance
Maps, Chico, 1902.
20
Gilbert Mulcahy, “Chico Esplanade, An Example of Early Day Outer Highway, ” California Highways and
Public Works (May/June 1949), 11-13; and Sanborn Insurance Maps, Chico, 1902.
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October 2004
With the advent of the automobile, increased traffic demands required a more substantial
roadway and in 1915 the graveled center roadway was replaced with a 15-foot wide concrete
paved road. In 1916, rows of new trees, including European Sycamores, replaced the original
Honey Locust which had begun to decay. The dirt side roadways were surfaced in 1923 in
response to the increased development along the Esplanade, and the roadway was incorporated
into US Route 99 in the late 1920s. From the 1920s to the 1950s, the Esplanade roadway
remained largely unchanged as the neighborhood developed around it. Chico Vecino residents
were proud of the Esplanade. Maude Gilbert Hill, for example, paid tribute to the Esplanade, her
poem “Esplanade 1943,” which described that five rows of sycamores stood along the road and
its one-way side streets.21 In 1959, the state Division of Highways and the city dramatically
reconfigured the road. They removed two rows of trees and widened the Esplanade into a
divided four-lane “Expressway” that included a median park strip and center cobra-style light
poles. As part of the city's long term traffic plan, the Division of Highways re-routed US99 east
of downtown and Chico Vecino in the mid-1960s when it built the modern freeway alignment.22
Both prominent and middle class residents built houses in Chico Vecino during the 1900s and
1910s. These mostly small to moderately sized, one-story houses were built among the larger
late nineteenth century homes and represented the transitional architectural tastes of the period:
from Queen Anne and Italianate to Classical Revival, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow. The
latter styles are represented in the study area, such as the Colonial Revival style house at 120
West Sixth Avenue (Map Reference 2) built around 1918, and the Bungalow style residence with
Craftsman decorative features at 246 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 9) built in 1913, shown
in Photograph 1.23
21
Maud Gilbert Hill, “Esplanade 1943,” Butte Remembers (Butte County Branch, The National League of American
Pen Women, 1973), 60.
22
Gilbert Mulcahy, “Chico Esplanade, An Example of Early Day Outer Highway, ” California Highways and Public
Works (May/June 1949), 11-13; McGie, History of Butte County, Vol. 2, 120; “Chico Ceremony will Mark New
Phase on Esplanade,” Sacramento Bee, December 8, 1959, C-1; “Chico Vecino Before it Came into the City Limits”
Chico Record, November 29, 1936, W3 176:2 (Meriam Library, California State University, Chico, Special
Collections); Sanborn Insurance Maps, Chico, 1921; and Caltrans bridge logs, available online at:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/structur/strmaint/.
23
Sanborn Insurance Maps, Chico, 1902, 1909, and 1921. Photos of houses in Chico Vecino can be found online at
California
State
University,
Chico
Meriam
Library
Special
Collections
website
at:
http://cricket.csuchico.edu/spcfotos/photos2.html. The collection of Crew family photos, for example, donated by
Cliff Sanborn show the Crew home on the Esplanade and the surrounding area during the 1890s.
12
October 2004
Photograph 1: 246 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 9) (July 2004).
Like working and middle-class residents in cities across the state, many Chico residents built
Bungalow houses in the 1900s through the 1920s, many of which were likely constructed from
catalog or manufactured house-building kits. Bungalows developed from the nineteenth century
small house / cottage tradition and were a popular choice for small house design throughout
California during this period. They were usually simple yet well built, with artistic flare
imitating the high-style Craftsman houses designed by Pasadena architects Greene & Greene, or
those emulating the ideals promoted by Gustav Stickley. Bungalows are commonly seen in
residential suburbs in most urban areas in California, with a variety of forms, finishes, and
decorative elements. Companies such as Aladdin Homes, Wilson Bungalows, Montgomery
Ward, Sears and Roebuck, and Pacific Ready-Cut mass-marketed these small kit houses in
catalogs throughout the country, making the Bungalow a common and easily accessible choice
for the working and middle classes.
As the area developed, Chico Vecino became a mix of suburban-style residences and semi-rural
properties, particularly to the west of the Esplanade where many houses had water tanks and
stables, along with a growing number of automobile garages. There were some larger properties,
such John W. Roper’s house and outbuildings, for example, which sat on an entire block at the
northwest corner of Magnolia Avenue and Sixth Avenue. There were also orchards located
north and west of Sixth and Arcadian avenues well into the mid-twentieth century. Roper’s
13
October 2004
property, though, was situated across the street from his son Louis’ Bungalow style house built
around 1910 at 1660 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 1), as well as three smaller one and twostory residences with wide porches located at the southeast corner of Magnolia Avenue and West
Sixth Avenue that were demolished when Enloe Hospital expanded in the 1960s.24
The need for access to city services during the early years of the 1900s prompted residents of
Chico Vecino, along with those of other outlaying subdivisions, to seek annexation into the city.
The City of Chico annexed the Chico Vecino subdivision in 1918, along with others, bringing
Chico’s population from the 2,640 as reported in the 1900 census, to over 12,000 in 1918.25
This dramatic increase also meant there was increased demand for nearby goods and services and
commercial and institutional properties were constructed in Chico Vecino during this period.
The Chico Butter and Cheese Factory, for example, was located on the corner of Second Avenue
and Magnolia Avenue, Chino Vecino Public School was located on the corner of Oleander and
Third Avenues, and Chico High School was located west of the Esplanade at the junction of
West Lincoln and Sacramento Avenues. By the early 1920s, the Adams Lumber Company
occupied the corner east of the Esplanade and Eighth Avenue, Chico Sanitarium was located on
Eighth between the Esplanade and Oleander, and stores opened in the block between Second and
Third Avenues fronting the Esplanade where J. H. Nopel operated a grocery.26 Enloe Hospital
was first established on what had been a nearly vacant half block on the Esplanade between Fifth
and Sixth Avenues in 1937, becoming one of the most prominent institutional properties in
Chico Vecino. (The development of Enloe Hospital is discussed below.)
Residential construction continued in Chico Vecino during the 1920s and early 1930s, but
slowed during the Depression. The rate of house construction began to recover during the late
1930s in the period leading up to World War II. The stately Colonial Revival style Adams
House was built during this time at 1417 Esplanade at Fourth Avenue, south of Enloe Medial
Center. Many of the new houses located west of Enloe Hospital were modest, constructed in
what is now called the Minimal Traditional style, such as the house at 226 West Fifth Avenue
(Map Reference 10) built in 1940, shown in Photograph 2.27
24
Sanborn Insurance Maps, Chico, 1902, 1909, and 1921; Chico City Directories, 1909-1962; USGS Quadrangle,
Chico, 1948; and United States Federal Population Schedules, Chico, Butte County, California, 1920.
25
26
City Directory, 1921.
27
Property dates of construction from Butte County Assessor Records as reported to First American Real Estate
solutions; City Directories from 1910s through 1940s; Sanborn Insurance Maps, Chico, 1921 and 1949.
14
October 2004
The style now referred to as “Minimal Traditional” developed in the 1930s, following the decline
in popularity of Bungalows, and was a continuation of the small house design tradition that dates
to the nineteenth century. In the 1930s, the popular period revival dwellings, which emulated
Colonial (Spanish and East Coast) houses, picturesque medieval (so called “Tudor”) houses, or
rural European cottages, began to give way to a simpler styles. Ornamented houses were
economically infeasible for moderate homebuyers during the Depression and its aftermath, and
the emphasis of simplicity and unadorned surfaces of the Modern architectural movement began
to influence domestic architecture. Considered a “compromise style,” the Minimal Traditional
house reflected the form and shape of earlier housing design, but without the decorative
detailing. Generally, these residences were built with low to medium roof pitches with close
rather than wide overhanging eaves. They were modestly sized, of wood frame construction, and
were built with exterior walls clad in wood siding, stucco, brick, stone, or a mixture of materials.
Some were given large chimneys.28 Minimal Traditional style homes were built in great numbers
in California, commonly in large tracts, as developers tried to meet the growing demand for
affordable housing.
After World War II, Chico and the surrounding vicinity grew quickly during the post-war boom.
Chico’s postal receipts, for example, grew seventy percent in the first six years after the war, and
28
McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 477, 478.
15
October 2004
the Chico-area population nearly doubled from roughly 24,000 in 1951 to over 40,000 by 1966.
Various factors contributed to this growth. Not only was there vast migration to California,
along with the general “baby boom,” but Chico also grew as people migrated from metropolitan
areas to rural non-farm communities. This migration was facilitated by state highway
improvements, and encouraged by employment of the expanding state college in the city.
Developers built residential subdivisions on the outskirts of the city, such as those north of Lindo
Creek, at the same time that vacant parcels in Chico Vecino were increasingly infilled with
Minimal Traditional and Ranch style houses in the late 1940s and 1950s.29 The area surrounding
Enloe Hospital lost its residual rural qualities during this period. The small houses at 225, 227,
and 229 West Fifth Avenue (Map References 15, 14, and 13) were built in 1945 and 1948,
replacing stables and a tank house that likely belonged to the older house at 1463 Magnolia
Avenue (now demolished).30 The house at 225 West Fifth Avenue is shown in Photograph 3.
This modest Ranch style house is one of a mirrored pair with the other located at 227 West Fifth
Avenue.31 Other houses were built on vacant parcels, such as the concrete block Ranch style
house at 227 West Sixth Avenue (Map Reference 4), built in 1948, the Ranch style houses at
29
Johnson, “Pleasant Valley,” 54 – 55 and 66; Polk and Batham, Map of Chico and Vicinity, 1951; and Batham and
Batham, Map of Chico and Vicinity, 1967. By the 1990s, the population of the Chico urban area topped 85,000.
30
USGS Quadrangle, Chico, 1948; Sanborn Insurance Maps, Chico, 1921 and 1949; Butte County Assessor’s
records; City of Chico building permits.
31
Sanborn Insurance Maps, Chico 1921 and 1949.
16
October 2004
1537 and 1551 Magnolia Avenue (Map References 7 and 8) built in 1954, 221 West Sixth
Avenue (Map Reference 5) built in 1956, and 249 West Sixth Avenue and 1536 Arcadian
Avenue (Map References 3 and 6) built in 1957. The house at 1536 Arcadian Avenue is shown
in Photograph 4 and is a typical example of a 1950s Ranch house in this neighborhood. A larger
variation on the earlier Minimal Traditional style house was built at 1507 Magnolia Avenue
(Map Reference 11) in 1956.
Photograph 4: 1536 Arcadian Avenue (Map Reference 6) (July 2004).
Ranch style houses emerged in the 1930s during the post-Bungalow phase of residential
architecture. The style is characterized by elongated linear floor plans and a propensity to
combine indoor and outdoor living areas. Ranch houses employ a variety of historic quasicolonial / early-American period references, including the nineteenth century California adobe
house and nineteenth century California single-wall board and batten rural buildings.
Eventually, the style also incorporated aspects of Modern architecture, emphasizing
horizontality, large windows, unadorned surfaces, and open floor plans.32 The style appeared
regionally in California by the 1940s, and later reached widespread national popularity in the
1950s and 1960s. Early ranch style architects included Cliff May, H. Roy Kelley, and William
Wurster. Although none of the buildings in the study area are the work of these architects, their
general influence can be seen in the survey population where modest ranch homes have open
32
David Gebhard, Eric Sandweiss, and Robert Winter, Architecture In San Francisco and Northern California (Salt
Lake City: Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1985), 579.
17
October 2004
linear plans and understated exterior finishes.33 Typical Ranch house features also include
elongated, asymmetrical one-story plans with low-pitched roofs, and wide eaves that create an
overhanging shelter for walkways along the sides of the house. A recessed entry is also
common, as are attached garages.34 As the Ranch style gained national attention, builders of
middle- and upper-income homes across the country copied the designs of early custom homes
of California. The sprawling style fit the “expansive mood of the post-World War II suburbs.”35
The Ranch style houses in the study area are very modest examples of the style. They are small,
elongated side gable forms with recessed entries and/or picture windows that emulate higher
style ranches.
The north end of the Esplanade became increasingly more commercial during the 1940s and
1950s. A tourist court (originally the Washington Motel and now the Matador Motel) opened on
the Esplanade between Ninth Avenue and Tenth Avenue in 1944. A restaurant, movie house,
and a poultry feed store appeared in the block between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. Sterling
Lumber Company replaced Adams Lumber Company on the corner of Eighth Avenue, and a
roller skating rink opened on East Seventh Avenue between the Esplanade and Oleander Avenue.
The Seventh Day Adventists opened a two-story sanitarium off of the Esplanade on Seventh
Avenue.36 As discussed below, Enloe Hospital also expanded its facilities in the post war period.
The hospital not only built new wings on the original 1937 building, but also built and used
various service buildings at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Magnolia Avenue west of the main
hospital that were later demolished.
33
Marc Treib, “William Wilson Wurster: The Feeling of Function,” in Everyday Modernism: The Houses of William
Wurster (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995), 19-27; Alan Richard Michelson, “Towards a Regional
Synthesis: The Suburban and Country Residences of William Wilson Wurster, 1922-1964” (Ph.D. Diss. Stanford
University, 1993), 153-154, 168.
34
McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 477, 479; Cliff May, Western Ranch Houses, (originally published
in 1958) (Santa Monica: Hennessey and Ingalls, 1997), 13-23.
35
“Historic Residential Suburbs: Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for the National Register of Historic
Places,” National Register Bulletin, 2002; and Kenneth T. Jackson, Crabgass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the
United States (New York: Oxford University Press, 1985), 240.
36
Mary Compton Goni, Mary Remembers (Chico: M.C. Goni, 1990), 178; Mulcahy, “Chico Esplanade, An
Example of Early Day Outer Highway,” 11-13; Sanborn Insurance Maps, Chico, 1921 and 1949; and Mansfield,
History of Butte County, 337 and 379.
18
October 2004
3.2.2. Development of Enloe Hospital
3.2.2.1. Early Hospitals in Chico
Many of Chico’s early residents came to California during the Gold Rush, as did doctors who
established medical practices in the developing mining, timber, and agricultural based
communities of Butte County. In 1864, Chico had three practicing physicians to care for its 500
five hundred inhabitants.37 While the number of physicians grew during the late nineteenth
century, by 1900, Chico’s population was over 2,600 and needed more sophisticated medical
services. Several groups established hospitals in Chico in the first years of the twentieth century.
In 1903, a group of Catholic Sisters based in Sacramento contracted with Diamond Match
Company to open a hospital to care for the company’s injured workers. Two years later, four
nurses opened the Florence Nightingale Hospital on Seventh Street at Broadway, later moving to
the corner of Second Street and Hazel where the hospital remained in operation until 1908. Dr.
Newton Thomas Enloe established one of the other Chico Hospitals on Flume Street where the
first Enloe Hospital opened in 1913.38
3.2.2.2. Dr. Newton Thomas Enloe
Dr. Newton Thomas Enloe was born in Missouri in 1872 and received his medical training in
Louisville, Kentucky, and at Washington University in St. Louis, where he graduated with a
medical degree in 1895. Enloe opened his first practice in Jefferson City, Missouri, but moved
west with his sister and young son in 1901, briefly stopping in Pueblo, Colorado, before settling
in Butte County. Enloe’s wife, Winnie Herrick Enloe, had died before the move. Once in
California, Enloe established a clinic for the Sierra Lumber Company in their West Branch
lumber camp located north of Paradise. Enloe served as company physician and initiated an
innovative and successful prepaid, group medical plan for the lumberjacks and their families.
Enloe built this hospital using surplus lumber provided by the lumber company. The facility was
crude, measuring approximately twenty square feet. When he needed equipment and instruments
37
Reproduction of Wells’ and Chambers’ History of Butte County, 223.
“Hospitals of the Past,” Chico Enterprise-Record: Chico Centennial Celebration Edition (Chico: Chico
Enterprise-Record, 1960), n.p; William H. Hood, Physicians of Butte County California, 1850-1900 (Chico: W. H.
Hood, 1980), 1-3.
38
19
October 2004
that were unavailable, Enloe improvised by requesting the local blacksmith to construct the
necessary instruments based on Enloe’s own designs. Enloe sent cases that required more
medical attention to Sisters Hospital in Chico.39
Enloe moved to Chico in 1904, and entered into private general practice, first setting up an office
in the Morehead Building, although he continued providing medical services in West Branch.
Enloe wanted to establish a hospital where he could control and maintain a high standard of
medical treatment, a situation Enloe felt the community was lacking.40 His practice had
expanded sufficiently by 1911, that Enloe purchased land between Third and Fourth Streets to
build a hospital. This facility opened in 1913 at 330 Flume Street with three doctors and five
nurses. Enloe introduced several innovative practices at this hospital, including an ambulance
service and an early X-ray unit. In 1917, Enloe established a nurses training facility at the
hospital, which gained accreditation by the State Board of Health and was the only accredited
nursing school between Sacramento and Portland, Oregon at the time. In addition to general
practice, Enloe's surgical skills led to his appointment as chief surgeon of the Diamond Match
Company. One of his most well know surgical cases occurred in July 1936 when he performed
what he termed “the unique operation of his career” by turning and correcting the “upside down”
stomach of a patient that had previously consulted 28 doctors without results. Enloe enjoyed a
highly regarded reputation throughout Northern California.41
When World War I began, Enloe closed both the hospital and nurse training program and
volunteered for service in the Army Medical Reserve Corps. Enloe was a commissioned captain
assigned to Camp Lewis, American Lake, Washington, where he stayed for eleven months. With
Enloe’s permission, the Red Cross used his Chico hospital briefly in 1918 during the influenza
epidemic. After Enloe returned from military duty, he reopened the Flume Street hospital. By
the 1920s, the expanding hospital needed a larger facility and Enloe investigated a new site on
the Esplanade between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Although initial attempts to build a hospital in
39
This account is from a 1958 interview conducted by Gerald L. Hodges with Mrs. Anna Weast, Dr. Enloe’s close
friend and coworker for many years, and included in Gerald L. Hodges, “The Development of the Enloe Hospitals,
1902 to 1937” (Class paper, Chico State College, 1958), 3.
40
Hodges, “The Development of Enloe Hospitals, 1902-1937,” 7. “Hospitals of the Past” Centennial Edition, 1960;
J. M. Ginn, History of the State of California and Biographical Record of Sacramento Valley (Chicago: Chapman,
1906), 1590; David Durham, California’s Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the
State (Clovis: Quill Driver Books/Word Dancer Press, 1998), 333.
41
The Chico Record, January 9, 1937, page 4.
20
October 2004
the Chico Vecino neighborhood in 1923 fell through, in 1935 work finally began on the new
hospital. The facility opened 1937. 42
Dr. Enloe remained active in the administration of his hospital and personally opened the new
hospital at age sixty-five. The doctor was also involved in Chico’s civic activities, serving over
time as president of the Chamber of Commerce, as chairman of the Board of Education, and as a
member of the Chico Planning Commission. Enloe also opened a tuberculosis sanitarium in
Paradise between 1925 and 1929. He also remarried several times and had several more
children. He died December 21, 1954 in the hospital he founded on the Esplanade.43
3.2.2.3. Enloe Hospital, 1531 Esplanade
Dr. Enloe continued his work at the Flume Street hospital after he returned to civilian medical
practice after World War I. He and a group of concerned citizens began a campaign to build a
larger Enloe Hospital in the early 1920s, but the plans did not materialize until the mid-1930s.
The Enloe Hospital facility on the Esplanade, now the Enloe Medical Center, was constructed in
1936 and opened January 11, 1937. It was Chico’s main hospital for much of the twentieth
century and was the only hospital in the city during the late 1930s and early 1940s as well as
from the early the 1950s through the early 1960s.44
When the hospital on the Esplanade opened spacious lawns surrounded the Spanish Eclectic
style building, and it had extensive landscaped grounds that were in keeping with the stately
neighboring properties. The new hospital opened as a 52-bed facility with 45 rooms including
offices and workrooms. When possible, Enloe chose local contractors to provide materials and
labor. Architects Cole & Brouchard of Chico designed the building and Chico contractor,
Merrick Evans, acted as the General Contractor. The Diamond Match Company provided
lumber, millwork, and building materials. Other local contractors provided goods and services to
42
“Hospitals of the Past” Chico Centennial Celebration Edition, (1960), n.p; George C. Mansfield, “Newton
Thomas Enloe, M. D.,” 669-670.
43
“Dr. N.T. Enloe Dies in Hospital He Built Here,” Chico Enterprise Record, December 22, 1954, 1.
44
“ Open House Today, Tomorrow,” Chico Enterprise, 1, 4; Hodges, “The Development of Enloe Hospitals, 19021937,” 17; N.T. Enloe Memorial Hospital, “60 Years of Healing,” Annual Report Souvenir, 1973. Other Chico
Hospitals included the Cottage Hospital which Dr. Harold Ellis operated between 1944 and 1952 as well as the
Chico Community Memorial Hospital which opened in 1964. Enloe acquired Chico Community Memorial Hospital
in 1997.
21
October 2004
complete the building. Dr. Enloe even took part in designing furniture for the rooms, including
beds that would convert to fracture beds as needed.45
The Enloe facility on the Esplanade went through successive periods of expansion from the
1950s into the 1980s, as shown in Figure 4, and spread out from its original location on the east
half of Chico Vecino block 66. The hospital originally had a long rectangular footprint with a
two-story tower at the center, shown in Photograph 5, that also had a basement. The facility’s
kitchen wing and heating plant were located west of the tower. There also was a small ward
building next to the kitchen wing.
Figure 4: Enloe Medical Center Expansions (Source: EMC Plant Operations Department)
45
“ Open House Today, Tomorrow,” Chico Enterprise, 1, 4; Hodges, “The Development of Enloe Hospitals, 19021937,” 17.
22
October 2004
Photograph 5: Enloe Hospital, original second story and
tower (Map Reference 12) (July 2004).
For many decades the hospital’s main entrance was on the Esplanade, and until the 1960s its
emergency services entrance was on the west side of the building where ambulances descended
down a ramp opposite the front entrance of the building. The hospital also constructed small
buildings on the southwest portion of the block, land that Enloe likely purchased in the 1930s or
soon thereafter, and maintained the mid-block alleyway until the 1960s. The buildings in the
southwest corner of the block included a doctor’s clinic and utility buildings that were
demolished with construction of the tower wing that began in the late 1970s.
Within a decade of its opening, demand was sufficient that Enloe began plans for its first
expansion, a 15-bed maternity wing at the north end of the building that extended outward on the
west side, which opened in December 1950. The hospital constructed the new wing to meet the
demands of the post-war baby boom. Chico architect Thomas Dunlap designed the ward, which
included a nursery-viewing platform on the south side that enabled visitors to view infants
through the window without entering the hospital. This initial expansion continued some of the
building’s original features, such as the Mission tile roof and a stucco exterior, as shown in
Photograph 6.46 After Dr. Enloe’s death in 1954, responsibility for the hospital passed to his
wife, Dorothy, until her death in 1956 and then to Dr. Enloe’s three surviving children, Nancy,
Ida, and Thomas Enloe. Under their governance, the hospital added another new wing to the
46
McGie, History of Butte County, Vol. 2, 124.
23
October 2004
maternity ward in 1959, designed by another Chico architect Thomas Dunley. The hospital
further expanded its maternity facilities by constructing this addition on the building’s main
façade, near the north end. This single story hipped roof wing did not include architectural
features of the original building or 1950 addition. Rather, it was built with a utilitarian exterior
with wide eaves and a secondary Esplanade entrance.
Photograph 6: Enloe Hospital Maternity Ward, West Sixth
Street Entrance (Map Reference 12) (July 2004).
In the early 1960s, the Enloe siblings had San Francisco architects Stone, Marraccini, and
Patterson design the hospital’s first master plan which called for multiple phases of expansion,
including construction of the administration and surgery wings. The hospital completed its
second addition to the building’s façade in 1965 with addition of the one-story gable roof lobby
and administration front wing. This new central entry was a large glazed enclosure that
presented its Modern architectural design in contrast to the building’s original form, as seen in
Photograph 7. This new visually open and well lit entrance was likely considered more
welcoming than the building’s original entry. The hospital later moved the main entry and
covered this wing’s large glass front with drapery, dulling the original architectural effect.
The hospital proceeded with one of its largest expansions in the mid 1960s that included a new
emergency department, laboratories, surgery, and various treatment centers including the
respiratory care center. Enloe Hospital acquired the northwest corner of its block to erect what is
24
October 2004
now generally referred to as the surgery wing. The hospital closed the north end of the alleyway
at this time. Prior to completion of the expansion, Enloe Hospital converted from a proprietary
hospital to a nonprofit community hospital in 1966, to be governed by a board of trustees, which
included Dr. Enloe’s son Dr. Thomas Enloe. The facility was renamed N. T. Enloe Memorial
Hospital. The hospital completed the surgery wing in 1967. The new wing was attached to the
main hospital building only by an exterior walkway connected to the west side of the maternity
ward and the emergency room entry was shifted to West Sixth Avenue.
Photograph 7: Enloe Hospital Administration Wing
(Map Reference 12) (July 2004).
By the late 1960s, the hospital’s master plan had been revised to include a new set of expansions
that the hospital built in the early 1970s. This phase of construction included three new units,
adding over fifteen thousand square feet to the hospital, designed by Chico architect Lawrence
G. Thomson. The hospital built the south wing, now called Medical East, and a specialized care
unit, now called neuro trauma, in 1971 along with a large expansion of the original kitchen /
mechanical wing at the center of the west side. The hospital’s 1967 and 1971 expansions were
all single story buildings that had largely utilitarian exterior appearances. The new south wing
extended both east and west of the original building’s south end and completed the asymmetrical
Esplanade façade. The former kitchen wing now included a cafeteria, a lobby, gift shop,
physical therapy, and a loading dock.
25
October 2004
Planning for further expansions continued in the 1970s and by 1976, trustees announced plans
for Enloe’s last major project of the twentieth century. Construction on the hospital’s five story
tower, including a basement, began in 1978 and was completed in 1980. Designed by architects
Frederick S. Scot and Harry J. Varwig of St. Louis, Missouri, its size and contemporary design
was again an architectural departure from previous expansions. The tower’s large panel walls
featured rounded rectangular windows and a brick clad base, as shown in Photograph 8.
Photograph 8: Enloe Hospital Tower (Map Reference 12) (July 2004).
It also included a helicopter landing pad on the roof, although it was another two years before it
was approved for use. The hospital moved its main entrance to West Fifth Avenue and Magnolia
Avenue in the single story south extension set adjacent to a new landscaped garden. The hospital
also moved the emergency room to Magnolia Avenue with a covered emergency room entrance
at the west end of the tower. This phase of hospital expansion included a proposal for the
demolition of the 1950 wing for a parking lot, but this project never occurred. In 1982, the
hospital added the two-story extension to the north end of the surgery wing and built the
respiratory / physical therapy wing underground to the west of the surgery wing.47 With the
addition of a small waiting room in 1985, in what had become the hospital’s northern courtyard,
set between maternity, special care, and surgery, Enloe completed the facility one sees today at
1531 Esplanade. The hospital would continue to meet facilities and parking demands, as
47
McGie, History of Butte County, Vol. 2, 230; Talbitzer, Butte County,100-101; Sylvia Storla Clarke, “Hospital
Paths from the Papaw Patch,” Butte Remembers (Butte County: Butte County Branch, The National League of
American Pen Women, 1973), 15-16.
26
October 2004
discussed below, by acquiring and altering existing properties in the surrounding neighborhood
during the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.
3.3. Late Twentieth Century Changes around Enloe Hospital
The neighborhood immediately around Enloe hospital changed in the latter part of the twentieth
century as property owners modified their early to mid-twentieth century houses and the Enloe
organization purchased neighborhood houses. While Chico Vecino, also referred to as “the
Avenues,” and the area around Enloe Hospital continued to be home to single family houses,
many area residences became rental properties that were typically inhabited by college students
attending California State University, Chico. The rental conversions often requiring remodeling.
Louis Root, for example, demolished an old garage for more parking and had a large side dormer
extension and new front window built at the second floor of his house at 1660 Magnolia Avenue
(Map Reference 1) in 1971 to accommodate up to six college student renters (Photograph 9).
Root, and later the Enloe organization, made further changes to this house in the 1980s and
1990s. Another example of modification to a residence appears along the alley behind the
converted house at 229 West Fifth Avenue where Arthur Lewis built a two-story detached triplex
in 1968, shown in Photograph 10.
Photograph 9: 1660 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 1) (July 2004).
27
October 2004
The Enloe organization completed its last major expansion of what had become Enloe Memorial
Hospital by the mid-1980s. The hospital responded to the continual demand for additional
facilities and parking spaces by acquiring properties that surrounded the hospital and eventually
formed what is now identified as the Enloe Medical Center Campus, encompassing blocks from
the Esplanade to Arcadian Avenue and Fourth to Seventh Avenues. From the late 1970s to the
early 2000s, the hospital purchased houses on those blocks and converted them for hospital uses,
typically office space. The hospital also demolished some surrounding buildings for parking
lots, such as the house at 214 West Fifth Avenue that was razed in 1984. Enloe also replaced
some yards and gardens of the newly acquired properties with parking spaces. One typical
acquisition was the house at 140 West Sixth Avenue (Map Reference 2), which was converted
for use as the Education Center in 1979. The hospital added the oxygen tank at the west side of
the house in 1986, built the wheel chair ramp, as shown in Photograph 11, on the front of the
building in 1993, and constructed the one-story stucco panel MRI facility (120 West Sixth
Avenue) on the property in 1993.
28
October 2004
Photograph 11: 140 West Sixth Avenue (Map Reference 2) (July 2004).
Enloe purchase the houses at 227 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 14), 1660 Magnolia
Avenue (Map Reference 1), 246 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 9), and 1507 Magnolia
Avenue (Map Reference 11) in 1985, making various changes to all converting them to offices.
The hospital removed the garage on the latter property, for example, and added a walk-in
refrigerator and enclosure to the west side of the house, and converted the area around the house
into parking in 1986 and 1987, as shown in Photograph 12. Other Enloe purchases included the
house at 229 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 13) in 1987, the house at 1536 Arcadian
Avenue (Map Reference 6) in 1988, the house at 1537 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 8) for
Emergency Services in 1993, the house at 225 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 15) in 1998,
the house at 249 West Sixth Avenue in 1999, the house at 221 West Sixth Avenue (Map
Reference 5) in 2001, and the house at 227 West Sixth Avenue (Map Reference 4) in 2002.
Most of these buildings have been converted for hospital offices, except the house at 221 West
Sixth Avenue which the hospital leases out as a residence.48
48
Enloe Medical Center Plant Operations escrow files and building maintenance records; City of Chico building
permits; and Butte County Assessor’s records.
29
October 2004
Photograph 12: 1507 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 11) (July 2004).
30
4.
October 2004
DESCRIPTION OF RESOURCES
The EMC master plan historical resources study area contains fifteen properties, including Enloe
Hospital at 1531 Esplanade, and fourteen residences and former residences located west and
north of the hospital. All of the properties within the study area are located within the
boundaries of the EMC campus, although two of the properties are not owned by EMC. Two
converted houses are located on Magnolia Avenue on the western half of the block immediately
north of the hospital. Ten of the houses and former houses in the study area are situated on the
block immediately west of the hospital bounded by Arcadian Avenue, Magnolia Avenue, West
Sixth Avenue, and West Fifth Avenue. The other three properties in the study area are situated
in the middle of the block between Arcadian Avenue and Magnolia Avenue on the south side of
West Fifth Avenue, southwest of the hospital. Detailed descriptions of each property are on
DPR 523 forms provided in Appendix A. The hospital and thirteen of the other buildings are
inventoried on separate forms. Two of the former individual houses (Map References 8 and 11)
are inventoried on a single form because, following standard historic inventory practices, they
are now located on a single assessor parcel.
The single largest building in the study area is the hospital (Map Reference 12). As discussed in
Section 3, Dr. Newton Thomas Enloe had the hospital built in 1936 and opened it in 1937. The
hospital enlarged and remodeled its facilities in successive expansions from the 1950s through
the 1980s. The hospital’s original Spanish Eclectic style building, imitated in the 1950 maternity
ward expansion, has been largely surrounded by later additions, although some of the original
architectural features remain. Many of the later wings have a largely utilitarian appearance,
although some possess architectural qualities contemporary with their period of construction,
such as the front administration wing built in 1965 or the bed tower completed in 1980.
The residential buildings in the study area were built between 1910 to 1957, represent common
twentieth century house styles, and range in size from roughly 800 square feet to over 4,000
square feet. Most have been modified and remodeled since the 1960s. As discussed above,
Enloe hospital purchased many properties around the hospital between the 1970s and early the
2000s, converted many houses for hospital uses, and replaced gardens and yards with parking
lots.
31
October 2004
Three of the buildings in the study area are 1910s houses that are now used for hospital facilities
and offices. The Bungalow style houses at 1660 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 1) and 246
West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 9) were built in the early 1910s, but were heavily modified
both before and after the Enloe organization acquired them in 1985. The Colonial Revival style
house at 140 West Sixth Avenue (Map Reference 2), originally built around 1918, has also been
modified greatly over the years. EMC added an oxygen tank in the 1980s and MRI building
adjacent to this house on the same property in the 1990s. These three older houses are generally
larger than the later houses in the study area, although some of their current size was added
within the past thirty years.
Most of the other eleven buildings in the study area are post-World War II houses, although one
pre-dates the war. The Minimal Traditional style house at 226 West Fifth Avenue (Map
Reference 10), owned by Genevieve Herseth, was built in 1940. While it retains much of its
original appearance, its owners converted the former garage into living quarters and expanded
the north side of the house in the 1950s. The other residences were built between 1945 and 1957
and are representative examples of modest Minimal Traditional and Ranch style houses of this
period. They infilled empty parcels or replaced older buildings in what was by then a wellestablished area of the City of Chico. Of these later buildings, only one is not currently owned
by EMC. June Williams continues to own her largely unaltered 1954 modest Ranch style house
at 1551 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 7). The Ranch style houses have linear foot prints
with picture windows as well as other features common to their style. Some houses in the study
area have been modified, sometimes greatly, such as the house at 221 West Sixth Avenue which
was built in 1956, but extensively remodeled following a 1995 fire. Four of the post-war houses
are from the 1940s: 229 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 13) built in 1945, 227 and 225 West
Fifth Avenue (Map References 14 and 15) built in 1948, and 227 West Sixth Avenue built in
1948 (Map Reference 4). The remaining houses were built between 1954 and 1957. They are
1537 and 1551 Magnolia Avenue (Map References 7 and 8) built in 1954, 221 West Sixth
Avenue and 1507 Magnolia Avenue (Map References 5 and 11) built in 1956, and 249 West
Sixth Avenue and 1536 Arcadian Avenue (Map References 3 and 6) built in 1957.
32
5.
October 2004
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
5.1. Summary
There are fifteen properties located in the EMC master plan historical resources study area.
There are no properties within the study area that are currently listed in or eligible for listing in
the NRHP or CRHR and none of the properties evaluated for this report appear to meet the
criteria for listing in the NRHP or CRHR. Thus, in accordance with Section 15064.5 of the
CEQA guidelines, none of the properties within the study area are considered historical resources
for the purposes of CEQA. The following table summarizes the historic evaluations of the
properties within the study area and lists the proposed OHP historical resources status codes.
Table 1: Properties in the study area that are not historical resources under CEQA.
Map Reference
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Property Address
OHP Status Code
1660
Magnolia Avenue
6Z49
120-140 West 6th Avenue
6Z
249
West 6th Avenue
6Z
227
West 6th Avenue
6Z
221
West 6th Avenue
6Z
1536
Arcadian Avenue
6Z
1551
Magnolia Avenue
6Z
1537
Magnolia Avenue
6Z
246
West 5th Avenue
6Z
226
West 5th Avenue
6Z
1507
Magnolia Avenue
6Z
1531
The Esplanade
6Z
229
West 5th Avenue
6Z
227
West 5th Avenue
6Z
225
West 5th Avenue
6Z
Total Survey Population: 15
49
California Office of Historic Preservation, “California Historical Resources Status Codes,” December 8, 2003 lists
6Z as: “Found ineligible for NR, CR, or Local designation through survey evaluation.”
33
October 2004
Details regarding the evaluations of these resources are provided below and on the DPR 523
forms in Appendix A.
5.2. Historic Evaluations
Only two of the fifteen properties located within the EMC master plan historical resources study
area were previously inventoried and evaluated. These two properties are the houses at 1660
Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 1) and 246 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 9), both of
which the Chico Heritage Association surveyed in the early 1980s. At the time, Chico Heritage
concluded that the house at 1660 Magnolia Avenue might become eligible for the NRHP and
that the house at 246 West Fifth Avenue was eligible for local listing, perhaps in anticipation of a
City of Chico historic preservation landmarks ordinance, but not eligible for the NRHP. Neither
of these evaluations were definitive, and the evaluations are also now over twenty years old.
Both houses were re-evaluated as part of this current study. The Northeast Information Center
identified Enloe Hospital at 1531 Esplanade (Map Reference 12) as potentially eligible in its
June 2003 records search of the EMC master plan project area, though the building’s historic
significance had not previously been evaluated.
This section provides information on the criteria used to evaluate the historic significance of
properties within the study area and summarizes the evaluations of those properties.
5.2.1. Evaluation Criteria
JRP used the criteria of the NRHP and the CRHR to evaluate the historic significance of the
properties within the study area. The City of Chico does not have a historic preservation
landmark ordinance to evaluate the historic significance of properties. The eligibility criteria for
listing properties in the NHRP are codified in Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations Part 60 and
explained in guidelines published by the Keeper of the National Register.50 The criteria for
listing properties in the CRHR are in Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(4) of the CEQA Guidelines, which
50
The most widely accepted guidelines are contained in U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service,
“Guidelines for Applying the National Register Criteria for Evaluation,” National Register Bulletin 15 (Washington
DC: U.S. Government Printing, 1991, revised 1995 through 2002).
34
October 2004
provide the criteria from Section 5024.1 of the California Public Resources Code. The CRHR is
in the California Code of Regulations Title 14, Chapter 11.5.
Eligibility for listing in either the NHRP or CRHR rests on twin factors of significance and
integrity. A property must have both significance and integrity to be considered eligible. Loss
of integrity, if sufficiently great, will overwhelm historical significance a property may possess
and render it ineligible. Likewise, a property can have complete integrity, but if it lacks
significance, it must also be considered ineligible.
Historic significance is judged by applying the NRHP and CRHR criteria. The NRHP criteria
are identified as Criteria A through D. The NRHP guidelines states that a historic resource’s
“quality of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture”
be determined by meeting at least one of the four main criteria. Properties may be significant at
the local, state, or national level:
Criterion A: association with “events that have made a significant contribution to
the broad patterns of our history;”
Criterion B: association with “the lives of persons significant in our past;”
Criterion C: resources “that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type,
period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a
master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a
significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack
individual distinction;”
Criterion D: resources “that have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information
important to history or prehistory.”
In general, Criterion D is used to evaluate historic sites and archaeological resources. Although
buildings and structures can occasionally be recognized for the important information they might
yield regarding historic construction or technologies, properties within the study area for this
project are building types that are well documented. Thus, none of the properties in the study
area are themselves principal sources of important information in this regard.
Certain property types are usually excluded from consideration for listing in the NRHP, but can
be considered if they meet special requirements in addition to meeting the regular criteria. The
35
October 2004
following are the seven Criteria Considerations that deal with properties usually excluded from
listing in the National Register: 51
Consideration A:
Consideration B:
Consideration C:
Consideration D:
Consideration E:
Consideration F:
Consideration G:
Religious Properties
Moved Properties
Birthplaces and Graves
Cemeteries
Reconstructed Properties
Commemorative Properties
Properties that have Achieved Significance within the Past Fifty Years
Integrity is determined through applying seven factors to the historic resource. Those factors are
location, design, setting, workmanship, materials, feeling, and association. These seven can be
roughly grouped into three types of integrity considerations. Location and setting relate to the
relationship between the property and its environment. Design, materials, and workmanship, as
they apply to historic buildings, relate to construction methods and architectural details. Feeling
and association are the least objective of the seven criteria, pertaining to the overall ability of the
property to convey a sense of the historical time and place in which it was constructed.
The CRHR criteria closely parallel those of the NRHP. Each resource must be determined to be
significant at the local, state, or national level under one of four criteria (paraphrased below) in
order to be determined eligible:
Criterion 1:
Resources associated with important events that have made a
significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.
Criterion 2: Resources that are associated with the lives of persons important to
our past.
Criterion 3: Resources that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type,
period, or method of construction, or represents the work of a
master.
Criterion 4: Resources that have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information
important in prehistory or history.52
51
USDI, National Park Service, “How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation,” National Register
Bulletin 15, 25, 41-43; USDI, National Park Service, “Guidelines for Evaluating and Nominating Properties that
have Achieved Significance within the Last Fifty Years,” National Register Bulletin No. 22 (Washington, D.C.:
Government Printing Officer, 1979, revised 1990 and 1996).
52
California Public Resources Code, Sections 4850 through 4858; California Office of Historic Preservation,
“Instructions for Nominating Historical Resources to the California Register of Historical Resources,” August 1997.
36
October 2004
As with NRHP Criterion D, none of the properties in the study area appear to be significant
under CRHR Criterion 4 because none of them are principal sources of important information in
this regard. The CRHR definition of integrity and its special considerations for certain properties
are slightly different than those for the NRHP. Integrity is defined as “the authenticity of an
historical resource’s physical identity evidenced by the survival of characteristics that existed
during the resource’s period of significance.” The CRHR further states that eligible resources
must “retain enough of their historic character or appearance to be recognizable as historical
resources and to convey the reasons for their significance” and it lists the same seven aspects of
integrity used for evaluating properties under the NRHP criteria. The CRHR’s special
considerations for certain properties types are limited to: 1) moved buildings, structures, or
objects; 2) historical resources achieving significance within the past fifty years; and 3)
reconstructed buildings.
5.2.2. Evaluation Summaries
JRP evaluated the historic significance of each of the properties in the EMC master plan
historical resources study area and examined whether the properties constituted or contributed to
a potential historic district. In general, the evaluations fall into one of three categories. The first
category includes the hospital itself. This property is historically significant, but it lacks the
historic integrity necessary to convey that significance. The second and third categories
delineate the residences and former residences within the study areas, none of which appear to
have historic significance and nearly half of which also lack historic integrity to their possible
periods of significance. The residences and former residences can also be grouped into two
chronological periods, those from the early twentieth century and those from the mid-twentieth
century, for their historic contexts. The properties within the study area were possibly eligible
under NRHP Criteria A, B, and C as well as CRHR Criteria 1, 2, and 3. As explained none of
the properties within the study area appear to be principal sources of information that would
make them eligible under NRHP Criterion D or CRHR Criterion 4.
Enloe Hospital, now Enloe Medical Center, at 1531 Esplanade (Map Reference 12) is
historically significant under Criteria A / 1 and Criteria B / 2, but it lacks the historic integrity to
convey that significance. Enloe Hospital does not appear to be significant under Criteria C or 3,
as it was a modest example of Spanish Eclectic architecture for its period. Enloe Hospital is
significant under Criteria A / 1 for its association with the broad patterns of local and regional
37
October 2004
history as an important hospital and medical facility significant within the context of the
development of Chico and the Chico region during the mid-twentieth century. Enloe Hospital
was the central hospital in and around Chico. It brought up-to-date medical care to the city and
its surrounding area during the mid-twentieth century, continually seeking to improve its
facilities and services.
Enloe Hospital is also significant under Criteria B and 2 for its association with Dr. Newton
Thomas Enloe, one of the most important and influential physicians in Chico during the first half
of the twentieth century. He was a prominent and noted surgeon during his career, as well as
being a skilled health care administrator. He successfully carried out surgical procedures that
other doctors in Northern California were unable to conduct. He was also highly successful in
bringing improved and modern health care to patients in and around Chico. Construction of
Enloe Hospital on the Esplanade was the culmination of his efforts to improve medical care in
the city and its surrounding region. He is directly associated with the hospital because he was
influential in its construction and deeply involved with its administration until his death (in the
hospital itself) in 1954. The hospital is thus directly associated with the latter part of Enloe’s
productive career.
Based on this historic significance, the property’s possible period of significance would be 1937
to 1954, encompassing its opening and early period of operation up to Enloe’s death.
Nevertheless, Enloe Hospital extensively expanded its facility from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Portions of the building as it appeared in the period 1937 to 1954, including the original building
and 1950 maternity wing, are still extant yet, those portions of the facility have largely been
covered or obscured by subsequent wings and modifications. Therefore, Enloe Hospital lacks
historic integrity of design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and it does
not convey the physical characteristics of its period of significance.
The houses in the study area from the 1910s, 1660 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 1), 140
West Sixth Avenue (Map Reference 2), and 246 West Fifth Avenue, were built during general
residential expansion throughout the city and its surrounding neighborhoods brought on by early
twentieth century industrial development. Although they are among the older properties in the
area, they lack individual importance within the trends and events significant in local, state, or
national history. They also are not associated with important persons that made significant
contributions to local, regional, or national history. Thus, these houses do not appear to be
individually significant under Criteria A /1 and B / 2.
38
October 2004
Architecturally, the houses at 1660 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 1) and 246 West Fifth
Avenue (Map Reference 9) are examples of Bungalow architecture, commonly built in Chico
and across California during this period. They exhibit some Craftsman architectural features
typically used in the higher quality Bungalows, such as the joinery of the porch posts or the large
sculpted window and door surrounds on the house at 246 West Fifth Avenue. The house at 140
West Sixth Avenue is a Colonial Revival style house that retains its hooded front door brackets
and high pitched roof, but is, in general, a modest example of its type, period, and method of
construction. None of these embody distinctive characteristics their period, region, or method of
construction and none appear to be the work of master architects or builders. Thus, none of these
houses appear to be significant under Criteria C or 3. All three of these buildings also have been
greatly modified and their settings highly altered, particularly in the past twenty years. Thus,
they lack historic integrity.
The eleven residential buildings in the study area that date to the mid-twentieth century (built
between 1940 and 1957), lack individual historic significance and many also lack historic
integrity of original design and construction. These houses were built during the general post
war residential expansion that swept through the city and region and were part of infill
construction in the otherwise to the well-established Chico Vecino area. Some of the houses
were built on empty parcels, while others replaced earlier ancillary buildings, such as old stables
or tank houses, associated with now demolished houses. They are not important for their
association with Chico’s development or significant trends and events that would make them
eligible under Criteria A or 1. The buildings are also not associated with persons important to
Chico or California history that would make them eligible under Criteria B or 2. These
properties were home to various middle class residents, some of whom were likely well-known
in the community. None of these inhabitants, however, appear to have made significant
contributions to local, regional, state, or national history. Architecturally, these properties are
modest examples of Minimal Traditional and Ranch style houses, commonly built throughout
Chico and California during this period. These houses do not embody distinctive characteristics
of type, region, period, or method of construction, and none appear to be the work of a master
architect or builder. Thus, these houses do not appear to be significant under Criteria C or 3.
In general, seven of the eleven mid-twentieth century houses in the study area retain good to
excellent historic integrity from their possible period of significance when they were constructed.
These houses, or former houses, are at: 249 West Sixth Avenue (Map Reference 3), 227 West
39
October 2004
Sixth Avenue (Map Reference 4), 1551 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 7), 226 West Fifth
Avenue (Map Reference 10), 229 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 13), 227 West Fifth
Avenue (Map Reference 14), and 225 West Fifth Avenue (Map Reference 15). They retain
many features of their original design, the materials and workmanship of their construction, and
the overall feeling and association of their time and place in Chico history. Although they retain
historic integrity, they do not appear eligible because they lack historic significance. Four
properties in the study area lack both historic significance and historic integrity: 221 West Sixth
Avenue (Map Reference 5), 1536 Arcadian Avenue (Map Reference 6), 1537 Magnolia Avenue
(Map Reference 8), and 1507 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 11). These houses have been
highly modified with new exterior materials, replacement windows, and large additions. They
also are among the properties in the study area that have had the most change to their setting,
with three of the four mostly surrounded by parking lots.
The buildings within the EMC historical resources study area are also not a historic district, nor
are part of a larger potential historic district, under NRHP and CRHR criteria. The buildings
within the study area do not represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components
lack individual distinction (Criterion C or 3) because they do not present a unified group of
resources that conveys a visual sense of the neighborhood as it was during its possible period of
significance from the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth century. Portions of Chico
Vecino may have a concentration of houses and other buildings that could constitute a historic
district, however, JRP did not identify any area of Chico Vecino, including the vicinity that
encompasses the EMC historical resource study area, that had been proposed or evaluated as
such. Collectively the residential buildings within the study area are not important for their
historical associations or for their architectural qualities that would make them significant under
NRHP and/or CRHR criteria. The houses represent common development patterns in Chico
consisting of modest mid-twentieth century houses infilled between early twentieth century
houses. Together, these buildings do not appear to be important for their association with Chico
Vecino’s development during the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth century, nor for their
association with important historical persons that lived and/or worked in this area during that
period (Criterion A/1 and B/2). The residences also do not present an identifiable entity that
embodies distinctive characteristics of type, period, and method of construction, or as the works
of master architects or builders (Criterion C/3). Furthermore, the EMC historical resources study
area lacks integrity of setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Not
only do many of the individual buildings lack historic integrity to their possible periods of
significance, including Enloe Hospital, the neighborhood as a whole also lacks integrity of
40
October 2004
landscape features that historically contributed to its setting. There does not appear to be,
therefore, a concentration of known or possible historical resources in this area of Chico Vecino
that meet the criteria as a historic district. If a historic district was proposed in an area adjacent
to the EMC historical resources study area, it is unlikely that any of the buildings within the
study area could be included as contributors not only because of their lack historic significance,
but also because, in many cases, of their lack of individual historic integrity as well as because of
the general lack of historic integrity in the area surrounding EMC.
41
6.
October 2004
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Published Sources
Beck, Warren A. and Ynez D. Hasse. Historical Atlas of California. Norman: University of
Oklahoma Press, 1974.
Chico City Directories. Monterey Park, CA: R.L. Polk & Co. Various years, 1909-1963.
City of Chico, Chamber of Commerce. “Chico, Butte County, California.” Spring 1903.
Clarke, Sylvia Storla. “Hospital Paths from the Papaw Patch.” Butte Remembers. Butte County:
Butte County Branch, The National League of American Pen Women, 1973.
Department of Parks and Recreation. California Inventory of Historic Resources. March 1976.
Durham, David. California’s Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of
the State. Clovis: Quill Driver Books/Word Dancer Press, 1998.
Gebhard, David, Eric Sandweiss, and Robert Winter. Architecture In San Francisco and
Northern California. Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1985.
Gilbert Hill, Maud. “Esplanade 1943,” Butte Remembers. Butte County Branch, The National
League of American Pen Women, 1973.
Ginn, J.M. History of the State of California and Biographical Record of Sacramento Valley.
Chicago: Chapman, 1906.
Goni, Mary Compton. Mary Remembers. Chico: M.C. Goni, 1990.
Hood, William H. Physicians of Butte County California, 1850-1900. Chico: W. H. Hood,
1980.
Jackson, Kenneth T. Crabgass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1985.
Lewis, Donovan. Pioneers of California. San Francisco: Scottwall Associates, 1993.
Mansfield, George C. History of Butte County. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1918.
May, Cliff. Western Ranch Houses, 1958. Santa Monica: Hennessey and Ingalls, 1997.
McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
1984.
42
October 2004
McGie, Joseph. History of Butte County. Volume Two. Oroville: Butte County Board of
Education, 1982.
N.T. Enloe Memorial Hospital. “60 Years of Healing.” Annual Report Souvenir, 1973.
Office of Historic Preservation, California Historical Landmarks. Sacramento: California State
Parks, 1996.
Office of Historic Preservation, California Points of Historical Interest. Sacramento: California
State Parks, May 1992.
Reproduction of Wells’ and Chambers’ History of Butte County, 1882 and Biographical
Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Berkeley: Howell-North Books, 1973.
Riddell, Francis A. “Maidu and Konkow.” Handbook of North American Indians Volume 8.
Robert F. Heizer, editor Volume 8. William C. Sturtevant, general editor. Washington,
D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1978.
Ripples Along Chico Creek: Perspectives on People and Times. Chico: Butte County Branch,
National League of American Pen Women, 1992.
Sapper, Vernon J. “Street Car Lines,” Sacramento Northern: Interurbans Special 26. 20:2 Los
Angeles: 1962.
Talbitzer, Bill. Butte County, An Illustrated History. Northridge, CA: Windsor Publications,
Inc., 1987.
Treib, Marc. “William Wilson Wurster: The Feeling of Function,” in Everyday Modernism: The
Houses of William Wurster. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995.
U.S. Department of the Interior. National Park Service, “Guidelines for Applying the National
Register Criteria for Evaluation.” National Register Bulletin 15. Washington D.C.: U.S.
Government Printing Office, 1991, revised 2002.
U.S. Department of the Interior. National Park Service. “Historic Residential Suburbs:
Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for the National Register of Historic
Places.” National Register Bulletin. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing
Office, 2002.
Maps
Batham and Batham. Map of Chico and Vicinity. 1967.
43
October 2004
McCoy, B. L. Official Map of Butte County, California. Compiled and drawn from Official
Records and Actual Surveys by B. L. McCoy, County Surveyor. San Francisco: Britton
& Rey, 1901.
Polk, M. C. Official Map of Butte County, California. Oroville, California. 1913.
Polk and Batham. Map of Chico and Vicinity. 1951
Chico Vecino Subdivision Map. Meriam Library, California State University, Chico, Special
Collections. 1888 edition.
Sanborn Map Company. Chico, Butte County, California. 1902 edition.
_________. Chico, Butte County, California. 1909 edition.
USGS. 7.5 minute topographic series. Chico Quadrangle. 1948.
Newspapers / Journals
California Highways and Public Works
Chico Enterprise-Record
Diggin’s
Sacramento Bee
Personal Communications
Gallardo, John, Chico Heritage Association, personal communications with Christopher
McMorris, JRP Historical Consulting, July 20, 2004.
Unpublished Sources
Butte County Assessor Records (Chico Branch).
44
October 2004
California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 11.5, “California Register of Historical
Resources,” effective January 1, 1993.
Chico Heritage Association. “Chico Historic Resource Survey”. 1983.
City of Chico. Building Permits. Community Development Department.
Enloe Medical Center. Plant Operations Escrow Files and Building Maintenance Records.
Hodges, Gerald. “The Development of Enloe Hospitals, 1902-1937.” Chico State College, 1958.
Johnson, Warren L. “Pleasant Valley: The Growth of an Unincorporated Fringe of Chico,
California.” Thesis, Chico State College, July 1968.
Michelson, Alan Richard. “Towards a Regional Synthesis: The Suburban and Country
Residences of William Wilson Wurster, 1922-1964.” Ph.D. Diss. Stanford University,
1993.
Office of Historic Preservation. Directory of Properties in the Historic Property Data File for
Butte County, April 2004.
United States, Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Butte County. 1920.
Online Sources
California State University, Chico Meriam Library Special Collections, photo collection website:
http://www.csuchico.edu/lbib/spc/iepages/home.html
Caltrans California Historic Bridge Inventory, online database:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/structur/strmaint/historic.htm
National Park Service, National Register Information System, online database:
http://www.nr.nps.gov/
45
7.
October 2004
PREPARER’S QUALIFICATIONS
JRP partner Meta Bunse (MA in History – Public History, California State University,
Sacramento) was the project manager and provided general direction for the preparation of this
report. Ms. Bunse has more than fourteen years experience working as a consulting historian on
a wide variety of historical research and cultural resource management projects as a researcher,
author, and project manager. Based on her level of education and experience, Ms. Bunse qualify
as historian/architectural historian under the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification
Standards (as defined in 36 CFR Part 61).
Senior Architectural Historian Christopher McMorris (MS in Historic Preservation, Columbia
University) conducted this project’s fieldwork, research, historic evaluations, and report
preparation. Mr. McMorris has been with JRP since 1998 and based on his education and
experiences also qualifies as a historian/architectural historian under the Secretary of the
Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards (as defined in 36 CFR Part 61).
Research Assistant Cindy Toffelmier (MA Candidate in History – Public History, California
State University, Sacramento) assisted with field recordation, research, preparation of the report,
and form preparation / site evaluations. She joined the staff of JRP in 2002.
Brandon J. DeLallo, Rebecca Flores, and Travis Kennedy assisted with the graphics and report
production for this report.
46
APPENDIX A:
DPR 523 Forms
State of California – The Resources Agency
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Review Code __________ Reviewer ____________________________ Date ___________
Page 1 of
7
*Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder)
P1. Other Identifier: Hospital
Map Reference 1
services
*P2. Location:
Not for Publication ⌧ Unrestricted
and (P2b and P2c or P2d. Attach a Location Map as necessary.)
*a. County
Butte
Chico Date 1948, photorevised 1978 T___; R ___; ___ ¼ of Sec ___; _____ B.M.
1660 Magnolia Avenue City Chico Zip 95926
(give more than one for large and/or linear resources) Zone _____;
______________mE/ _____________mN
*b. USGS 7.5’ Quad
c. Address
d. UTM:
e. Other Locational Data: (e.g., parcel #, directions to resource, elevation, etc., as appropriate)
Assessor Parcel Number: 003-022-001
*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries)
The former house at 1660 Magnolia Avenue is a 4,300 square foot, 1½-story, wood frame building on a raised
concrete foundation with a basement (Photograph 1). The building has had several additions that modified the
original footprint and architectural details that contributed to its design as a Bungalow style single family
residence. The cross-gable roof has a prominent front facing gable with wide eaves. The front gable peak has a
horizontal aluminum sliding window over a wood shelf. Wood shingles clad exterior walls. Wide concrete steps
with solid brick railings lead to a recessed porch, which extends the length of the façade and wraps around the
north corner. The porch also has four pairs of double capped square posts along the façade. (See Continuation
Sheet.)
*P3b. Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes) (HP2) Single family residence
*P4. Resources Present:
⌧ Building
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
Other (Isolates, etc.)
P5b. Description of Photo: (View, date,
Photograph 1, camera
facing southeast, July 15, 2004.
accession #)
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources:
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
circa 1910 / Butte County Assessor’s
Records
*P7. Owner and Address:
Enloe Medical Center
1531 Esplanade
*P8. Recorded by: (Name, affiliation, address)
Chris McMorris / Cindy Toffelmier
1490 Drew Ave, Suite 110
Davis, CA 95616
*P9. Date Recorded: July 15, 2004
*P10. Survey Type: (Describe) Intensive
JRP Historical Consulting, "Historical Resources
Inventory and Evaluation Report for the Enloe Medical Center Master Plan and Expansion of Facilities Environmental
Impact Report, City of Chico, Butte County, California."
*P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter “none.”)
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
Sketch Map ⌧ Continuation Sheet ⌧ Building, Structure, and Object Record
Archaeological Record
District Record
Linear Feature Record
Milling Station Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
*Required Information
BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD
Page 2 of
7
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
*NRHP Status Code
6
B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
Louis Roper House
Single family residence
Architectural Style: Bungalow
B3. Original Use:
*B5.
Map Reference 1
B4. Present Use:
Hospital services
Built circa 1910, façade window replaced, original
garage demolished, and north side dormer extension constructed 1971; north and east stairs constructed 1986
*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alteration, and date of alterations)
Yes
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
*B8. Related Features:
B9. Architect:
unknown
Unknown
Date:
Original Location:
A. T. Kerr
n/a
Area
n/a
n/a
Property Type
b. Builder:
*B10. Significance: Theme
Period of Significance
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
(Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity.)
The building at 1660 Magnolia Avenue does not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the National Register of
Historic Places (NRHP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR). Thus, it does not appear to be
a historical resource for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The building is not
significant under Criterion A and 1 because it is not important within the development of Chico or Chico Vecino.
The building is not associated with any important historical person that would make it significant under Criterion
B and 2. The building does not embody distinctive characteristics of type, period, or method of construction that
would make it significant under Criterion C and 3, nor is it an important work of a master architect or builder.
The building is also not significant under Criterion D and 4 as it has not yielded, nor will likely yield, important
information for history. In addition, the building does not retains historic integrity from when it was constructed
around 1910 as there have been numerous changes to both the building and the surrounding setting. The building
has been evaluated in accordance with Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the CEQA Guidelines outlined in Section
5024.1 of the California Public Resources Code, and does not appear to meet the significance criteria as outlined
in these guidelines. (See Continuation Sheet.)
B11. Additional Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes)
*B12. References:
See footnotes.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
Christopher McMorris
*Date of Evaluation:
August 2004
(This space reserved for official comments.)
DPR 523B (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 3 of 7
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
C. McMorris / C. Toffelmier
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 1
Update
P3a. Description (continued):
Long rectangular, divided light windows flank the off-center multi-light glass front door. Two wide windows
repeat the multi-light, craftsman styling to either side of the door. Additional windows along the other sides are a
mix of original double hung sashes as well as replacement vinyl vertical sliding windows and horizontal
aluminum sliding windows.
A shed roof covers a second story addition to the north side, which is accessed by exterior wood stairs with wood
post railings (visible at the right side of Photograph 2). A single-story addition to the south side of the house has
a flat roof and aluminum sliding bay window on the south wall next to a door accessed by a concrete ramp.
Concrete steps leading to the basement are on the building’s west side where there are also metal stairs leading to
the entry of a second floor addition with a flat roof. (Photograph 3). Parking lots surround the building on the
east and south sides. Flood lights attached to the house help illuminate the surrounding parking
B10. Significance (continued):
Historic Context
The building at 1660 Magnolia Avenue is located in the Chico Vecino area of Chico on land that was part of
“Rancho del Arroyo Chico” purchased by John Bidwell in 1849. Bidwell, the central figure in nineteenth century
development of Chico, subdivided Chico Vecino in 1888 as the town developed following its establishment in
1860 and incorporation in 1872. Crucial to the city’s growth was the development of various forms of
transportation to and from Chico, such as nineteenth century wagon roads, stage lines, steamship lines, railroad
lines, and twentieth century paved roadways and interurban trains. This successful development influenced the
placement of Chico State Normal School (now California State University, Chico) in the city in 1888, for
example. Bidwell with his wife, Annie, were interested in community development and set aside areas in Chico
Vecino and elsewhere for public use, which over time included the central city plaza, churches, schools, the city
cemetery, and Bidwell Park. Chico’s growth slowed during the 1890s as the city suffered under the economic
depression that was affecting the entire state. This economic slump largely ended for Chico in 1903 when the
Diamond Match Company located a new plant on 300 acres just south of Chico. The company employed 2,500
workers within a few years, which created a housing shortage in the city and prompted an increase of new
residential building and creation of subdivisions on the surrounding land. The arrival of the Diamond Match
Company spurred enormous development in Chico from the early to mid-twentieth century and the city annexed
large areas and constructed many important public improvements during this time.1
Bidwell was the first large landholder in Chico to subdivide his land and he laid out the Chico Vecino (translated
Chico neighborhood) subdivision north of town and between Big Chico Creek and Sandy Gulch (now Lindo
1
Bill Talbitzer, Butte County, An Illustrated History (Northridge, CA: Windsor Publications, Inc., 1987), 20, 68; George C. Mansfield,
History of Butte County (Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1918), 135, 242, 264, 291, 317, and 362; Reproduction of Wells’ and
Chambers’ History of Butte County, 1882 and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers (Berkeley: Howell-North
Books, 1973), 222-223, 228, 242, 289; Warren L. Johnson, “Pleasant Valley: The Growth of an Unincorporated Fringe of Chico,
California,” thesis, Chico State College, July 1968, 17-28.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 4 of 7
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 1
Update
Creek). Chico Vecino was laid out in eight lot blocks with spacious lots around “the Esplanade,” the north
extension of Chico’s Main Street. Although properties sold quickly at first, the subdivision remained sparsely
populated during the 1890s and early 1900s.2 Both prominent and middle class residents built houses in Chico
Vecino during the 1900s and 1910s, when the house that is the subject of this form was built. These mostly small
to moderately sized one story houses were built among the larger late nineteenth century homes and represented
the shifting architectural styles of the period from Queen Anne and Italianate to Classical Revival, Colonial
Revival, and Bungalow.3 Chico Vecino became a mix of suburban-style residences and semi-rural properties over
the years after the house was built, particularly to the west of the Esplanade where many houses had water tanks
and stables, and encompassed whole blocks. There were also orchards located north and west of Sixth and
Arcadian avenues well into the mid-twentieth century. John W. Roper’s nineteenth century house and rural
outbuildings, for example, sat on an entire block at the northwest corner of Magnolia Avenue and Sixth Avenue
across Magnolia Avenue from where his son built the suburban style house at 1660 Magnolia Avenue.
Like working and middle-class residents in cities across the state, many Chico residents built Bungalow houses
during this period, many of which were likely constructed from catalog or manufactured house-building kits.
Bungalows developed from the nineteenth century small house / cottage tradition and were a popular choice for
small house design throughout California, simple yet well built, with artistic flare imitating the high-style
Craftsman houses designed by Pasadena architects Greene & Greene, or those emulating the ideals promoted by
Gustav Stickley. Bungalows are commonly seen in residential suburbs in most urban areas in California, with a
variety of forms, finishes, and decorative elements. Companies such as Aladdin Homes, Wilson Bungalows,
Montgomery Ward, Sears and Roebuck, and Pacific Ready-Cut mass-marketed these small kit houses in catalogs
throughout the country, making the Bungalow a common and easily accessible choice for the working and middle
classes.
The house at 1660 Magnolia Avenue was typical construction for the time. The house was built for Louis
Westacott Roper and his wife, Isabelle, by Isabelle’s father, A. T. Kerr around 1910. Born in Chico in 1887,
Roper and his father, John W. Roper, were associated with the grain and commission business in Chico. John W.
Roper was also another Chico Vecino resident. Louis Roper also managed the Butte Meadows Hotel, a popular
mountain resort for several years. Louis Roper’s premature death in April of 1925 caused the property to be sold.4
The need for access to city services during the early years of the 1900s prompted Chico Vecino, along with other
outlaying subdivisions, to seek annexation into the city. The City of Chico annexed Chico Vecino in 1918, which
increased demand for nearby goods and services leading to the construction of commercial and institutional
properties along or near the Esplanade. Enloe Hospital was first established on the Esplanade between Fifth and
Sixth Avenues in 1937, becoming one of the most prominent institutional properties in Chico Vecino.5
Residential construction but slowed during the Depression, recovering during the late 1930s in the period leading
2
Ripples Along Chico Creek: Perspectives on People and Times (Chico: Butte County Branch, National League of American Pen
Women, 1992), 59; Sanborn Map Company, Chico, Butte County, California, Fire Insurance Maps, 1902 and 1909.
3
Sanborn Insurance Maps, Chico, 1902, 1909, and 1921. Photos of houses in Chico Vecino can be found online at California State
University, Chico Meriam Library Special Collections website at: http://cricket.csuchico.edu/spcfotos/photos2.html. The collection of
Crew family photos, for example, donated by Cliff Sanborn shows the Crew home on the Esplanade and the surrounding area during the
1890s.
4
Historic Resources Inventory, Louis Roper House, “Death Summons Louis W. Roper; End is Sudden,” Chico Record (April 5, 1925);
Chico City Directories, 1905-1926; United States Federal Population Schedules, Butte County, 1900-1930.
5
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 5 of 7
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
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Update
up to World War II. After World War II, Chico and the surrounding vicinity grew quickly during the post-war
boom. Vacant parcels in Chico Vecino were increasingly infilled with Minimal Traditional and Ranch style
houses in the late 1940s and 1950s. The area surrounding Enloe Hospital lost its residual rural qualities during
this period as smaller houses were built to replace outbuilding that belonged to the old larger houses. Chico
Vecino also changed as the north end of the Esplanade in became increasingly more commercial and Enloe
Hospital expanded its facilities in the post war period. The hospital not only expanded, but also built and used
various separate service buildings at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Magnolia Avenue west of the main hospital. 6
The neighborhood immediately around Enloe hospital continued to evolve in the latter part of the twentieth
century as property owners modified their early to mid-twentieth century houses and the Enloe organization
purchased neighborhood houses for conversion to office space or to demolish them for parking lots. While Chico
Vecino, also referred to as “the Avenues,” and the area around Enloe Hospital continued to be home to single
family houses, many area residences became rental properties, some of which were inhabited by college students
attending California State University, Chico. Daniel Knot purchased the house at 1660 Magnolia Avenue in the
late 1920s and resided with his wife, Roxanne, at the property until 1963. Daniel was the manager of Walker’s
Billard Parlor until the 1950s when he became the proprietor of Dan Knott’s, a local restaurant. In the 1960s, the
house had several occupants including a college fraternity and Noel Jones, a teacher at Orland High School.
George Selko purchased the property in the late 1960s and in 1971, new owner Louis Root remodeled the house to
accommodate six college student renters. Root demolished the old garage for more parking and had the large side
dormer extension and new front window built at the second floor of the house. Root later built the one story
extension of the south side of the house.7
Enloe Hospital purchased the house in 1985 and converted it to hospital office use, first as the Stress and Health
Department. It now houses hospital services. The building underwent additional changes during this period,
adding the north and east stairways in 1986. In 2001, the Enloe organization remodeled the interior and installed
a new window on the west façade. 8
Historic Evaluation
As stated, the house at 1660 Magnolia Avenue does not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the NRHP or the
CRHR. The house does not appear to be significant for its historical associations, nor its architectural qualities.
The house does not appear to be significant under Criterion A or 1 because it is not important within the context
of the development of Chico Vecino. The house was built during the general residential expansion of Chico
brought on by early twentieth century industrial development. Although the house is among the older properties
in the area, it lacks individual importance within the trends and events significant in local, state, or national
history. The house is not associated with persons important to Chico or California history that would make the
building eligible under Criterion B or 2. Louis Roper was a Chico native and likely well-known as a local
6
Mary Compton Goni, Mary Remembers (Chico: M.C. Goni, 1990), 178; Mulcahy, “Chico Esplanade, An Example of Early Day Outer
Highway, ” 11-13; Sanborn Insurance Maps, 1921-1949.
7
Chico City Directories, 1926-1970; City of Chico Building Permit Files, 1660 Magnolia Avenue; Butte County Assessor’s Records,
APN #003-022-001; Sanborn Insurance Maps, Chico, 1902, 1909, 1921, 1949, revised to 1961; USGS Quadrangle, Chico, 1948; United
States Federal Population Schedules, Chico, Butte County, California, 1920.
8
Enloe Medical Center Plant Operation Building Files, 1660 Magnolia Avenue.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 6 of 7
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
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Update
businessman, but he does not appear to have made significant contributions to local, state, or national history.
Subsequent owners and residents also lack historical significance.
Under Criterion C or 3, the building would have to embody distinctive characteristics of type, period, or method
of construction, or be an important work of a master builder. The building is an example of a Bungalow, a
building type commonly represented throughout residential suburbs and urban areas of California during this
period, and is not the work of a master architect or builder. In addition, the building is also not significant under
Criterion D or 4 as it has not yielded, nor will likely yield, important information for history. The house at 1660
Magnolia Avenue also does not appear to be in an area that could constitute a historic district. Although there are
other houses from the early twentieth century in the vicinity, there does not appear to be a sufficient concentration
of buildings that could be considered historic and there are many mid to late twentieth century buildings and
structures in this portion of Chico Vecino.
Furthermore, the building does not retain historic integrity from its possible period of significance in the 1910s
and 1920s during Chico Vecino’s early twentieth century development and when Louis Roper lived in the house.
As discussed, there have been numerous changes to both the building and the surrounding setting. Particularly
since the 1960s, the neighborhood has developed and changed in character as infill between originally widely
spaced residences brought a mix of architectural styles and periods of housing. In addition, integrity of setting
was further compromised by the addition of surrounding parking lots that replaced original outbuildings. The
building’s historic integrity has been substantially diminished by structural changes, such as the addition of the
large dormer extension, exterior stairways, and replaced windows.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 7 of 7
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
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Update
Photographs (continued):
Photograph 2. Camera facing southwest, July 15, 2004.
Photograph 3. Camera facing west, July 15, 2004.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
8
Map Reference 2
Education Center
*P2. Location:
*a. County
Butte
120-140 West Sixth Avenue City Chico Zip 95926
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
The two buildings on Assessor Parcel Number 003-022-007, 120 and 140 West Sixth Avenue, are recorded on
this form. The building at the 140 address, which is currently the Enloe Hospital Education Center, is a 2,311
square foot, two-story, wood frame building on a raised concrete foundation with a basement (Photograph 1).
Originally rectangular in plan, there are two extensions on the north side; an enclosed rear entry porch and a crossgabled projection on the northwest corner (Photograph 2). The Colonial Revival style former residence is
covered by a steeply pitched, side gable roof with narrow boxed eaves and sheathed with wood shingles. Gable
peaks have elongated wood vents and are sheathed with vertical wood panels. (See Continuation Sheet.)
⌧ Building
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
accession #) Photograph 1, camera
facing Northwest, July 15, 2004
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
1918 / Chico City Directories
1531 Esplanade
Davis, CA 95616
*P9. Date Recorded:
July 15, 2004
Intensive
*P10. Survey Type: (Describe)
Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter “none.”) JRP Historical Consulting, "Historical Resources
*P11.
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
Page 2 of
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
8
6
(Assigned by recorder) Map Reference 2
*NRHP Status Code
*Resource Name or #
Bevins House
Hospital Education Center
B3. Original Use: Single family residence B4. Present Use: Hospital Education Center
*B5. Architectural Style: Colonial Revival
th
*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alteration, and date of alterations) 140 W. 6 Ave. built 1918; remodeled 1930;
parking lot added 1980; reroofed 1981; oxygen tank added 1986; and 120 W. 6th Ave. built 1993
B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
Yes
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
B9. Architect:
unknown b.
Unknown
Builder:
Date:
Original Location:
unknown
n/a
Area
n/a
n/a
Property Type
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
The buildings at 120 and 140 West Sixth Avenue do not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the National
Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR). Thus, they do not
appear to be historical resources for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The
buildings are not significant under Criterion A and 1 because they are not important within the development of
Chico or Chico Vecino. The building are not associated with any important historical person that would make it
significant under Criterion B and 2. The buildings do not embody distinctive characteristics of type, period, or
method of construction that would make they significant under Criterion C and 3, nor are they important works of
a master architect or builder. The buildings are also not significant under Criterion D and 4 as they have not
yielded, nor will likely yield, important information for history. In addition, the building at the 140 address does
not retain historic integrity. The building has been evaluated in accordance with Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the
CEQA Guidelines outlined in Section 5024.1 of the California Public Resources Code, and does not appear to
meet the significance criteria as outlined in these guidelines. (See Continuation Sheet.)
*B12. References:
See footnotes.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
DPR 523B (1/95)
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HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
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*Recorded by
____________________________________________
Chris McMorris / Cindy Toffelmier *Date July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 2
Update
Two dormers, a shed dormer centered on the south slope and a gabled dormer centered on the north slope,
decorate the roof and a brick chimney is located on the roof’s south slope. The building exterior is clad in narrow
board lap siding. A concrete ramp and concrete steps lead to the asymmetrical façade that features a 15-light
front door surrounded by decorate moldings and fanlight. The front door has an arched pediment supported by a
paired brackets. Wide wood casing surround a pair of windows, each with two fixed center panes flanked by
replacement vertical sliding windows, located west of the door. Double hung windows in a two-over-two
formation wrap around a single-story enclosed porch on the east end of the building. The porch is covered by a
flat roof enclosed with a half wall to form a rooftop deck accessed by a pair of doors in the east gable end.
Concrete stairs lead to the single story enclosed north entry that is covered with a wood shingled deck roof. Fixed
pane windows flank the double glass door entry. Additional building windows are a mix of casement, double
hung, and fixed sashes.
Metal wire fencing with redwood slats and concrete brick walls form an enclosure for oxygen tanking located
west of the building (Photograph 3). Metal wire gates and fencing and with redwood slats enclose a pipe and
wood frame structure with a pyramidal metal channel roof located west of the building (Photograph 4). Both
were built in the late 1980s.
Enloe Medical Center built the second building on the property at 120 West Sixth Avenue in 1993. It is used as a
MRI facility. It is a steel frame single-story stucco panel clad building on a concrete foundation with a flat roof
surrounded by a parapet (Photograph 5). An awning covered single entry door is located on the southeast corner
and metal frame, transom-topped single and paired windows are located on the south side.
A large parking area added in 1980 abuts both buildings on the north side.
Historic Context
The buildings at 120 and 140 West Sixth Avenue are located in the Chico Vecino area of Chico on land that was
part of “Rancho del Arroyo Chico” purchased by John Bidwell in 1849. Bidwell, the central figure in nineteenth
century development of Chico, subdivided Chico Vecino in 1888 as the town developed following its
establishment in 1860 and incorporation in 1872. Chico’s growth slowed during the 1890s as the city suffered
under the economic depression that was affecting the entire state. This economic slump largely ended for Chico
in 1903 when the Diamond Match Company located a new plant on 300 acres just south of Chico. The company
employed 2,500 workers within a few years, which created a housing shortage in the city and prompted an
increase of new residential building and creation of subdivisions on the surrounding land. The arrival of the
Diamond Match Company continued to spur enormous development in Chico from the early to mid-twentieth
century and the city annexed large areas and constructed many important public improvements during this time.1
1
History of Butte County (Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1918), 135, 242, 264, 291, 317, and 362; Reproduction of Wells’ and
DPR 523L (1/95)
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HRI # ________________________________________
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Continuation
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John Bidwell was the first large landholder in Chico to subdivide his land and he laid out the Chico Vecino
(translated Chico neighborhood) subdivision north of town and between Big Chico Creek and Sandy Gulch (now
Lindo Creek). Chico Vecino was laid out in eight lot blocks with spacious lots around “the Esplanade,” the north
extension of Chico’s Main Street. Although properties sold quickly at first, the subdivision remained sparsely
Vecino during the 1900s and 1910s, when the house that is the subject of this form was built. These mostly small
to moderately sized one story houses were built among the larger late nineteenth century homes and represented
the shifting architectural styles of the period from Queen Anne and Italianate to Classical Revival, Bungalow, and
Colonial Revival, like the house at 140 West Sixth Avenue. Chico Vecino became a mix of suburban-style
residences and semi-rural properties over the years after the house was built, particularly to the west of the
Esplanade where many houses had water tanks and stables, and encompassed whole blocks. There were also
orchards located north and west of Sixth and Arcadian avenues well into the mid-twentieth century.3
Colonial Revival style architecture emerged in the late nineteenth century following the celebrations surrounding
the nation’s centennial. As the architectural tastes shifted away from the ornate decoration of what are now
referred to as High Victorian styles, such as Queen Anne, architects began employing classical design elements
more refinely and reviving the architecture of America’s colonial period. In the early twentieth century, middle
class examples of East Coast inspired colonial revival architecture depicted more accurate and simpler designs
that had been previously used. This lead to the construction of many side gable symmetrical houses with
horizontal wood siding and ornamentation focused around front doors, such as was built at 140 West Sixth
Avenue in 1918, that included elements imitating eighteenth century Adamesque and Georgian stylistic features.4
The need for access to city services during the early years of the 1900s prompted Chico Vecino residents, along
with those of other outlaying subdivisions, to seek annexation into the city. The City of Chico annexed Chico
Vecino in 1918, which increased demand for nearby goods and services leading to the construction of commercial
and institutional properties along or near the Esplanade. Enloe Hospital was first established on the Esplanade
between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in 1937, becoming one of the most prominent institutional properties in Chico
Vecino.5 Residential construction but slowed during the Depression, recovering during the late 1930s in the
period leading up to World War II. After World War II, Chico and the surrounding vicinity grew quickly during
the post-war boom. Vacant parcels in Chico Vecino were increasingly infilled with Minimal Traditional and
Ranch style houses in the late 1940s and 1950s. The area surrounding Enloe Hospital lost its residual rural
qualities during this period as smaller houses were built on vacant parcel or parcels once inhabited by outbuilding
Books, 1973), 222-223, 228, 242, 289; and Warren L. Johnson, “Pleasant Valley: The Growth of an Unincorporated Fringe of Chico,
California,” thesis, Chico State College, July 1968, 17-28.
2
Women, 1992), 59; and Sanborn Map Company, Chico, Butte County, California, Fire Insurance Maps, 1902 and 1909.
3
1890s.
4
Lee and Virginia McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1984), 321-341; and David
Gebhard, Eric Sandweiss, and Robert Winter, Architecture In San Francisco and Northern California (Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith
Publisher, 1985), 564.
5
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belonging to the old larger houses. Chico Vecino also changed as the north end of the Esplanade in became
increasingly more commercial and Enloe Hospital expanded its facilities in the post war period. The hospital not
only expanded between the 1950s and 1980s, but also built and used various separate service buildings at the
corner of Fifth Avenue and Magnolia Avenue west of the main hospital that are now demolished. 6
The neighborhood immediately around Enloe hospital continued to evolve in the latter part of the twentieth
century as property owners modified their early to mid-twentieth century houses and the Enloe organization
purchased neighborhood houses for conversion to hospital uses or to demolish them for parking lots. While Chico
Vecino, also referred to as “the Avenues,” and the area around Enloe Hospital continued to be home to single
family houses, many area residences became rental properties, some of which were inhabited by college students
attending California State University, Chico.
Early residents of 140 West Sixth Avenue were R. J. Hamilton who lived at the address in 1918 and W. F. Wight,
a horticulturalist, who resided there in 1921. Earle Bevins purchased the house in the early 1920s and lived there
with his wife, Ora, who died in 1954. Bevins, the manager of the J. C. Penney Company store in Chico, was an
active community member, serving on the City Council for ten years and as Chico’s mayor for a six year term in
the 1940s. Bevins also belonged to numerous service clubs. Bevins sold the property to Enloe Hospital in June
1979. He died in Chico in 1980 at the age of 92.7
Enloe Hospital converted the house to use as the Stress and Health Department. The hospital added several
structures around the house during the 1980s and 1990s including parking lots in 1980, an oxygen line from the
hospital and the oxygen tank on the west side of the house in 1986, a concrete pad with roof structure to cover a
sterilizer and compactor on the east side of the building in 1988. The hospital constructed the 120 West Sixth
Avenue building in 1993 to house their new MRI facility. The hospital added the wheelchair ramp to the front of
the former house in 1994.8
Historic Evaluation
As stated, the buildings at 120 and 140 West Sixth Avenue do not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the
NRHP or the CRHR. The building at 120 does not appear to meet the criteria because of a 1993 construction
date. The former house at 140 West Sixth Avenue does not appear to be significant for its historical associations,
nor its architectural qualities. The house does not appear to be significant under Criterion A or 1 because it is not
important within the context of the development of Chico Vecino. The house was built during the general
residential expansion of Chico brought on by early twentieth century industrial development. Although the house
is among the older properties in the area, it lacks individual importance within the trends and events significant in
local, state, or national history. The house is not associated with persons important to Chico or California history
that would make the building eligible under Criterion B or 2. Earle Bevins was a longtime member of the Chico
community and likely well-known, but he does not appear to have made significant contributions to local, state, or
national history.
6
Highway, ” 11-13; and Sanborn Insurance Maps, 1921-1949.
7
Chico City Directories, 1909-1968; and “Monday Rites for Ex-Mayor Bevins,” Chico Enterprise Record, October 24, 1980, 4A.
8
Enloe Medical Center Plant Operation Building Files, 140 West Sixth Avenue; and City of Chico Building Permit Files, 140 West Sixth
Avenue; Butte County Assessor’s Records, APN 003-022-007 .
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 6 of
8
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
Continuation
Map Reference 2
Update
Under Criterion C or 3, the building is a modest example of a Colonial Revival, a building type commonly
represented throughout residential suburbs and urban areas of California during this period and does not embody
distinctive characteristics of type, period, or method of construction, or be an important work of a master architect
or builder. In addition, the building is also not significant under Criterion D or 4 as it has not yielded, nor will
likely yield, important information for history. The house at 140 West Sixth Avenue also does not appear to be
within the boundaries of an area that could constitute a historic district. Although there are other houses from the
early twentieth century in the vicinity, there does not appear to be a sufficient concentration of buildings that
could be considered historic and there are many mid to late twentieth century buildings and structures in this
portion of Chico Vecino.
Furthermore, the building does not retain historic integrity from its possible period of significance in the 1910s
and 1920s during Chico Vecino’s early twentieth century development. As discussed, there have been numerous
changes to both the building and the surrounding setting, particularly since the 1960s. The neighborhood has
developed and changed in character as infill between originally widely spaced residences, including the building
at the 120 West Sixth Avenue address, brought a mix of architectural styles and periods of housing. In addition,
integrity of setting was further compromised by the addition of surrounding parking lots, the oxygen tank, and
sterilizer / compactor building. The building’s historic integrity has been substantially diminished by structural
changes, such as the addition of the large dormer extension, exterior stairways, replaced windows, and the
wheelchair ramp addition.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 7 of
8
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
Continuation
Map Reference 2
Update
Photograph 3. Camera facing northwest, July 15, 2004.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 8 of
8
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
Continuation
Map Reference 2
Update
Photograph 4. Camera facing south, July 15, 2004.
Photograph 5. Camera facing north, July 15, 2004.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
5
Map Reference 3
P1. Other Identifier:
*P2. Location:
*a. County
Butte
249 West Sixth Avenue City Chico Zip 95926
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
The building at 249 West Sixth Avenue is a 1,838 square foot, one-story wood frame building sitting on a raised
concrete foundation (Photograph 1). The former Ranch style residence has an L-shaped plan and is covered by a
side gable roof with a cross-gable extension on the south side. The roof is sheathed with wood shake shingles and
has wide, boxed eaves. A brick chimney rises from the roof’s south slope. An attached, two-car garage on the
east end has been converted to office space and a single personnel door provides interior access. The building
façade is decorated with brick veneer and a brick planter and obscure glass panels flank the primary entry door,
which is accessed by concrete steps leading to a small concrete porch. Windows are a mix of aluminum sliding
and metal casements. Walls are clad with a mix of board and batten, stucco, and clapboard siding. A flat roof
covers a 20-foot by 13-foot room addition on the south side where a glass sliding door opens to the rear yard.
*P3b. Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes) (HP2) Single Family Residence
⌧ Building
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
facing southeast, July 15, 2004
accession #)
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
1957, Butte County Assessor
1531 Esplanade
Davis, CA 95616
*P11.
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
Page 2 of
5
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
*NRHP Status Code
6
Map Reference 3
B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
Single family residence B4.
Architectural Style: Ranch
B3. Original Use:
*B5.
*B6.
Present Use:
Construction History: (Construction date, alteration, and date of alterations)
Built 1957; 20-foot by 13-foot room addition
1964; garage converted to office space, 2000
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
Yes
B9. Architect:
Unknown
Date:
Original Location:
b. Builder:
n/a
n/a
Area
n/a
Property Type
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
The house at 249 West Sixth Avenue does not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the National Register of
Historic Places (NRHP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) and it does not appear to be a
historical resource for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The building does not
appear to be significant for its historical associations with important events or trends (Criterion A or 1) or
important historical persons (Criterion B or 2). The house does not embody distinctive characteristics of type,
period, or method of construction, and it is not an example of the work of a master architect or builder (Criterion
C or 3). It also has not yielded, nor will likely yield, important information for history (Criterion D or 4).
Although this property retains some historic integrity from when it was constructed, it lacks historic integrity.
The building has been evaluated in accordance with Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the CEQA Guidelines outlined
in Section 5024.1 of the California Public Resources Code, and does not appear to meet the significance criteria as
outlined in these guidelines. (See Continuation Sheet.)
*B12. References:
See footnotes
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
DPR 523B (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 3 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference 3
Continuation
Update
Historic Context
The building at 249 West Sixth Avenue is located in the Chico Vecino area of Chico on land that was part of
development of Chico, subdivided Chico Vecino in 1888 as Chico developed following its establishment in 1860
and incorporation in 1872. John Bidwell was the first large landholder in Chico to subdivide his land, laying out
the Chico Vecino (translated Chico neighborhood) subdivision north of town and between Big Chico Creek and
Sandy Gulch (now Lindo Creek). Chico Vecino was laid out in eight lot blocks with spacious lots, that were later
subdivided further around “the Esplanade,” the north extension of Chico’s Main Street. Both prominent and
middle class residents built houses in Chico Vecino during the 1900s and 1910s. These mostly small to
moderately sized one-story houses were built among the larger late nineteenth century homes. Chico Vecino
became a mix of suburban-style residences and semi-rural properties over the years, particularly to the west of the
Esplanade. The need for access to city services during the early years of the 1900s prompted Chico Vecino
residents to seek annexation and the City of Chico annexed it in 1918. During this period there was also increased
construction of commercial and institutional properties along or near the Esplanade. Enloe Hospital was first
established on the Esplanade between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in 1937, becoming one of the most prominent
institutional properties in Chico Vecino. Residential construction slowed during the Depression, recovering
during the late 1930s in the period leading up to World War II. After the war, Chico and the surrounding vicinity
grew quickly during the post-war boom. Vacant parcels in Chico Vecino were increasingly infilled with Minimal
Traditional and modest Ranch style houses in the late 1940s and 1950s. The area surrounding Enloe Hospital lost
its residual rural qualities during this period. Smaller houses were built at parcels that replaced outbuildings that
belonged to the old larger houses.1
Ranch style houses emerged in the 1930s during the post-Bungalow phase of residential architecture. The style is
characterized by elongated linear floor plans and a propensity to combine indoor and outdoor living areas. Ranch
houses employ a variety of historic quasi-colonial / early-American period references, including the nineteenth
century California adobe house and nineteenth century California single-wall board and batten rural buildings.
Eventually, the style also incorporated aspects of Modern architecture, emphasizing horizontality, large windows,
unadorned surfaces, and open floor plans. The style appeared regionally in California by the 1940s, and later
reached widespread national popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Early ranch style architects included Cliff May,
H. Roy Kelley, and William Wurster. Although none of the buildings in the study area are the work of these
architects, their general influence can be seen in the survey population where modest ranch homes have open
linear plans and understated exterior finishes. Typical Ranch house features also include elongated, asymmetrical
one-story plans with low-pitched roofs, and wide eaves that create an overhanging shelter for walkways along the
sides of the house. A recessed entry is also common, as are attached garages. As the Ranch style gained national
attention, builders of middle- and upper-income homes across the country copied the designs of early custom
1
Bill Talbitzer, Butte County, An Illustrated History (Northridge, CA: Windsor Publications, Inc., 1987), 20, George C. Mansfield,
History of Butte County, (Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1918), 135, 317, and 361; Reproduction of Wells’ and Chambers’
History of Butte County, 1882 and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers (Berkeley: Howell-North Books, 1973),
222-223, 228; Warren L. Johnson, “Pleasant Valley: The Growth of an Unincorporated Fringe of Chico, California,” Thesis, Chico State
College, July 1968, 17-28; and Subdivision Map, Chino Vecino, 1888, Special Collections, Meriam Library, CSU, Chico.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 4 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference 3
Continuation
Update
homes of California. The sprawling style fit the “expansive mood of the post-World War II suburbs.”2 The
Ranch style houses in the study area, such as the house at 249 West Sixth Avenue, are very modest examples of
the style. They are small, elongated side gable forms with recessed entries and/or picture windows that emulate
higher style ranches situated on large properties.
The north end of the Esplanade became increasingly more commercial during the 1940s and 1950s. Enloe
Hospital also expanded its facilities in the post war period. The hospital not only built new wings on the original
1937 building, but also built and used various service buildings at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Magnolia
Avenue west of the main hospital. The neighborhood immediately around Enloe hospital continued changing in
the latter part of the twentieth century as property owners modified their early to mid-twentieth century houses
and the Enloe organization purchased neighborhood houses for conversion to office space or to demolish them for
parking lots. While Chico Vecino, also referred to as “the Avenues,” and the area around Enloe Hospital
continued to be home to single family houses, many area residences became rental properties, some of which were
inhabited by college students attending California State University, Chico.3
The modest Ranch style house constructed at 249 West Sixth Avenue was typical neighborhood infill construction
for in the 1950s. Constructed in 1957, the Sierra View Rest Home occupied the premises during the 1960s.
Building contractor, Yancy Company, constructed the rear addition during this time. Enloe Hospital purchased
the property in 1999 and converted the garage for office space. The hospital operated a print shop and mail room
for the out of the building, which the city later stopped. The house is currently vacant.4
Historic Evaluation
As stated, the house at 249 West Sixth Avenue does not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the NRHP or the
of the development of Chico Vecino. The house was built during the period of general residential expansion
throughout the city in the 1950s and is part of the mid-twentieth century infill to the well established Chico
Vecino area. The house is not associated with persons important to Chico or California history that would make
the building eligible under Criterion B or 2. Primarily a rented property, owners and residents appear to lack
historical significance.
2
David Gebhard, Eric Sandweiss, and Robert Winter, Architecture In San Francisco and Northern California (Salt Lake City: Gibbs
Smith Publisher, 1985), 579; Marc Treib, “William Wilson Wurster: The Feeling of Function,” in Everyday Modernism: The Houses of
William Wurster (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995), 19-27; Alan Richard Michelson, “Towards a Regional Synthesis: The
Suburban and Country Residences of William Wilson Wurster, 1922-1964” (Ph.D. Diss. Stanford University, 1993), 153-154, 168;
Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, (New York: Alfred Knopf Inc., 1984), 477-479; Cliff May, Western
Ranch Houses, (originally published in 1958) (Santa Monica: Hennessey and Ingalls, 1997), 13-23; “Historic Residential Suburbs:
Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for the National Register of Historic Places,” National Register Bulletin 2002; and
Kenneth T. Jackson, Crabgass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States (New York: Oxford University Press, 1985), 240.
3
Highway, ” 11-13; Sanborn Insurance Maps, 1921-1949; City of Chico building permits; and Butte County Assessor’s files.
4
Chico City Directories, 1955-1965; Sanborn Insurance Maps, 1949, revised to 1961; City of Chico Building Permits, 249 West Sixth
Avenue, Chico Planning Department, Chico, California; and Enloe Medical Center Plant Operation Building Files.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 5 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference 3
Continuation
Update
of construction, or be an important work of a master architect or builder. The building is an example of a modest
Ranch, a building type commonly represented throughout residential suburbs and urban areas of California during
this period. In addition, the building is also not significant under Criterion D or 4 as it has not yielded, nor will
likely yield, important information for history. The house at 249 West Sixth Avenue also does not appear to be
within the boundaries of an area that could constitute a historic district.
Only minor modifications have been made to the exterior of 249 West Sixth Avenue. In general, it retains historic
integrity to its possible period of significance in the late 1950s, though its setting has changed. The single family
neighborhood has developed and changed in character, as parking lots filled in empty lots and single family
residences converted to hospital uses. Although it retains integrity, the former residence lacks historic
significance.
Photograph 2: South side, camera facing northeast, July 15, 2004.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
6
Map Reference 4
*P2. Location:
*a. County
Butte
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
The building at 227 West Sixth Avenue is a 1,863 square foot, single-story Ranch style building of concrete block
construction on a raised concrete foundation with a basement (Photograph 1). The residence is covered with a
hipped roof with a cross-hipped projection on the northeast corner. The roof is sheathed with composite shingle,
has narrow eaves with exposed rafters, and extends to cover the recessed front porch as well as a carport on the
west side of the residence and a small utility shed west of the car port. A brick chimney rises from roof’s south
slope. Windows are predominantly steel casements with brick sills. (See Continuation Sheet.)
*P3b. Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes) (HP2) Single family property
*P4. Resources Present: ⌧ Building
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
facing southwest
accession #)
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
1948 / Butte County Assessor’s
Records
Enloe Health System
1448 Esplanade
Davis, CA 95616
*P11.
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
Page 2 of
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
6
6
*NRHP Status Code
*Resource Name or #
B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
B3. Original Use:
*B5.
Present Use:
Single family dwelling
Built 1948; garage constructed 1956; garage
converted to living space 1957; storage shed added west of carport 1958
*B6.
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
Yes
B9. Architect:
unknown b.
Unknown
Builder:
Date:
Original Location:
unknown
n/a
Area
n/a
n/a
Property Type
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
Historic Places (NRHP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) and this does not appear to be
a historical resource for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The building does not
appear to be significant for its historical associations and important events or trends (Criterion A or 1) or
important historical person (Criterion B or 2). The house does not embody distinctive characteristics of type,
C or 3). It also has not yielded important information for history (Criterion D or 4). Although the building retains
some historic integrity, it lacks historic significance. The building has been evaluated in accordance with Section
15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the CEQA Guidelines outlined in Section 5024.1 of the California Public Resources Code,
and does not appear to meet the significance criteria as outlined in these guidelines. (See Continuation Sheet.)
*B12. References:
See footnotes.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
DPR 523B (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 3 of
6
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
C. McMorris / C. Toffelmier *Date July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 4
Update
The concrete front porch roof is trimmed with a wood scalloped edging that extends over the carport and utility
shed. Secondary entry doors reached by concrete steps are located on the west wall in the carport and on the south
wall where a shed roof covers an enclosed back porch. This feature is clad with wood siding and has horizontal
sliding windows. There is also basement access and an attached wood frame shed covered with fiberglass panels
(Photograph 2).
A second building to the rear of the carport is a garage converted to living space and now appears to be used as a
laundry facility. This is a 440 square foot concrete block building built on a concrete slab and covered by a
pyramidal roof sheathed in composite shingles. Casement windows with brick sills match the main house
(Photograph 3).
Historic Context
1860 and incorporation in 1872. Bidwell was the first large landholder in Chico to subdivide his land, laying out
subdivided further, around “the Esplanade,” the north extension of Chico’s Main Street. Both prominent and
its residual rural qualities during this period.1
1
History of Butte County, (Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1918), 135, 317 and 361; Reproduction of Wells’ and Chambers’
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 4 of
6
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
Continuation
Map Reference 4
Update
Ranch style houses in the study area, such as the house at 227 West Sixth Avenue, are very modest examples of
the style. They are small, elongated side gable and hipped roof forms with recessed entries and/or picture
windows that emulate higher style ranches.
Hospital also expanded its facilities in the post war period. The hospital not only built new wings from the 1950s
through the 1980s onto its original building, but also built and used various service buildings at the corner of Fifth
Avenue and Magnolia Avenue west of the main hospital that are now demolished.3 The neighborhood
immediately around Enloe hospital continued changing in the latter part of the twentieth century as property
owners modified their early to mid-twentieth century houses and the Enloe organization purchased neighborhood
houses for conversion to hospital uses or to demolish them for parking lots. While Chico Vecino, also referred to
as “the Avenues,” and the area around Enloe Hospital continued to be home to single family houses, many area
residences became rental properties, some of which were inhabited by college students attending California State
University, Chico.
The house at 227 West Sixth Avenue, a modest ranch, was typical neighborhood post-war infill construction.
Constructed in 1948, the house was occupied by a succession of occupants, beginning with Harry Vogue, a local
school teacher who lived in the residence in 1950, and Ralph Walker, a Captain with the State Highway Patrol
who rented the house in 1955. In the late 1950s, new owner George Ogden constructed a concrete block garage
which he converted into a guest house the next year by adding a bathroom. Floyd E. McKalson of the Floyd
McKalson Real Estate and Insurance Agency occupied the house from the late 1950s until the early 1960s. In
2
Suburban and Country Residences of William Wilson Wurster, 1922-1964” (Ph.D. Diss. Stanford University, 1993), 153-154, 168; Lee
and Virginia McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses,(New York: Alfred Knopf Inc., 1984), 477- 479; Cliff May, Western Ranch
Houses, (originally published in 1958) (Santa Monica: Hennessey and Ingalls, 1997), 13-23; “Historic Residential Suburbs: Guidelines
for Evaluation and Documentation for the National Register of Historic Places,” National Register Bulletin 2002; and Kenneth T.
Jackson, Crabgass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States (New York: Oxford University Press, 1985), 240.
3
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 5 of
6
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
Continuation
Map Reference 4
Update
1958, the house experienced a roof fire. In the early 1970s, owner Mrs. Bakos approached the city about
converting the property from residential use to medical offices. The house remained a residence and during the
1970s, the house and the guest house were rented to college students. The house continued to be used as rental
property through the 1980s and 1990s. Enloe Medical Center purchased the property in June 2002. The house is
currently vacant.4
Historic Evaluation
of the development of Chico Vecino. The house was built during the period of general residential post-war
expansion throughout the city and is part of the mid-twentieth century infill to the well established Chico Vecino
area. The house is not associated with persons important to Chico or California history that would make the
building eligible under Criterion B or 2. Primarily a rented property, owners and residents appear to lack
Under Criterion C or 3, the building is an example of a modest Ranch, a building type commonly represented
throughout residential suburbs and urban areas of California during this period, and does not embody distinctive
characteristics of type, period, or method of construction, or is an important work of a master architect or builder.
In addition, the building is also not significant under Criterion D or 4 as it has not yielded, nor will likely yield,
important information for history. The house at 227 West Sixth Avenue also does not appear to be within the
boundaries of an area that could constitute a historic district.
Only minor modifications have been made to the exterior of 227 West Sixth Avenue since the 1950s. In general,
it retains historic integrity to its possible period of significance in the late 1940s and 1950s, though its setting has
changed. The single family neighborhood has developed and changed in character, as parking lots filled in empty
lots and single family residences converted to hospital uses. Although it retains integrity, the former residence
lacks historic significance.
4
Chico City Directories, 1948-1965; City of Chico Building Permit records for 227 West Sixth Avenue, Chico Planning Department,
Chico, California; and Enloe Medical Center, Plant Operations Escrow Folders, 227 West Sixth Avenue.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 6 of
6
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
Continuation
Map Reference 4
Update
Photograph 2. Camera facing northeast, July 15, 2004.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
5
*Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder)Map
Reference 5
*P2. Location:
*a. County
Butte
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
The building at 221 West Sixth Avenue is a 1,404 square-foot, single-story wood frame house that sits on a raised
concrete foundation (Photograph 1). The Ranch style residence has an L-shaped footprint and an attached front
facing single garage at the northwest corner. A hipped roof with wide boxed eaves is sheathed in composite
shingle and extends over a recessed, concrete front entry porch which is faced with brick topped with board-andbatten siding. The remainder of the building is clad with stucco over clapboard siding. An additional recessed
porch, where a ten-light glass door provides interior access is located on the south side bordering a concrete patio
(Photograph 2). Fenestration consists of vertical and horizontal aluminum sliding windows with interior
muntins. A small metal utility shed is located in the southwest corner of the rear yard. The house was originally
built in 1956 but underwent considerable remodeling after a house fire in 1995.
⌧ Building
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
accession #)Photograph
1, camera
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
Records
Enloe Health System
1448 Esplanade
Davis, CA 95616
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
Page 2 of
5
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
*NRHP Status Code
6
Map Reference 5
B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
B3. Original Use:
*B5.
Present Use:
Built 1956; garage, utility, kitchen walls and
ceiling replaced in 1995 after fire damaged. Siding replaced with stucco, brick and board and batten siding and
casement windows replaced with aluminum windows with interior muntins in 1996
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
Yes
B9. Architect:
unknown
Unknown
Date:
Original Location:
unknown
n/a
Area
n/a
n/a
Property Type
b. Builder:
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
appear to be significant for historical associations with important events or trends (Criterion A or 1) or important
historical persons (Criterion B or 2). The house does not embody distinctive characteristics of type, period, or
method of construction, and it is not an example of the work of a master architect or builder (Criterion C or 3). It
also has not yielded important information for history (Criterion D or 4). This property also does not retain
historic integrity. The building has been evaluated in accordance with Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the CEQA
Guidelines outlined in Section 5024.1 of the California Public Resources Code, and does not appear to meet the
significance criteria as outlined in these guidelines. (See Continuation Sheet.)
*B12. References:
See footnotes.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
DPR 523B (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 3 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 5
Update
Historic Context
1860 and incorporation in 1872.1 Bidwell was the first large landholder in Chico to subdivide his land, laying out
Sandy Gulch (now Lindo Creek). Chico Vecino was laid out in blocks with spacious lots, that were later
Esplanade.2 The City of Chico annexed Chico Vecino in 1918. During this period there was also increased
institutional properties in Chico Vecino.3 Residential construction slowed during the Depression, recovering
its residual rural qualities during this period.
unadorned surfaces, and open floor plans.4 The style appeared regionally in California by the 1940s, and later
linear plans and understated exterior finishes.5 Typical Ranch house features also include elongated,
1
History of Butte County, (Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1918), 135, 317; Reproduction of Wells’ and Chambers’ History of
Butte County, 1882 and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers (Berkeley: Howell-North Books, 1973), 222-223,
228; and Warren L. Johnson, “Pleasant Valley: The Growth of an Unincorporated Fringe of Chico, California,” Thesis, Chico State
College, July 1968, 17-28.
2
Subdivision Map, Chino Vecino, 1888, Special Collections, Meriam Library, CSU, Chico.
3
4
Smith Publisher, 1985), 579.
5
Marc Treib, “William Wilson Wurster: The Feeling of Function,” in Everyday Modernism: The Houses of William Wurster (Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1995), 19-27; and Alan Richard Michelson, “Towards a Regional Synthesis: The Suburban and Country
Residences of William Wilson Wurster, 1922-1964” (Ph.D. Diss. Stanford University, 1993), 153-154, 168.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 4 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 5
Update
asymmetrical one-story plans with low-pitched roofs, and wide eaves that create an overhanging shelter for
walkways along the sides of the house. A recessed entry is also common, as are attached garages.6 As the Ranch
style gained national attention, builders of middle- and upper-income homes across the country copied the designs
of early custom homes of California. The sprawling style fit the “expansive mood of the post-World War II
suburbs.”7 The Ranch style houses in the study area, such as the house at 221 West Sixth Avenue, are very
modest examples of the style. They are small, elongated side gable and hipped roof forms with recessed entries
and/or picture windows that emulate higher style ranches.
Hospital also expanded its facilities in the post war period. The hospital not only built new wings between the
1950s through the 1980s on the original building, but also built and used various service buildings at the corner of
Fifth Avenue and Magnolia Avenue west of the main hospital that are now demolished. 8 The neighborhood
houses for conversion to office space or to demolish them for parking lots. While Chico Vecino, also referred to
University, Chico.
The modest Ranch style house at 221 West Sixth Avenue, was typical neighborhood infill construction for in the
1950s. Constructed in 1956, the house was occupied by a succession of renters for several years.9 For instance,
Chico City Directories list Canerun Revel as residing in 1958, Mrs. Pauline Hall resided at the address in 1962,
and Mrs. Waugh lived at the address in 1965.10 In 1973, property owner Betty Ann Bakos constructed an
unauthorized garage conversion, which was subsequently permitted by the city.11 A house fire in 1995 required
extensive renovation both to the inside and outside. Property owner J. Barton Elliott of Los Altos, California
hired California Properties as contractor for the project. Stucco and board and batten siding and aluminum sliding
windows were added as a result of the renovation.12 Enloe Medical Center purchased the property in May 2001
and continued to lease out the property as a residence.13
6
Lee and Virginia McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses,(New York: Alfred Knopf Inc., 1984), 477- 479; Cliff May, Western
Ranch Houses, (originally published in 1958) (Santa Monica: Hennessey and Ingalls, 1997), 13-23.
7
“Historic Residential Suburbs: Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for the National Register of Historic Places,” National
Register Bulletin 2002; and Kenneth T. Jackson, Crabgass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1985), 240.
8
9
City of Chico Building Permit 585, Chico Planning Department, Chico, California.
10
Chico City Directories, 1955-1965.
11
City of Chico Building Permit 8321, May 3, 1973, Chico Planning Department, Chico, California.
12
City of Chico Building Permit records, 221 West Sixth Avenue, Chico Planning Department, Chico, California.
13
Enloe Medical Center, Plant Operations Escrow Folders, 221 West Sixth Avenue.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 5 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 5
Update
Historic Evaluation
Under Criterion C or 3, the building is a modest Ranch, a building type commonly represented throughout
residential suburbs and urban areas of California during this period, and does not embody distinctive
characteristics of type, period, or method of construction, or is an important work of a master architect or builder.
In addition, the building is also not significant under Criterion D or 4 as it has not yielded, nor will likely yield,
important information for history. The house at 221 West Sixth Avenue also does not appear to be within the
boundaries of an area that could constitute a historic district.
Furthermore, the building does not retain historic integrity from its possible period of significance in the 1950s, as
there have been numerous changes to both the building and the surrounding setting. The single family
residences converted to commercial buildings. The building’s integrity was diminished greatly from the 1995 fire
and the subsequent reconstruction.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
5
Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder)
Map Reference 6
Women’s Services
*P2. Location:
*a. County
Butte
1536 Arcadian Avenue City Chico Zip 95926
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
The building at 1536 Arcadian Avenue, Enloe Hospital’s Women’s Services building, is a single-story, wood
frame building on a raised concrete foundation (Photograph 1). The former Ranch style residence built in 1957
has a L-shaped footprint with an attached garage that has been converted to office space projecting off of the
southwest corner. The gable roof is sheathed in composite shingle and has wide eaves. A brick chimney rises
from roof’s east slope. Board and batten siding and stucco clad exterior walls and brick veneer decorates the front
façade where a recessed entry porch is accessed by a short ramp. The façade features a window bay with a large
vertical sliding window. Clapboard siding decorate gable ends that have wood vents. Additional windows are a
mixture of large aluminum vertical sliding windows, aluminum casements, jalousie, and horizontal sliding
windows. (See Continuation Sheet.)
⌧ Building
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
accession #)
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
Records
1531 Esplanade
Chris McMorris/Cindy Toffelmier
Davis, CA 95616
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
Page 2 of
5
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
*NRHP Status Code
6
Map Reference 6
B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
B3. Original Use:
*B5.
*B6.
Present Use:
Hospital Women’s Services
Built 1957; Conversion to offices and yard
removal around 1990
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
Yes
B9. Architect:
unknown
Unknown
Date:
Original Location:
unknown
n/a
Area
n/a
n/a
Property Type
b. Builder:
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
The house at 1536 Arcadian Avenue does not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the National Register of
also has not yielded important information for history (Criterion D or 4). In addition to lacking historical
significance, this property also does not retain historic integrity from when it was constructed, as it has been
highly modified and its setting has been altered considerably. The building has been evaluated in accordance with
Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the CEQA Guidelines outlined in Section 5024.1 of the California Public Resources
Code, and does not appear to meet the significance criteria as outlined in these guidelines. (See Continuation
Sheet.)
*B12. References:
See footnotes
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
DPR 523B (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 3 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference 6
Continuation
Update
Some window openings at the north side are infilled. The garage doors were replaced by a personnel door and
window. A small addition attached to the south side is covered with a shed roof. A shed awning supported by
wood posts shades a personnel door on the east side. A small metal shed is located in the southeast corner of the
property. The property’s surrounding garden, which included a swimming pool, was converted to the parking lots
that abut the south and east sides of the building. (Photograph 2)
Historic Context
The building at 1536 Arcadian Avenue is located in the Chico Vecino area of Chico on land that was part of
and incorporation in 1872. John Bidwell was the first large landholder in Chico to subdivide his land, laying out
1
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 4 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference 6
Continuation
Update
Ranch style houses in the study area, such as the house at 1536 Arcadian Avenue, are very modest examples of
the style. They are small, elongated side gable forms with recessed entries and/or picture windows that emulate
higher style ranches situated on large properties.
Avenue west of the main hospital that are now demolished. The neighborhood immediately around Enloe hospital
continued changing in the latter part of the twentieth century as property owners modified their early to midtwentieth century houses and the Enloe organization purchased neighborhood houses for conversion to office
space or to demolish them for parking lots. While Chico Vecino, also referred to as “the Avenues,” and the area
around Enloe Hospital continued to be home to single family houses, many area residences became rental
properties, some of which were inhabited by college students attending California State University, Chico.3
The modest Ranch style house constructed at 1536 Arcadian Avenue was typical neighborhood infill construction
for in the 1950s. Constructed in 1957 by owner Raymond G. Delzell, a local building contractor, the house had
several owners and occupants over the next three decades, such as Otis Karr, a driver for PMT in 1960 and owners
Richard and Judith Borcher in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Mr. Borcher worked for the Department of Justice.
The Borchers sold the property to Sharon Southan in 1975. Southan sold to John R. Clark in 1984 and Clark sold
the property to Enloe Hospital in 1988. Enloe converted the house for office space around 1990, including the
garage, and replaced the house’s garden with parking lots.4
Historic Evaluation
As stated, the house at 1536 Arcadian Avenue does not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the NRHP or the
2
Smith Publisher, 1985), 579; Lee and Virginia McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses,(New York: Alfred Knopf Inc., 1984),
477- 479; Cliff May, Western Ranch Houses, (originally published in 1958) (Santa Monica: Hennessey and Ingalls, 1997), 13-23; Marc
Treib, “William Wilson Wurster: The Feeling of Function,” in Everyday Modernism: The Houses of William Wurster (Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1995), 19-27; Alan Richard Michelson, “Towards a Regional Synthesis: The Suburban and Country
Residences of William Wilson Wurster, 1922-1964” (Ph.D. Diss. Stanford University, 1993), 153-154, 168; “Historic Residential
Suburbs: Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for the National Register of Historic Places,” National Register Bulletin 2002;
and Kenneth T. Jackson, Crabgass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States (New York: Oxford University Press, 1985), 240.
3
4
Chico City Directories, 1955-1965; Butte County Assessor’s Records, APN 003-023-022; City of Chico Building Permit records, 1536
Arcadian Avenue, Chico Planning Department, Chico, California; and Enloe Medical Center Plant Operation Building Files.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 5 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference 6
Continuation
Update
likely yield, important information for history. The house at 1536 Arcadian Avenue also does not appear to be
within the boundaries of an area that could constitute a historic district.
Furthermore, the building does not retain historic integrity from its possible period of significance in the 1950s, as
there have been numerous changes to both the building and the surrounding setting. The single family
residences converted to hospital uses. In addition, building integrity diminished with the attached garage
conversion to office space and the replacement of numerous windows.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
5
Map Reference 7
*P2. Location:
*a. County
Butte
1551 Magnolia Avenue City Chico Zip 95926
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
The residence at 1551 Magnolia Avenue is a 1,213 square foot, wood framed, one story building that sits on a
raised concrete foundation (Photograph 1). The Ranch style residence built in 1954 is L-shape in plan and has a
hipped roof sheathed in composite shingle with a cross front, hipped roof extension on the north end. A brick
chimney rises from roof’s west slope. The predominantly stucco exterior has a decorative brick skirting trim
across the front façade and the attached double garage has a wood tilt-up door. A modest concrete front porch
leads to a flush entry door and a large, metal-framed window with a center fixed panel and casement side panels
complete the façade features. Additional fenestration consists of steel casement windows. A small, rectangular
concrete patio sits to the building’s west side where a personnel door reached by one concrete step provides access
to the building (Photograph 2). A parking lot borders the residence on the north side.
⌧ Building
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
facing northwest
accession #)
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
1954 / City of Chico building
permits
June Williams
1551 Magnolia Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
JRP Historical Consulting, “Historical Resources
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
Page 2 of
5
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Map Reference 7
B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
B3. Original Use:
*B5.
B4. Present Use:
Built 1954; windows on northeast corner added
prior to 1970; reroofed with composite shingles 1971 and 1996
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
Yes
B9. Architect:
unknown
Unknown
Date:
Original Location:
unknown
n/a
Area
n/a
n/a
Property Type
b. Builder:
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
The house at 1551 Magnolia Avenue does not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the National Register of
appear to be significant for its historical associations with important events or trends (Criterion A or 1) or
important historical persons (Criterion B or 2). The house does not embody distinctive characteristics of type,
C or 3). It also has not yielded, nor will likely yield, important information for history (Criterion D or 4).
Although the building retains some historic integrity from when it was constructed, it lacks historic significance.
The building has been evaluated in accordance with Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the CEQA Guidelines outlined
in Section 5024.1 of the California Public Resources Code, and does not appear to meet the significance criteria as
outlined in these guidelines. (See Continuation Sheet.)
*B12. References:
See footnotes
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
DPR 523B (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 3 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
Chris McMorris and Cindy Toffelmier
*Date
July 14, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference 7
Continuation
Update
Historic Context
The building at 1551 Magnolia Avenue is located in the Chico Vecino area of Chico on land that was part of
development of Chico, subdivided Chico Vecino in 1888 as town developed following its establishment in 1860
and incorporation in 1872. Bidwell was the first large landholder in Chico to subdivide his land, laying out the
Chico Vecino (translated Chico neighborhood) subdivision north of town and between Big Chico Creek and
sides of the house. A recessed entry is also common, as are attached garages.2 As the Ranch style gained national
1
2
Lee and Virginia McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses,(New York: Alfred Knopf Inc., 1984), 477- 479; Cliff May, Western
Ranch Houses, (originally published in 1958) (Santa Monica: Hennessey and Ingalls, 1997), 13-23.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 4 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 14, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference 7
Continuation
Update
Ranch style houses in the study area, such as the house at 1551 Magnolia Avenue, are very modest examples of
the style. They are small, elongated side gable or hipped roof forms with recessed entries and/or picture windows
that emulate higher style ranches.
properties.4
The modest Ranch style house constructed at 1551 Magnolia Avenue was typical neighborhood infill construction
for in the 1950s. Constructed in 1954 for C. L. Summer, Ralph and June Williams purchased the property by
1962. Mr. Williams operated Ralph’s Texaco in Chico for several years. The house has undergone minimal
alteration, although a 1970 photograph included in the County Assessor’s records indicated there were no
windows on the northeast corner. The homeowners replaced the roof in 1971 and 1996. Mrs. Williams still
resides in the house.5
Historic Evaluation
As stated, the house at 1551 Magnolia Avenue does not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the NRHP or the
the building eligible under Criterion B or 2.
3
“Historic Residential Suburbs: Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for the National Register of Historic Places,” National
Register Bulletin2002; and Kenneth T. Jackson, Crabgass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1985), 240.
4
5
City of Chico Building Permit #1604 and #96-01670, 1551 Magnolia Avenue, City of Chico Planning Department, Chico, California;
Chico City Directories, 1953-1968; and Butte County Assessor’s Records, APN 03-023-010. The City of Chico Building Permit file for
1551 Magnolia Avenue does not include a building permit for the window addition.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 5 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 14, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference 7
Continuation
Update
Under Criterion C or 3, the building is an example of a modest Ranch, a building type commonly represented
throughout residential suburbs and urban areas of California during this period. It does not embody distinctive
characteristics of type, period, or method of construction and it is not the work of a master architect or builder. In
addition, the building is also not significant under Criterion D or 4 as it has not yielded, nor will likely yield,
important information for history. The house at 1551 Magnolia Avenue also does not appear to be in an area that
could constitute a historic district.
Only minor modifications have been made to the exterior of 1551 Magnolia Avenue. In general, it retains historic
neighborhood has developed and changed in character, as parking lots filled in empty lots and surrounding single
family residences converted to hospital uses. Although it retains integrity, the former residence lacks historic
significance.
Photograph 2: west side, camera facing southeast, July 14, 2004.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
7
Map References 8 and 11
Public Relations; Hospital Emergency Services
*a. County Butte
*P2. Location:
1507 and 1537 Magnolia Avenue City Chico Zip 95926
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
The two buildings described on this form were built as two separate single family residences. They are now
service buildings of the Enloe Medical Center and are described and evaluated together on these DPR 523 forms
because they are located on one assessor parcel. The building at 1507 Magnolia Avenue, Enloe Hospital’s Public
Relations building (Map Reference 11), is a Minimal Traditional style single-story, wood frame stucco clad
building on a raised concrete foundation with a basement (Photograph 1). The former residence, originally built
in 1956, has a compound plan with a cross-hipped projection off the northwest corner, and is covered with a
pyramidal roof with exposed rafter ends sheathed in composite shingle. (See Continuation Sheet.)
P4. Resources Present:
⌧ Building
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
Photograph 1, 1507
Magnolia Avenue, camera facing
southwest, July 14, 2004.
accession #)
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
1954 (1537) and 1956 (1507) /
Butte County Assessor’s Records
1531 Esplanade
Chico, California 95926-3310
Davis, CA 95616
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
Page 2 of
7
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
6
(Assigned by recorder) Map Reference Numbers 8 and 11
*NRHP Status Code
*Resource Name or #
B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
Single family residences B4. Present Use: Hospital Public Relations; Hospital Emergency Services
*B5. Architectural Style: Minimal Traditional / Ranch
*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alteration, and date of alterations) 1507 Magnolia Avenue - built 1956; addition,
1970; freezer added to rear of house, 1984. 1537 Magnolia Avenue - built 1954; addition to south end, 1994
B3. Original Use:
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
Yes
B9. Architect:
Unknown
Date:
Original Location:
b. Builder:
n/a
n/a
Area
n/a
Property Type
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
The former houses at 1507 and 1537 Magnolia Avenue do not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the
National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) and do
not appear to be historical resources for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The
buildings do not appear to be significant for historical associations with important events or trends (Criterion A or
1) or important historical persons (Criterion B or 2). The houses do not embody distinctive characteristics of a
type, period, or method of construction, and they are not examples of the work of a master architect or builder
(Criterion C or 3). They also have not yielded important information for history (Criterion D or 4). In addition to
lacking historical significance, these properties also do not retain historic integrity. The buildings have been
evaluated in accordance with Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the CEQA Guidelines outlined in Section 5024.1 of the
California Public Resources Code, and do not appear to meet the significance criteria as outlined in these
guidelines. (See Continuation Sheet.)
*B12. References:
See footnotes
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
DPR 523B (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 3 of
7
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference Numbers 8 and 11
Continuation
Update
A brick chimney rises from roof’s west slope. The front of the house is decorated with a rock wall apron flanking
concrete steps that access a recessed entry. Windows are a mix of large picture windows, bay, double-hung, and
vertical sliding sashes. Basement windows are spaced around the perimeter. A concrete ramp on the north side
leads to a 17-foot by 23-foot freezer at the rear of the building which is covered by a pyramidal roof sheathed in
wood shingles (Photograph 2). A rear gable extension covers a service porch from which a metal shed awning
projects to partially cover a small enclosure (that contains hazardous trash) formed concrete block walls and a
metal link fence and wood slat gate. A tall metal vent stack rises from the enclosed yard. Parking lots abut the
north and west sides of the former residence.
The second building on this parcel is the Enloe Hospital Emergency Services building at 1537 Magnolia Avenue.
This single-story, wood frame building on a raised concrete foundation (Photograph 3) was originally built in
1954. Enloe Medical Center built a large addition to the south end in 1994, replacing the former residence’s
garage. The building has a hipped roof with cross-hipped projections off the northeast and southeast corners. The
roof is sheathed in composite shingles. A brick chimney rises from the roof’s west slope. Stucco and some
clapboard siding clad walls. Both a concrete ramp and concrete stairs access the recessed porch at the main
entrance. A bay window with a fixed center pane is located north of the entry and a large fixed pane window is
located south of the entry. The remaining windows are a mix of aluminum sliding, double hung, and steel
casements, as well as fixed pane sashes. A sliding glass door on the west side opens to a small concrete patio.
Parking lots abut the south and west sides of the building (Photograph 4). There is a timber deck adjacent to a
small garden area enclosed by a tall fence on the west side of the house.
Historic Context
The buildings at 1507 and 1537 Magnolia Avenue are located in the Chico Vecino area of Chico on land that was
part of “Rancho del Arroyo Chico” purchased by John Bidwell in 1849. Bidwell, the central figure in nineteenth
establishment in 1860 and incorporation in 1872. Bidwell was the first large landholder in Chico to subdivide his
land, laying out the Chico Vecino (translated Chico neighborhood) subdivision north of town and between Big
Chico Creek and Sandy Gulch (now Lindo Creek). Chico Vecino was laid out in eight lot blocks with spacious
lots, that were later subdivided further, around “the Esplanade,” the north extension of Chico’s Main Street. Both
prominent and middle class residents built houses in Chico Vecino during the 1900s and 1910s. These mostly
small to moderately sized one-story houses were built among the larger late nineteenth century homes. Chico
Vecino became a mix of suburban-style residences and semi-rural properties over the years, particularly to the
west of the Esplanade.1 The need for access to city services during the early years of the 1900s prompted Chico
Vecino residents to seek annexation and the City of Chico annexed it in 1918. During this period there was also
increased construction of commercial and institutional properties along or near the Esplanade. Enloe Hospital was
first established on the Esplanade between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in 1937, becoming one of the most prominent
1
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 4 of
7
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Update
The style now referred to as “Minimal Traditional” developed in the 1930s, following the decline in popularity of
Bungalows, and was a continuation of the small house design tradition that dates to the nineteenth century. The
popular period revival dwellings, which emulated Colonial (Spanish and East Coast) houses, picturesque medieval
(so called “Tudor”) houses, or rural European cottages, began to give way to a simpler styles. Ornamented houses
were economically infeasible for moderate homebuyers during the Depression and its aftermath, and the emphasis
of simplicity and unadorned surfaces of the Modern architectural movement began to influence domestic
architecture. Considered a “compromise style,” the Minimal Traditional house reflected the form and shape of
earlier housing, but without the decorative detailing. Generally, these residences were built with low to medium
roof pitches with close rather than wide overhanging eaves. They were modestly sized, of wood frame
construction, and were built with exterior walls clad in wood siding, stucco, brick, stone, or a mixture of materials.
Some were given large chimneys. Minimal Traditional style homes were built in great numbers in California,
commonly in large tracts, as developers tried to meet the growing demand for affordable housing.3
Ranch style houses also emerged in the 1930s during the post-Bungalow phase of residential architecture. The
style is characterized by elongated linear floor plans and a propensity to combine indoor and outdoor living areas.
Ranch houses employ a variety of historic quasi-colonial / early-American period references, including the
nineteenth century California adobe house and nineteenth century California single-wall board and batten rural
buildings. Eventually, the style also incorporated aspects of Modern architecture, emphasizing horizontality, large
windows, unadorned surfaces, and open floor plans. The style appeared regionally in California by the 1940s, and
later reached widespread national popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Early ranch style architects included Cliff
May, H. Roy Kelley, and William Wurster. Although none of the buildings in the study area are the work of these
2
3
Lee and Virginia McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1984), 477-478.
4
McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 477, 479; Cliff May, Western Ranch Houses, (originally published in 1958) (Santa
Monica: Hennessey and Ingalls, 1997), 13-23; “Historic Residential Suburbs: Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for the
National Register of Historic Places,” National Register Bulletin2002; and Kenneth T. Jackson, Crabgass Frontier: The Suburbanization
of the United States (New York: Oxford University Press, 1985), 240.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 5 of
7
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Update
Ranch style houses in the study area are very modest examples of the style. They are small, elongated side gable
and hipped roof forms with recessed entries and/or picture windows that emulate higher style ranches.
Hospital also expanded its facilities in the post war period. The hospital not only built new wings between the
1950s and 1980s onto its original building, but also built and used various service buildings at the corner of Fifth
Avenue and Magnolia Avenue west of the main hospital that are now demolished.5 The neighborhood
houses for conversion to hospital uses or to demolish them for parking lots. While Chico Vecino, also referred to
University, Chico.
The houses at 1507 and 1537 Magnolia Avenue, examples of Minimal Traditional and Ranch style houses
respectively, were typical neighborhood infill construction in the 1950s. Constructed in 1956, the house at 1507
Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 11) was occupied for several years by George Thompson of Bestway Painters.
The Thompsons added a detached garage to the property in 1959 and a house addition in 1970. After Enloe
Hospital made several more modification after it purchased the property in 1985, such as the addition of the
incinerator in 1986 and a walk-in freezer on the northwest corner of the house in 1987. The garage addition was
removed in 1986.6
The house at 1537 Magnolia Avenue (Map Reference 8) was constructed in 1954 for owners, R. H. Snyder and
son. Several tenants occupied the house in the 1950s and 1960s, such as Mike Galarneau, proprietor of Mike’s
Richfield Service Station who lived at the property in the late 1950s and Joseph Schalles, a salesman for Hallmark
Cards, who lived at the address in the early 1960s. Enloe Hospital purchased the property in December 1993, the
same year the property was rezoned for commercial use. The Enloe organization removed the detached garage
and added a 1624 square foot addition to the south end and a front ramp in 1994.7
Historic Evaluation
As stated, the houses at 1507 and 1537 Magnolia Avenue do not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the
NRHP or the CRHR. The houses do not appear to be significant for their historical associations, nor their
architectural qualities. The houses do not appear to be significant under Criterion A or 1 because they are not
important within the context of the development of Chico Vecino. The houses were built during the general postwar residential expansion occurring throughout the city and are part of the mid-twentieth century infill
construction that occurred in the otherwise well-established Chico Vecino area. The houses are not associated
5
6
Chico City Directories, 1955-1962. Enloe Medical Center Plant Operation Building Files, 1507 Magnolia Avenue; and County
Assessor’s Records, APN 003-023-023.
7
City of Chico Building Permit file, 1537 Magnolia Avenue.; and Enloe Medical Center Plant Operation Building Files, 1537 Magnolia
Avenue.
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*Date
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with persons important to Chico or California history that would make the buildings eligible under Criterion B or
2. Primarily rented properties, owners and residents appear to lack historical significance.
Under Criterion C or 3, the buildings would have to embody distinctive characteristics of type, period, or method
of construction, or be important works of a master builder. The buildings are examples of Minimal Traditional
and Ranch building types commonly represented throughout residential suburbs and urban areas of California
during this period, and are not the work of a master builder. In addition, the buildings are also not significant
under Criterion D or 4 as they have not yielded, nor will likely yield, important information for history. The
houses at 1507 and 1537 Magnolia Avenue also do not appear to be in an area that could constitute a historic
district.
Furthermore, the buildings do not retain historic integrity from their possible period of significance in the 1950s,
as there have been numerous changes to both the buildings and the surrounding setting. The single family
residences converted to hospital uses. The historic integrity of both buildings themselves has diminished from
additions of the walk-in freezer and incinerator at the 1507 address and the extensive addition to 1537 that more
that doubled the size of the building.
Photograph 2. 1507 Magnolia Avenue, camera facing east, July 15, 2004.
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Photograph 3. 1537 Magnolia Avenue, camera facing northwest, July 15, 2004.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
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Map Reference 9
Guest House
*P2. Location:
*a. County
Butte
246 West Fifth Avenue City Chico Zip 95926
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
The building at 246 West Fifth Avenue, which serves as the Enloe Medical Center Guest House, is a 3,267 square
foot, two-story, wood frame Bungalow style house on a raised concrete foundation with a basement (Photograph
1). Originally rectangular in plan, the building has two east and one west side additions. Wood shingles clad the
walls and top a mix of clapboard and V-groove wood siding wall skirting. The low-pitched, side-gable roof has
wide eaves with exposed rafters, and a front centered shed roof dormer with double windows. A clinker brick
chimney rises from the south slope east of the center dormer. The roof is covered with composite shingle and
extends over the front porch supported by four pairs of wood columns. These columns are topped with joinery
work and they rest on wood railing posts bases. (See Continuation Sheet.)
⌧ Building
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
facing northeast, July 15, 2004
accession #)
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
Circa 1913 / Chico City Directories
1531 Esplanade
Davis, CA 95616
July 15, 2004
Survey Type: (Describe) Intensive
*P9. Date Recorded:
*P10.
*P11.
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
Page 2 of
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HRI # ________________________________________
8
6
*NRHP Status Code
*Resource Name or #
Graeber House
B2. Common Name: Arcadian House
B3. Original Use: Single family residence B4.
*B5. Architectural Style: Bungalow
B1. Historic Name:
Present Use:
Hospital Guest House
Built circa 1913; garage added, 1969; porch
addition, 1976; east side day room addition, 1980; garage converted to living space, 1979-1980; ramp added, 1985
*B6.
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
Yes
B9. Architect:
unknown
Unknown
Date:
Original Location:
unknown
n/a
Area
n/a
n/a
Property Type
b. Builder:
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
The building at 246 W. Fifth Avenue does not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the National Register of
Historic Places (NRHP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR). Thus, it does not appear to be
a historical resource for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The building is not
significant under Criterion A and 1 because it is not important within the development of Chico or Chico Vecino.
The building is not associated with any important historical person that would make it significant under Criterion
B and 2. The building does not embody distinctive characteristics of type, period, or method of construction that
would make it significant under Criterion C and 3, nor is it an important work of a master architect or builder.
The building is also not significant under Criterion D and 4 as it has not yielded, nor will likely yield, important
information for history. In addition, the building does not retains historic integrity. The building has been
California Public Resources Code, and does not appear to meet the significance criteria as outlined in these
*B12. References:
See footnotes
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
DPR 523B (1/95)
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HRI # ________________________________________
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A slatted balustrade extends between support bases, enclosing the porch on either side of the centered four
concrete steps that are edged with fieldstone sides topped with concrete. The steps lead to the centered front door
where wide wood casings surround windows and doors, a style carried to the majority of the buildings windows
and doors. The window to the east of the door is a fixed pane; the window to the west of the door has a fixed
center pane flanked by narrower four over one single or double hung windows. The centered door is paneled
wood with four narrow rectangular vertical lights inserted across the top. The remaining windows on the original
structure are a predominately one over one double hung. A bay window covered by a shed roof is located on the
west side where two small wood porches accessed by wood steps on north and south sides access the single story
addition (Photograph 2). The window and door casings on the addition mimics the casings found on the original
portion of the house. An additional door on the north side of the building is reached by a short flight of wood
steps (Photograph 3).
There are two east end additions. The first is a small addition that connects the original building to the larger, east
side single story addition. The small addition is covered by a flat roof and features similar door and window
treatment as the original building. The larger addition to the east is covered by a shallow pitch, side-gable roof
and features aluminum sliding windows with narrow casings (Photograph 4). A wood deck covered on the east
side by a shed awning wraps around the east and south sides and joins with the front porch. This deck is also
accessed by a wood ramp from the southeast corner. Parking lots border the building’s east and north sides.
Historic Context
The building at 246 West Fifth Avenue is located in the Chico Vecino area of Chico on land that was part of
1860 and incorporation in 1872. Chico’s growth slowed during the 1890s, as the city suffered under the economic
depression that was affecting the entire state. The economic slump of the 1890s largely ended for Chico shortly
after the turn of the new century when the Diamond Match Company located a new plant on 300 acres just south
of Chico, in 1903. The company employed 2,500 workers within a few years which created a housing shortage in
the city and prompted an increase of new residential building and creation of subdivisions on the surrounding
land. The arrival of the Diamond Match Company spurred a period of enormous development in Chico from the
early to mid-twentieth century. The city annexed large areas and constructed many important public
improvements during this time including transportation to serve the residential expansions. 1
During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, Chico’s residential development spread first in the
area north of downtown and across Big Chico Creek while land to the south of the city, beyond Chapmanville,
1
History of Butte County, (Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1918), 135, 242, 264, 291, 317, 362; Reproduction of Wells’ and
Books, 1973), 222-223, 228, 242, 289; and Warren L. Johnson, “Pleasant Valley: The Growth of an Unincorporated Fringe of Chico,
California,” Thesis, Chico State College, July 1968, 17-28.
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and to the west bordering the railroad tracks was developed for industrial use. The area beyond the tracks to the
west was highly valued agricultural land, so most residential growth around Chico in the early twentieth century
occurred north and northeast of the city. Bidwell was the first large landholder in Chico to subdivide his land and
he laid out the Chico Vecino (translated Chico neighborhood) subdivision north of town and between Big Chico
Creek and Sandy Gulch (now Lindo Creek). Chico Vecino was laid out in eight lot blocks with spacious 90 by
200 foot lots around “the Esplanade,” the north extension of Chico’s Main Street. Although properties sold
quickly at first, the subdivision remained sparsely populated during the 1890s and early 1900s.2 Both prominent
and middle class residents built houses in Chico Vecino during the 1900s and 1910s. These mostly small to
moderately sized one story houses were built among the larger late nineteenth century homes and represented the
shifting architectural styles of the period from Queen Anne and Italianate to Classical Revival, Colonial Revival,
and Bungalow.3
Like working and middle-class residents in cities across the state, many Chico residents built Bungalow houses in
the 1900s through the 1920s, many of which were likely constructed from catalog or manufactured house-building
kits. Bungalows developed from the nineteenth century small house / cottage tradition and were a popular choice
for small house design throughout California during this period, simple yet well built, with artistic flare imitating
the high-style Craftsman houses designed by Pasadena architects Greene & Greene, or those emulating the ideals
promoted by Gustav Stickley. Bungalows are commonly seen in residential suburbs in most urban areas in
California, with a variety of forms, finishes, and decorative elements. Companies such as Aladdin Homes, Wilson
Bungalows, Montgomery Ward, Sears and Roebuck, and Pacific Ready-Cut mass-marketed these small kit houses
in catalogs throughout the country, making the Bungalow a common and easily accessible choice for the working
and middle classes.
The house at 246 West Fifth Avenue was typical construction for the time. The house was built around 1913 for
Oliver Graeber, a clerk at a local haberdashery named “The Hub,” and his wife Anna. The Graebers lived in the
house only a short time, selling in 1914 to Frank Sharp, a local realtor.4 As the area developed, Chico Vecino
became a mix of suburban-style residences and semi-rural properties, particularly to the west of the Esplanade
where many houses had water tanks and stables, and encompassed whole blocks. There were also orchards
located north and west of Sixth and Arcadian avenues well into the mid-twentieth century.
The need for access to city services during the early years of the 1900s prompted Chico Vecino residents, along
with those of other outlaying subdivisions, to seek annexation into the city. The City of Chico annexed Chico
Vecino in 1918 which increased demand for nearby goods and services leading to the construction of commercial
and institutional properties along or near the Esplanade. Enloe Hospital was first established on the Esplanade
between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in 1937, becoming one of the most prominent institutional properties in Chico
Vecino. 5
2
3
1890s.
4
Chico City Directories, 1909-1920; and Sanborn Insurance Maps, Chico, 1902, 1909.
5
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Residential construction continued in Chico Vecino during the 1920s and early 1930s, but slowed during the
Depression. The rate of house construction began to recover during the late 1930s in the period leading up to
World War II. After World War II, Chico and the surrounding vicinity grew quickly during the post-war boom.
Developers built residential subdivisions on the outskirts of the city, such as those north of Lindo Creek, at the
same time that vacant parcels in Chico Vecino were increasingly infilled with Minimal Traditional and Ranch
style houses in the late 1940s and 1950s. The area surrounding Enloe Hospital lost its residual rural qualities
during this period. Smaller houses were built on the remaining vacant parcels in the area or on parcels that once
were inhabited by outbuildings that belonged to the old larger houses. Modest Ranch and Minimal Traditional
style houses appeared in the 1940s and 1950s. During the 1940s and the post-war period Chico Vecino also
changed as the north end of the Esplanade in became increasingly more commercial. Enloe Hospital also
expanded its facilities in the post war period. The hospital not only built new wings between the 1950s and 1980
on the original 1937 building, but also built and used various service buildings at the corner of Fifth Avenue and
Magnolia Avenue west of the main hospital that are now demolished. 6
The neighborhood immediately around Enloe hospital changed in the latter part of the twentieth century as
property owners modified their early to mid-twentieth century houses and the Enloe organization purchased
neighborhood houses for conversion to hospital uses or to demolish them for parking lots. While Chico Vecino,
also referred to as “the Avenues,” and the area around Enloe Hospital continued to be home to single family
houses, many area residences became rental properties, some of which were inhabited by college students
attending California State University, Chico.
Several owners / tenants occupied the house after the Graebers left in 1914. Miles Treaster, a live stock dealer,
rented the property in 1920.7 Clarence and Hannah Samuelson, local ranchers, occupied the house in the early
1920s. During the mid-1930s through the early 1940s Peveril Meigs, a professor at Chico State Teacher’s College
(today California State University, Chico) occupied the house with his family. Horace Ludden, a foreman with
Pacific Gas and Electric, and his wife Maude lived in the house during the late 1940s and early 1950s. In 1960,
Mr. And Mrs. Ray Kinner purchased the house. Kinner ran a local pizza parlor, Pizon’s. The Kinners converted
the house to a nursing home in 1977. During this time the owners added two porches and the dayroom, and
converted the garage to living space.8 Enloe Hospital purchased the property in April 1985, added the access
ramp the same year, and converted the house for hospital office use. It now houses the hospital guest house and
call it Arcadian House.9
Historic Evaluation
of the development of Chico Vecino. The house was built during the general residential expansion throughout the
city and its surrounding neighborhood brought on by early twentieth century industrial development. Although
6
7
United States Federal Population Census Schedule, Chico Township, Butte County, California.
8
Chico City Directories, 1909-1962; and Butte County Assessor’s Records, APN 003-022-014.
9
Enloe Medical Center Plant Operation Building Files, 246 West Fifth Avenue.
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the house is among the older properties in the area, it lacks individual importance within the trends and events
significant in local, state, or national history. The house is not associated with persons important to Chico or
California history that would make the building eligible under Criterion B or 2. Although many of the owners and
occupants were likely established, well-known members of the community, they do not appear to have made
significant contributions to local, state, or national history.
Under Criterion C or 3, the building is a good, but undistinguished, example of a Bungalow with some Craftsman
architectural features typically used in the higher quality Bungalows, such as the joinery of the porch posts or the
large sculpted window and door surrounds. While these features are good examples of decorative elements used
on Bungalows during this period, the overall design of the building is common to its type and period, and it is
similar to houses represented throughout residential suburbs and urban areas of California during this period. The
house may also be catalog kit building and is not the work of a master architect or builder. In addition, the
building is also not significant under Criterion D or 4 as it has not yielded, nor will likely yield, important
information for history. The house at 246 West Fifth Avenue also does not appear to be in an area that could
constitute a historic district. Although there are other houses from the early twentieth century in the vicinity, there
does not appear to be a sufficient concentration of buildings that could be considered historic and there are many
mid to late twentieth century buildings and structures in this portion of Chico Vecino.
Furthermore, the building does not retains historic integrity from its possible period of significance in the 1910s
and 1920s during Chico Vecino’s early twentieth century development. As discussed, there have been numerous
changes to both the building and the surrounding setting. Particularly since the 1960s, the neighborhood has
developed and changed in character as infill between originally widely spaced residences brought a mix of
architectural styles and periods of housing. In addition, integrity of setting was further compromised by the
addition of surrounding parking lots. The building’s historic integrity diminished with structural changes, such as
the porch additions, and east and west wing additions that changed the original footprint.
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HRI # ________________________________________
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Photograph 3. Camera facing southeast, July 15, 2004.
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DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
6
Map Reference 10
*P2. Location:
*a. County
Butte
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
The residence at 226 West Fifth Avenue is a 1,538 square-foot, one-story wood frame stucco clad building
constructed on a raised concrete foundation (Photograph 1). The Minimal Traditional style residence has a
pyramidal hipped roof sheathed in composite shingle with a small dormer vent on the east side, a ridged hipped
roof extension on the southeast corner, and a gable roof covering a rear extension added in 1959 (Photograph 2).
A small entry with a wood panel doors is covered with a flat roof and sits in the interior of the L. A modest
concrete porch reached by a concrete step accesses the entry. (See Continuation Sheet.)
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
facing northeast, July 14, 2004
accession #)
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
records
Genevieve Herseth
226 West Fifth Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
*P9. Date Recorded:
July 14, 2004
Intensive
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
Page 2 of
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
6
6
*NRHP Status Code
*Resource Name or #
B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
Single family residence B4. Present Use: Single family residence
*B5. Architectural Style: Minimal Traditional
*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alteration, and date of alterations) Built 1940; original garage converted to guest
house 1952; 300 square foot rear addition constructed 1959; detached garage constructed 1964
B3. Original Use:
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
Yes
B9. Architect:
Unknown
Date:
Original Location:
b. Builder:
n/a
n/a
Area
n/a
Property Type
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
The house at 226 West Fifth Avenue does not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the National Register of
Historic Places (NRHP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) and does not appear to be a
also has not yielded, nor will likely yield, important information for history (Criterion D or 4). While the house
retains elements of its historic integrity from when it was constructed, it lacks historic significance. The building
has been evaluated in accordance with Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the CEQA Guidelines outlined in Section
5024.1 of the California Public Resources Code, and does not appear to meet the significance criteria as outlined
in these guidelines. (See Continuation Sheet.)
*B12. References:
See footnotes.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
DPR 523B (1/95)
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HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
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*Date
July 14, 2004 ⌧
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Fenestration consists of a mixture of original casements and double hung windows, aluminum frame vertical
sliding windows, a large fixed pane window on the north wall and one small round window on the south wall of
the front entry. A brick planter under a triple window also decorates the front façade. An exterior stucco covered
chimney is located on the west wall where there is also a side entry reached by concrete steps and covered by a
metal awning. A former garage converted to living space is located off the northwest corner of the residence and
is attached by an enclosed breezeway. A replacement garage is located at the back of the lot (Photograph 3).
This is a wood frame, single garage covered by a front gable roof sheathed in composite shingle and sided with
wood siding. The west side includes an aluminum frame vertical sliding window and a tilt-up wood door is
located on the south end.
Historic Context
during the late 1930s in the period leading up to World War II and continued after the war as Chico and the
surrounding vicinity grew quickly during the mid-twentieth century boom. Vacant parcels in Chico Vecino were
increasingly infilled with Minimal Traditional and modest Ranch style houses in the 1940s and 1950s. The area
surrounding Enloe Hospital lost its residual rural qualities during this period as smaller houses, such as the house
226 West Fifth Avenue, were built on vacant parcels or they replaced outbuildings belonging to the old larger
houses.1
1
222-223, 228;Warren L. Johnson, “Pleasant Valley: The Growth of an Unincorporated Fringe of Chico, California,” Thesis, Chico State
DPR 523L (1/95)
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HRI # ________________________________________
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____________________________________________
*Date
July 14, 2004 ⌧
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of simplicity and unadorned surfaces of the Modern architectural movement began to influence domestic
earlier housing, but without the decorative detailing. Generally, these residences were built with low to medium
roof pitches with close rather than wide overhanging eaves. They were modestly sized, of wood frame
Some were given large chimneys.2 Minimal Traditional style homes were built in great numbers in California,
commonly in large tracts, as developers tried to meet the growing demand for affordable housing.
through the 1980s onto the original 1937 building, but also built and used various service buildings at the corner
of Fifth Avenue and Magnolia Avenue west of the main hospital that are now demolished. The neighborhood
houses for conversion to office space or to demolish them for parking lots. While Chico Vecino, also referred to
University, Chico.3
The house at 226 West Fifth Avenue was typical neighborhood infill construction in the 1940s. Constructed in
1940, W. C. Walker, a salesman with Bidwell Motors, first occupied the house. By 1950, Edgar and Alta Jillson
resided at the address. Mr. Jillson was a salesman at LA & JZ Company. Richard J. Price, employed with State
Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance, purchased the property by 1952. Price converted the garage into a
guesthouse in 1952 then extended the house on the south side to connect the guesthouse to the house in 1955. In
1959, Price added a 300 square foot den to the rear of the house. Orlin E. and Genevieve Herseth purchased the
property in the early 1960s and Mrs. Herseth continues to reside at the address. The Herseths constructed the
garage at the north end of the property in 1964.4
2
Highway, ” 11-13; Sanborn Insurance Maps, 1921-1949; City of Chico Building permits; and Butte County Assessor’s files.
4
Chico City Directories, 1940-1965; City of Chico Building Permits #743, #2161, and #4821, 226 West Fifth Avenue; and County
Assessor’s Records, APN 003-023-008.
3
DPR 523L (1/95)
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HRI # ________________________________________
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*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 14, 2004 ⌧
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Historic Evaluation
As stated, the house at 226 West Fifth Avenue does not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the NRHP or the
of the development of Chico Vecino. The house was built during the general residential expansion occurring
throughout the city and are part of the mid-twentieth century infill construction that occurred in the otherwise
well-established Chico Vecino area. The house is not associated with persons important to Chico or California
history that would make the building eligible under Criterion B or 2.
Under Criterion C or 3, the building is an example of a Minimal Traditional, a building type commonly
represented throughout residential suburbs and urban areas of California during this period. It does not embody
distinctive characteristics of type, period, or method of construction, or is an important work of a master architect
or builder. In addition, the building is also not significant under Criterion D or 4 as it has not yielded, nor will
likely yield, important information for history. The house at 226 West Fifth Avenue also does not appear to be in
an area that could constitute a historic district.
Only minor modifications have been made to the exterior of 226 West Fifth Avenue, such as the garage
conversion and room addition on the north end of the building. In general, it retains historic integrity to its
possible period of significance in the 1940s, though its setting has changed. The single family neighborhood has
developed and changed in character, as parking lots filled in empty lots and surrounding single family residences
converted to hospital uses. Although it retains integrity, the former residence lacks historic significance.
DPR 523L (1/95)
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HRI # ________________________________________
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____________________________________________
*Date
July 14, 2004 ⌧
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Photograph 2: Rear extension, camera facing southwest, July 14, 2004
Photograph 3. Detached garage, camera facing northeast, July 14, 2004.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
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Map Reference 12
Enloe Hospital
*P2. Location:
*a. County
Butte
1531 Esplanade City Chico Zip 95926
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
Set along the tree-lined Esplanade (Photograph 1), the Enloe Medical Center (EMC), formerly Enloe Hospital, is
a large and complex building that includes multiple wings and various modifications made to it over its nearly
seven decade history. Dr. Newton Thomas Enloe had the original Spanish Eclectic style hospital built in 19361937. The hospital built major additions to the facility between 1950 and the mid-1980s, as shown in the Sketch
Plan. The building now covers most of the block between the Esplanade, Magnolia Avenue, West Fifth Avenue,
and West Sixth Avenue. This form describes the building complex by section, starting with the original building
and proceeding through each addition. (See Continuation Sheet.)
*P3b. Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes) (HP41) Hospital
⌧ Building
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
facing northwest, July 14, 2004
accession #)
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
1937 and 1950-1985/ Butte County
Assessor’s Records; City of Chico
Building Permits; EMC records
1531 Esplanade
Chris McMorris/Cindy Toffelmier
Davis, CA 95616
July 15, 2004
*P9. Date Recorded:
*P10.
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
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Map Reference 12
Enloe Hospital
B2. Common Name: Enloe Medical Center
B3. Original Use: Hospital B4. Present Use: Hospital
*B5. Architectural Style: Spanish Eclectic; Modern; Utilitarian
B1. Historic Name:
Built 1936-1937; Major additions built or
completed in 1950, 1959, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1980, 1982, and 1985.
*B7. Moved?
⌧ No
Yes
B9. Architect:
Unknown
Date:
Original Location:
None
Various (see B10)
b. Builder:
n/a
Various (see B10)
Area
n/a
n/a
Property Type
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
Enloe Medical Center at 1531 Esplanade, formerly Enloe Hospital, does not appear to meet the criteria for listing
in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) and
thus does not meet the criteria to be considered a historical resource for the purposes of the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The hospital is historically significant under NRHP Criteria A and B as well
as CRHR Criteria 1 and 2, but it lacks the historic integrity to convey that significance. Enloe Hospital does not
appear to be significant under neither NRHP Criteria C and D or CRHR 3 and 4. The building has been evaluated
in accordance with Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the CEQA Guidelines outlined in Section 5024.1 of the California
Public Resources Code, and does not appear to meet the significance criteria as outlined in these guidelines. (See
Continuation Sheet.)
*B12. References:
See footnotes.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
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The original Spanish Eclectic 1937 portion of Enloe Hospital is the long narrow wood frame stucco clad one to
two story section, with a Mission tile roof, that sits parallel to the Esplanade. The center of building is a two story
cross gable section that has a pyramid roof tower on its northern slope. The building’s modest Spanish style
architectural detail includes the scalloped concrete edging that follows the roofline of the two-story center section
and tower, decorative stucco vents, and a double-arched window on the central section. The Mission tiles are only
on the front of the building. A neon sign reading “ENLOE HOSPITAL” sits above the double-arched window.
Historic photographs of the hospital indicate this sign is original to the hospital, although the word “hospital” was
moved from beneath the arched window to its current location, likely when the front administration wing was
added.1 (Photograph 2). A flight of exterior steel stairs were added at the southeast corner of the central section
leading from an contemporary solid metal door at the second floor that provides emergency egress. Elongated,
rectangular, metal casement windows with wide stucco sills are symmetrically spaced both on the central section
and down the length of both wings. Some window openings appear to have been infilled, a few have been
replaced with aluminum sashes, and there are also new metal anodized fix sash windows that have been added.
The building’s original façade has been obscured by unsymmetrical additions made in 1959, 1965, and 1971, as
discussed below. On the west side of the 1937 section, the hospital originally had a one story connector that led to
the kitchen wing. The emergency department entrance was located under the kitchen wing connector via
ambulance ramps leading to the basement level from both West Sixth Avenue and West Fifth Avenue. The
basement level entry has been enclosed and the connector now has a second floor, but remnants of the ramps are
still evident, although they are now obscured by later additions. (Photograph 3) Portions of the gable roof
kitchen wing were incorporated into additions made in 1971.
The hospital built its first addition in 1950. The one story wood frame addition was a new maternity wing added
to the north end of the original building extending west. The new wing blended with the original building by
using the same style hipped tiled roof and smooth stucco wall cladding. None of the Spanish style detail was
imitated, but a water table detail was added at the bottom of the exterior walls. The north entrance is recessed
with concrete steps leading to a pair of glass doors. Elongated, rectangular windows with wide stucco sills mimic
the 1937 building but the windows are a mix of horizontal sliding aluminum and vertical sliding vinyl
replacement sashes (Photograph 4). Windows on the south side of the wing, where the original nursery viewing
platform was located, have been infilled.
The hospital built its second addition in 1959, also on the maternity ward. This wing protrudes east from the
building’s façade near the north end. The wood frame addition has a shallow hipped roof with wide eaves and is
sheathed in composite shingle. The smooth stucco clad wing has square, metal casement windows with flush
stucco sills. The recessed, double glass door primary entrance is located on the wing’s east end and is reached by
a concrete ramp. An awning covered concrete deck and ramp on the wing’s north side at one time provided a
later exterior viewing platform into the hospital nursery (Photograph 5).
The hospital built its second addition to the building’s façade. This is the wing situated in front of the main
entrance extending east. (Photograph 2) The wing has a front gable roof sheathed in rolled composite with wide
1
See photo collection of Jervis Henry Eastman at the University of California Davis, Shields Library Special Collections, available
online through the Harvest UC Davis Library Catalog at: http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/. For example, the hospital is show prior to any
additions in Eastman collection photo 6128 taken in 1948.
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boxed eaves supported by purlins. The Modern style of the glass wall in the east gable end includes a pair of
doors. Large curtains are hung on the interior of these windows. A concrete patio edged with a concrete planter
is situated in front of the glass wall. This extends across the entire east end and is accessed by a short flight of
steps on the north side. North and south walls are stucco and each have four evenly spaced narrow windows
stretching from roof to foundation, further emphasizing the wing’s modern characteristics.
The northwest corner of the hospital is mostly comprised of the surgery wing built in 1967, though it is now
largely enclosed by later additions. There is a two story 1982 addition that covers the north end of the wing and
the bed tower completed in 1980 sits on the south end. The surgery wing was largely detached from the main
building when originally constructed. The remaining exterior concrete tilt-up walls of this steel frame building
wing are visible from Magnolia Avenue and the courtyard adjacent to Neuro-trauma. Several single, flush metal
doors on the west side provide access from the surgeon’s parking lot. A shelf near the roof and extending
approximately three quarters of the west wall length supports pipework that extends from the roof. (Photograph
6) The 1982 addition on the north end is also of tilt-up concrete panel construction and has a tall parapet
surrounding a flat roof. A ribbon of metal frame clerestory windows extends down the north side length and there
is a recessed entrance accessible by concrete steps and a concrete ramp running along the north wall.
(Photograph 7)
The hospital made several additions to its facility in 1971, all attached to the original 1937 portion of the building.
These sections are the Neuro-trauma wing situated between maternity and surgery at the north end, the kitchen /
pharmacy wing in the middle of the complex, and the Medical East wing at the south end at the corner of the
Esplanade and West Fifth Avenue. The Neuro-trauma wing is a concrete panel building with a rectangular
footprint, hipped roof, and aluminum sliding windows that line the south wall. (Photograph 8) A small waiting
room was added on the north side of this wing in 1985. The irregularly shaped waiting room has large rounded
windows that look out at a large tree that is now surrounded by the hospital wings. The kitchen / pharmacy wing
encased the original 1937 kitchen wing. It is also of concrete panel construction. It has a south facing loading
dock and large pane vertical windows at its southeast corner. (Photograph 9) The gable roof of the original
kitchen wing is visible from the courtyard next to Neuro-trauma behind a small wood frame exterior covered
seating area. The East Medical Wing has a rectangular footprint and a hipped roof with wide boxed eaves that is
covered with composition shingles. The wide eaves provide coverage for two inset planters on the south wall.
Wall cladding is stucco panels. A mix of aluminum sliding and casement windows line the north and south walls.
Recessed modern doors in the east end are reached by a concrete ramp with steel hand railings. (Photograph 10)
A driveway west of this wing provides access to the interior loading courtyard located west of the original south
wing.
The southwest corner of the hospital is dominated by the five story bed tower built between 1978 and 1980. The
steel frame modular design building has a brick clad base with upper floors clad in concrete panel. The flat roof
has a helicopter-landing pad. The building’s rectangular anodized metal windows have rounded corners. The
Trauma Center ambulance covered entrance is located at the west end of the tower and the emergency room
entranced is located on south side of the tower adjacent to the landscaped area at the corner of West Fifth Avenue
and Magnolia Avenue. There is a two story extension off the south side of the tower that serves as the hospital’s
main entrance. Its design is similar to the tower’s. Part of this addition is the one story concrete panel section set
back from the west side of the 1967 surgery wing on the north side of the tower. (Photographs 11 and 6)
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Historic Context
Enloe Medical Center, formerly Enloe Hospital, is located in the Chico Vecino area of Chico on land that was part
of “Rancho del Arroyo Chico” purchased by John Bidwell in 1849. Bidwell, the central figure in nineteenth
establishment in 1860 and incorporation in 1872. Chico’s growth slowed during the 1890s, but rebounded shortly
after the turn of the new century when the Diamond Match Company located a new plant south of Chico in 1903.
The arrival of the Diamond Match Company spurred a period of enormous development in Chico from the early
to mid-twentieth century. The city annexed large areas and constructed many important public improvements
during this time, transportation to serve the residential expansions. 2
During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, Chico’s residential development spread first in the
area north of downtown and across Big Chico Creek while land to the south of the city and to the west bordering
the railroad tracks was developed for industrial use. The area beyond the tracks to the west was highly valued
agricultural land, so most residential growth around Chico in the early twentieth century occurred north and
northeast of the city. Bidwell was the first large landholder in Chico to subdivide his land, and he laid out the
Sandy Gulch (now Lindo Creek). Although properties sold quickly at first, the subdivision remained sparsely
Vecino during the 1900s and 1910s. These mostly small to moderately sized one story houses were built among
the larger late nineteenth century homes.4 As the area developed, Chico Vecino became a mix of suburban-style
residences and semi-rural properties, particularly to the west of the Esplanade where many houses had water tanks
and stables, and encompassed whole blocks. The City of Chico annexed Chico Vecino in 1918 which increased
demand for nearby goods and services leading to the construction of commercial and institutional properties along
or near the Esplanade. Enloe Hospital was first established on the Esplanade between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in
1937, becoming one of the most prominent institutional properties in Chico Vecino. 5
Many of Chico’s early residents came to California during the Gold Rush, as did doctors who established medical
practices in the developing mining, timber, and agricultural based communities of Butte County. Several groups
established hospitals in Chico in the first years of the twentieth century. In 1903, a group of Catholic Sisters
based in Sacramento contracted with Diamond Match Company to open a hospital to care for the Company’s
injured workers. Two years later, four nurses opened the Florence Nightingale Hospital on Seventh Street at
Broadway, later moving to the corner of Second Street and Hazel where the hospital remained in operation until
2
George Mansfield, History of Butte County, (Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1918), 362.
4
1890s.
5
3
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1908. Dr. Newton Thomas Enloe established one of the other Chico Hospitals on Flume Street where the first
Enloe Hospital opened in 1913.6
Dr. Newton Thomas Enloe was born in Missouri in 1872 and received his medical training in Louisville,
Kentucky, and at Washington University in St. Louis, where he graduated with a medical degree in 1895. Enloe
opened his first practice in Jefferson City, Missouri, but moved west with his sister and young son in 1901, briefly
stopping in Pueblo, Colorado, before settling in Butte County. Enloe’s first wife had died before the move. Once
in California, Enloe established a clinic for the Sierra Lumber Company in their West Branch lumber camp
located north of Paradise. Enloe served as company physician and initiated an innovative and successful prepaid,
group medical plan for the lumberjacks and their families. Enloe built this hospital using surplus lumber provided
by the lumber company. The facility was crude, measuring approximately twenty square feet. When he needed
equipment and instruments that were unavailable, Enloe improvised by requesting the local blacksmith to
construct the necessary instruments based on Enloe’s own designs. Enloe sent cases that required more medical
attention to Sisters Hospital in Chico.7
Enloe moved to Chico in 1904, and entered into private general practice, first setting up an office in the Morehead
Building, although he continued providing medical services in West Branch. Enloe wanted to establish a hospital
where he could control and maintain a high standard of medical treatment, a situation Enloe felt the community
was lacking.8 His practice had expanded sufficiently by 1911, that Enloe purchased land between Third and
Fourth Streets to build a hospital and this facility opened in 1913 at 330 Flume Street with three doctors and five
nurses. Enloe introduced several innovative practices at this hospital, including an ambulance service and an early
X-ray unit. In 1917, Enloe established a nurses training facility at the hospital, which gained accreditation by the
State Board of Health and was the only accredited nursing school between Sacramento and Portland, Oregon at
the time. In addition to general practice, Enloe's surgical skills led to his appointment as chief surgeon of the
Diamond Match Company. One of his most well know surgical cases occurred in 1936 when he preformed what
he termed “the unique operation of his career” by turning and correcting the “upside down” stomach of a patient
that had previous consulted 28 doctors without results. Enloe enjoyed a highly regarded reputation throughout
Northern California.9
When World War I began, Enloe closed both the hospital and nurse training program and volunteered for service
in the Army Medical Reserve Corps. Enloe was a commissioned captain assigned to Camp Lewis, American
Lake, Washington, where he stayed for eleven months. With Enloe’s permission, the Red Cross used his Chico
hospital briefly in 1918 during the influenza epidemic. After Enloe returned from military duty, he reopened the
Flume Street hospital. By the 1920s, the expanding hospital needed a larger facility and Enloe investigated a new
site on the Esplanade between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Although initial attempts to build a hospital in the Chico
6
“Hospitals of the Past,” Chico Enterprise-Record: Chico Centennial Celebration Edition (Chico: Chico Enterprise-Record, 1960), n.p;
and William H. Hood, Physicians of Butte County California, 1850-1900 (Chico: W. H. Hood, 1980), 1-3.
7
This account is from a 1958 interview conducted by Gerald L. Hodges with Mrs. Anna Weast, Dr. Enloe’s close friend and coworker
for many years, and included in Gerald L. Hodges, “The Development of the Enloe Hospitals, 1902 to 1937” (Class paper, Chico State
College, 1958), 3.
8
Hodges, “The Development of Enloe Hospitals, 1902-1937,” 7; “Hospitals of the Past” Centennial Edition, 1960; J. M. Ginn, History of
the State of California and Biographical Record of Sacramento Valley (Chicago: Chapman, 1906), 1590; and David Durham,
California’s Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State (Clovis: Quill Driver Books/Word Dancer
Press, 1998), 333.
9
Chico Record, January 9, 1937, 4.
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Vecino neighborhood in 1923 fell through, in 1935 work finally began on the new hospital.10 Dr. Enloe remained
active in the administration of his hospital and personally opened the new hospital at age sixty-five. The doctor
was also involved in Chico’s civic activities, serving over time as president of the Chamber of Commerce, as
chairman of the Board of Education, and as a member of the Chico Planning Commission. Enloe also opened a
tuberculosis sanitarium in Paradise between 1925 and 1929. He also remarried several times and had several
more children. He died in 1954 in the hospital he founded on the Esplanade.11
The Enloe Hospital was constructed in 1936 and opened January 11, 1937. It was Chico’s main hospital for much
of the twentieth century and was the only hospital in the city during the late 1930s and early 1940s as well as from
the early the 1950s through the early 1960s.12 When the hospital on the Esplanade opened spacious lawns
surrounded the Spanish Eclectic style building, and it had extensive landscaped grounds that were in keeping with
the stately neighboring properties. The new hospital opened as a 52-bed facility with 45 rooms including offices
and workrooms. When possible, Enloe chose local contractors to provide materials and labor. Architects Cole &
Brouchard of Chico designed the building and Chico contractor, Merrick Evans, acted as the General Contractor.
The Diamond Match Company provided lumber, millwork, and building materials. Other local contractors
provided goods and services to complete the building. Dr. Enloe even took part in designing furniture for the
rooms, including beds that would convert to fracture beds as needed.13
The Enloe facility on the Esplanade went through successive periods of expansion from the 1950s into the 1980s,
as shown in the Sketch Plan, and spread out from its original location on the east half of Chico Vecino block 66.
The hospital originally had a long rectangular footprint with a two story tower at the center that also had a
basement. The facility’s kitchen wing and heating plant were located west of the tower. There also was a small
ward building next to the kitchen wing. For many decades the hospital’s main entrance was on the Esplanade, and
until the 1960s its emergency services was on the west side of the building where ambulances descended down a
ramp opposite the front entrance of the building. The hospital also constructed small buildings on the southwest
portion of the block, which Enloe likely purchased in the 1930s or soon thereafter, and maintained the mid-block
alleyway until the 1960s. The buildings in the southwest corner of the block included a doctor’s clinic and utility
buildings that were demolished with construction of the tower wing that began in the late 1970s.
Within a decade of its opening, demand was sufficient that Enloe planned its first expansion, a 15-bed maternity
wing at the north end of the building extending outward on the west side, that opened in December 1950. The
hospital constructed the new wing to meet the demands of the post-war baby boom. Chico architect Thomas
Dunlap designed the ward, which included a nursery-viewing platform on the south side that enabled visitors to
view infants through the window without entering the hospital. J. McArbity Construction were the contractors for
its construction. This initial expansion continued some of the building’s original features, such as the Mission tile
roof and a stucco exterior.14 After Dr. Enloe’s death in 1954, responsibility for the hospital passed to his wife,
10
“Hospitals of the Past” Chico Centennial Celebration Edition (1960), n.p; and Mansfield, History of Butte County, 669-670.
“Dr. N.T. Enloe Dies in Hospital He Built Here,” Chico Enterprise Record, December 22, 1954, 1.
12
“Open House Today, Tomorrow,” Chico Enterprise, 1, 4; Hodges, “The Development of Enloe Hospitals, 1902-1937,” 17; and N.T.
Enloe Memorial Hospital, “60 Years of Healing,” Annual Report Souvenir, 1973. Other Chico Hospitals included the Cottage Hospital
which Dr. Harold Ellis operated between 1944 and 1952 as well as the Chico Community Memorial Hospital which opened in 1964.
Enloe Medical Center acquired Chico Community Memorial Hospital in 1997.
13
“Open House Today, Tomorrow,” Chico Enterprise, 1, 4; and Hodges, “The Development of Enloe Hospitals, 1902-1937,” 17.
14
McGie, History of Butte County, Vol. 2, (Oroville: Butte County Board of Education, 1982), 124.
11
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Dorothy, until her death in 1956 and then to Dr. Enloe’s three surviving children, Nancy, Ida, and Thomas Enloe.
Under their governance, the hospital added the another new wing to the maternity ward in 1959, designed by
another Chico architect Thomas Dunley. The hospital further expanded its maternity facilities by constructing this
addition on the building’s main façade near the north end. This single story hipped roof wing did not include
architectural features of the original building or 1950 addition. Rather, it was built with a utilitarian exterior with
wide eaves and a secondary Esplanade entrance.
In the early 1960s, the Enloe siblings had San Francisco architects Stone, Marraccini, and Patterson design the
hospital’s first master plan which called for multiple phases of expansion, including construction of the
administration and surgery wings. The hospital completed its second addition to the building’s façade in 1965
with addition of the one story gable roof lobby and administration front wing. This new central entry was a large
glazed enclosure that presented its Modern architectural design in contrast to the building’s original form. This
new visually open and well lit entrance was likely considered more welcoming than the building’s original entry.
The hospital later moved the main entry and covered this wing’s large glass front with drapery, dulling the
original architectural effect.
The hospital proceeded with its largest expansion to date in the mid 1960s that was to include a new emergency
department, laboratories, surgery, and various other treatment centers including the respiratory care center. Enloe
Hospital acquired the northwest corner of its block to erect what is now generally referred to as the surgery wing
and closed the north end of the alleyway. Prior to completion of the expansion, Enloe Hospital converted from a
proprietary hospital to a nonprofit community hospital in 1966, to be governed by a board of trustees, which
included Dr. Enloe’s son Dr. Thomas Enloe. The facility was renamed N. T. Enloe Memorial Hospital. The
hospital completed the surgery wing in 1967. The new wing was attached to the main hospital building only by
an exterior walkway, at the time, connected to the west side of the maternity ward. The hospital shifted the
emergency room entry to West Sixth Avenue.
By the late 1960s, the hospital’s master plan had been revised and included a new set of expansions that the
hospital built in the early 1970s. This phase of construction included three new units, adding over fifteen
thousand square feet to the hospital, designed by Chico architect Lawrence G. Thomson. The hospital built the
south wing, now called Medical East, and a specialized care unit, now called neuro trauma, in 1971 along with a
large expansion of the original kitchen / mechanical wing at the center of the west side. The hospital’s 1967 and
1971 expansions were all single story buildings that had largely utilitarian exterior appearances. The new south
wing extended both east and west of the original building’s south end and completed the asymmetrical Esplanade
façade. The former kitchen wing now included a cafeteria, a lobby, gift shop, physical therapy, and a loading
dock.
Planning for further expansions continued in the 1970s and by 1976, trustees announced plans for Enloe’s last
major project of the twentieth century. Construction on the hospital’s five story tower, including a basement,
began in 1978 and was completed in 1980. Designed by architects Frederick S. Scot and Harry J. Varwig of St.
Louis, Missouri, its size and contemporary design was again an architectural departure from previous expansions.
The tower’s large panel walls featured rounded rectangular windows and a brick clad base. It also included a
helicopter landing pad on the roof, although it was another two years before it was approved for use. The hospital
moved its main entrance to West Fifth Avenue and Magnolia Avenue in the single story south extension set
adjacent to a new landscaped garden. The hospital also moved the emergency room to Magnolia Avenue with a
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covered emergency room entrance at the west end of the tower. This phase of hospital expansion included a
proposal for the demolition of the 1950 wing for a parking lot, but this project never occurred. In 1982, the
hospital added the two story extension to the north end of the surgery wing and built the respiratory / physical
therapy wing underground to the west of the surgery wing.15 With the addition of a small waiting room in 1985, in
what had become the hospital’s northern courtyard, set between maternity, special care, and surgery, Enloe
completed the facility one sees today at 1531 Esplanade. The hospital continued to meet facilities and parking
demands by acquiring and altering existing properties in the surrounding neighborhood during the 1980s, 1990s,
and early 2000s.
Historic Evaluation
Enloe Hospital, now Enloe Medical Center, at 1531 Esplanade is historically significant under Criteria A / 1 and
Criteria B / 2, but it lacks the historic integrity to convey that significance. Enloe Hospital does not appear to be
significant under Criteria C or 3, as it was a modest example of Spanish Eclectic architecture for its period and
none of its extensions are architecturally significant. It also does not appear to be significant under Criteria D or 4
because its components are formed from buildings types and construction methodologies that are well
documented, thus the hospital in not an important source of information regarding historic construction or
technologies.
Enloe Hospital is significant under Criteria A and 1 for its association with the broad patterns of local and regional
history as an important hospital and medical facility significant within the context of the development of Chico
and the Chico region during the mid-twentieth century. Enloe Hospital was the central hospital in and around
Chico. It brought up-to-date medical care to the city and its surrounding area during the mid-twentieth century,
continually seeking to improve its facilities and services. Enloe Hospital also is significant under Criteria B and 2
for its association with Dr. Newton Thomas Enloe, one of the most important and influential physicians in Chico
during the first half of the twentieth century. He was a prominent and noted surgeon during his career as well as
being a skilled health care administrator. He successfully carried out surgical procedures that other doctors in
Northern California were unable to conduct. He was also highly successful in bringing improved and modern
health care to patients in and around Chico. Construction of Enloe Hospital on the Esplanade was the culmination
of his efforts to improve medical care in the city and its surrounding region. He is directly associated with the
hospital because he was influential in its construction and deeply involved with its administration until his death
(in the hospital itself) in 1954. The hospital is thus directly associated with the latter part of Enloe’s productive
career. Based on this historic significance, the property’s possible period of significance would be 1937 to 1954,
encompassing its opening and early period of operation up to Enloe’s death.
As described, Enloe Hospital continued to expand its facility from the 1950s to the 1980s, as shown in the Sketch
Plan. Portions of the building as it appeared in the period 1937 to 1954, including the original building and 1950
maternity wing, are still extant, yet those portions of the facility have largely been covered or obscured by
subsequent wings and modifications. Therefore, Enloe Hospital lacks historic integrity of design, setting,
materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and it does not convey the physical characteristics of its period
of significance.
15
McGie, History of Butte County, Vol. 2, 230; Bill Talbitzer, Butte County, An Illustrated History, (Northridge, CA: Windsor
Publications, Inc., 1987), 100-101; Sylvia Storla Clarke, “Hospital Paths from the Papaw Patch,” Butte Remembers (Butte County: Butte
County Branch, The National League of American Pen Women, 1973), 15-16.
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Sketch Plan:
[Source: Enloe Medical Center Plant Operations. Plan scale is approximate.]
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Photograph 2. East side, camera facing northwest, July 15, 2004.
Photograph 3. West side of 1937 section, camera facing northeast, original
ambulance ramp visible behind the small gate, July 15, 2004.
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Photograph 4. Northeast corner along West Sixth Avenue, camera facing
Photograph 5. East side, north wing, camera facing northwest,
July 15, 2004.
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Photograph 6. Northwest corner, camera facing south, July 15, 2004.
Photograph 7. North side along West Sixth Avenue, camera facing
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Photograph 8. North courtyard, neuro-trauma on the left, camera facing east,
July 14, 2004.
Photograph 9. Service courtyard, camera facing northeast, July 14, 2004.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 15 of
15
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 12
Update
Photograph 10. Southeast corner of complex along West Fifth Avenue,
camera facing northwest, July 15, 2004.
Photograph 11. Southwest corner of complex, camera facing
northeast, July 15, 2004.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
6
Map Reference 13
Engineering and Security
*P2. Location:
*a. County
Butte
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
Two buildings are located on parcel 003-031-002: the building fronting on West Fifth Avenue that serves as the
hospital Engineering Office which is a one-story wood frame building sitting on a raised concrete foundation.
The rear of the parcel contains a two-story, wood frame, multiple family building constructed in 1968 that has
been converted to the hospital security offices (Photograph 1). The Engineering Office is a one-story building, a
former single family residence, that is rectangular in plan, has a side gabled roof with a cross-gabled rear addition
on the south side. An enclosed porch addition covered by a side gabled roof is located to the rear of the south
addition (Photograph 2). (See Continuation Sheet.)
*P3b. Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes) (HP2) Single family property; (HP3) Multiple family property
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
facing southwest, July 15, 2004
accession #)
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
1945 / City Directories
1531 Esplanade
Davis, CA 95616
July 15, 2004
*P9. Date Recorded:
*P10.
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
Page 2 of
6
*NRHP Status Code
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
6
Map Reference 13
B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
Single family residence B4. Present Use: Hospital Engineering Office
*B5. Architectural Style: Minimal Traditional
*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alteration, and date of alterations) Single family residence constructed 1945 and
converted to offices 1987; Three unit apartment building constructed in 1968 and converted to offices in 1987.
B3. Original Use:
Yes
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
B9. Architect:
Unknown
Date:
Original Location:
b. Builder:
n/a
Area
n/a
n/a
Property Type
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
The buildings at 229 West Fifth Avenue do not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the National Register of
Historic Places (NRHP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) and do not appear to be a
historical resource for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The buildings do not
historical persons (Criterion B or 2). The buildings do not embody distinctive characteristics of type, period, or
method of construction, and they are not the work of a master architect or builder (Criterion C or 3). They also
have not yielded, nor will likely yield, important information for history (Criterion D or 4). The rear building is
also less than 50 years old and does not possess exceptional importance. While the house retains elements of
architectural historic integrity from when it was constructed, it lacks historic significance. The building has been
*B12. References:
See footnotes.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
DPR 523B (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 3 of
6
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 13
Update
The house’s gable roof extends over the front of the house to cover the porch. The roof is sheathed in composite
shingle, has a slight eave overhang and exposed rafter ends on the rear addition. The building is covered with
clapboard siding. Fenestration consists a mixed of fixed pane, horizontal aluminum sliding, and one aluminum
bay window.
The second building is a two-story, stucco clad building covered by a side-gabled roof with wide eaves and
sheathed with composite shingle (Photograph 3). Pediments cover entry doors located on the east side of the
building. A shed roof supported by wood posts covers the concrete porch extending along the east side.
Horizontal sliding glass doors access the building on this side. Windows are horizontal aluminum sliding
(Photograph 4).
Historic Context
The buildings at 229 West Fifth Avenue are located in the Chico Vecino area of Chico on land that was part of
its residual rural qualities during this period. This included construction of smaller houses, such as the house 229
West Fifth Avenue, built on vacant parcels or in place of outbuildings belonging to the old larger houses.1
1
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 4 of
6
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 13
Update
of simplicity and unadorned surfaces of the Modern architectural movement began to modestly influence domestic
earlier housing styles, but without the decorative detailing. Generally, these residences were built with low to
medium roof pitches with close rather than overhanging eaves. They were modestly sized, of wood frame
Some were given large chimneys.2 Minimal Traditional style homes were built in great numbers in California,
commonly in large tracts, as developers tried to meet the growing demand for affordable housing.
Avenue west of the main hospital. 3 The neighborhood immediately around Enloe hospital continued changing in
the latter part of the twentieth century as property owners modified their early to mid-twentieth century houses
and the Enloe organization purchased neighborhood houses for conversion to office space or to demolish them for
parking lots. While Chico Vecino, also referred to as “the Avenues,” and the area around Enloe Hospital
continued to be home to single family houses, many area residences became rental properties, some inhabited by
college students attending California State University, Chico.
The Minimal Traditional style house at 229 West Fifth Avenue was typical neighborhood infill construction in the
1940s and 1950s. Constructed in 1945, numerous tenants occupied the house in the following years. For
instance, A. L. Roberson, a clerk, occupied the house in the late 1940s. Cecilia M. Hart, a clerk with the State
Department of Employment, lived there in 1950. In 1952, Clarence Roundtree, a driver for Chico High School
resided at the address. Louis and Lena Streeter, lived there in 1955 and by 1957, Jess Hoerst, a supervisor for
Diamond Trucking, had moved to the address. In the mid-1960s, owners Arthur and Betty Lewis lived at the
address and constructed the three unit apartment building at the rear of the property. They sold the property to
Enloe Hospital in 1987, and the hospital converted both the house and multi-family dwelling into office space.4
Historic Evaluation
As stated, the buildings at 229 West Fifth Avenue do not appear to meet the criteria for listing in the NRHP or the
CRHR. They do not appear to be significant for historical associations, nor their architectural qualities. The
buildings do not appear to be significant under Criterion A or 1 because they are not important within the context
occurring throughout the city in the 1940s and the triplex was built during the 1960s. Both represent mid2
4
Chico City Directories, 1945-1965; City of Chico Building Permit 5808, 229 West Fifth Avenue; County Assessor’s Records, APN
003-031-002; and Enloe Medical Center Plant Operation Building Files.
3
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 5 of
6
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 13
Update
twentieth century infill to the well established Chico Vecino area. The house and the triplex are not associated
with persons important to Chico or California history that would make the building eligible under Criterion B or
2. Primarily a rented property, owners and residents appear to lack historical significance.
Under Criterion C or 3, the buildings would have to embody distinctive characteristics of type, period, or method
of construction, or be an important work of a master builder. The house was built in the Minimal Traditional
style, a building type commonly represented throughout residential suburbs and urban areas of California during
this period, and is not the work of a master architect or builder. The triplex also lacks architectural significance as
an unadorned utilitarian multi-family dwelling. The buildings are also not significant under Criterion D or 4 as
they have not yielded, nor will likely yield, important information for history. In addition, the 1968 triplex does
not posses exceptional importance, as required for its eligibility under NRHP and CRHR. The buildings at 229
West Fifth Avenue also do not appear to be in an area that could constitute a historic district.
Only minor modifications have been made to the exterior of the buildings at 229 West Fifth Avenue. In general,
the house retains historic integrity to its possible period of significance in the late 1940s, though its setting has
changed. The construction of the three-unit apartment building emphasizes how the single family neighborhood
has developed and changed in character. In addition to modern building infill, parking lots filled in empty lots
and single family residences converted to hospital uses. Although it retains integrity, the former residences lack
historic significance.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 6 of
6
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 13
Update
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
5
Map Reference 14
Volunteer Services
*P2. Location:
*a. County
Butte
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
The building at 227 West Fifth Avenue, which serves as the hospital Volunteer Services Office, is a 726 square
foot, one-story wood frame building that sits on a raised concrete foundation (Photograph 1). The former
residence is L-shaped in plan and has a hipped roof with exposed rafter ends and a cross-hipped front extension on
the east side. An attached garage on the west side has been converted to office space. Walls are clad with a mix
of tongue and groove siding and vertical groove wood panel siding and have corner moldings. Concrete steps
access a small entry porch covered by a shed roof supported by a wood post. The large, front window has a center
fixed pane with two over two double hung side panels and a brick planter below. (See Continuation Sheet.)
⌧ Building
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
accession #)
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
Records
1531 Esplanade
Davis, CA 95616
*P9. Date Recorded:
July 15, 2004
Intensive
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
Page 2 of
5
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
*NRHP Status Code
6
Map Reference 14
B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
B3. Original Use:
*B5.
*B6.
Present Use:
Hospital Volunteer Services Office
Built 1948; garage converted to office space
around 1998
Yes
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
B9. Architect:
Unknown
Date:
Original Location:
b. Builder:
n/a
Area
n/a
n/a
Property Type
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
also has not yielded, nor will likely yield, important information for history (Criterion D or 4). Although it retains
some historic integrity from when it was constructed, it lacks historic significance. The building has been
*B12. References:
See footnotes.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
DPR 523B (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 3 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 14
Update
The remaining windows are a mixture of wood frame, one over one double hung, and aluminum horizontal
sliding. A sliding glass door on the south side opens to a wood deck bordered by wood fencing. A concrete ramp
leads to a personnel door on the west side. A parking lot abuts the south side. (Photograph 2)
Historic Context
its residual rural qualities during this period as smaller houses, such as the house at 227 West Fifth Avenue, were
built on vacant parcels or to replace outbuildings belonging to the old larger houses.1
1
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 4 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 14
Update
forms with recessed entries and/or picture windows that emulate higher style ranches situated on large properties.
through the 1980s onto its original building, but also built and used various service buildings at the corner of Fifth
Avenue and Magnolia Avenue west of the main hospital that are now demolished. The neighborhood immediately
around Enloe hospital continued changing in the latter part of the twentieth century as property owners modified
their early to mid-twentieth century houses and the Enloe organization purchased neighborhood houses for
conversion to hospital uses or to demolish them for parking lots. While Chico Vecino, also referred to as “the
Avenues,” and the area around Enloe Hospital continued to be home to single family houses, many area
University, Chico.3
The house at 227 West Fifth Avenue, a modest Ranch style residence, was typical neighborhood infill
construction in the 1940s and 1950s. Constructed in 1948, the house had various occupants. For instance, L. R.
Kinner, a driver for Butte Creek Rock Company, lived at the address in the early 1950s and Jennie Keesy, at clerk
for Sears, lived there in 1963. After owner Daisy B. Read retired, she lived at the address from about 1963 until
1980, when the property passed from her estate to Albert Watrous. Watrous sold the house to the Enloe
organization in 1985. Enloe converted the garage to an office and added the wheelchair ramp around 1998. It
also paved over the house’s back yard for parking.4
Historic Evaluation
2
3
Highway, ” 11-13; Sanborn Insurance Maps, 1921-1949; City of Chico Building Permits; and Butte County Assessor files.
4
Chico City Directories, 1955-1965; City of Chico Building Permit Files, 227 West Fifth Avenue; County Assessor’s Records, APN
003-031-003; and Enloe Medical Center Plant Operations Building Files.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 5 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Continuation
Map Reference 14
Update
of the development of Chico Vecino. The house was built during the general post-war residential expansion
occurring throughout the city and are part of the mid-twentieth century infill construction that occurred in the
otherwise well-established Chico Vecino area. The house is not associated with persons important to Chico or
California history that would make the building eligible under Criterion B or 2. Primarily a rented property,
owners and residents appear to lack historical significance.
of construction, or be an important work of a master builder. The building is an example of a modest Ranch, a
building type commonly represented throughout residential suburbs and urban areas of California during this
period, and is not the work of a master architect or builder. In addition, the building is also not significant under
Criterion D or 4 as it has not yielded, nor will likely yield, important information for history. The house at 227
West Fifth Avenue also does not appear to be in an area that could constitute a historic district.
Only minor modifications have been made to the exterior of 227 West Fifth Avenue, such as the garage
conversion and the addition of the access ramps. In general, it retains historic integrity to its possible period of
significance in the late 1940s, though its setting has changed. The single family neighborhood has developed and
changed in character, as parking lots filled in empty lots and surrounding single family residences converted to
hospital uses. Although it retains integrity, the former residence lacks historic significance.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD
Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status Code
6
Other Listings _______________________________________________________________
Page 1 of
5
Map Reference 15
Volunteer Services
*P2. Location:
*a. County
Butte
______________mE/ _____________mN
c. Address
d. UTM:
The building at 225 West Fifth Avenue, which serves as the hospital Gift Services Office, is a 804 square foot,
one-story wood frame building sitting on a raised concrete foundation (Photograph 1). The former residence has
a L-shaped footprint and has a side gabled roof with a cross-gabled front extension on the west side. The attached
front facing single garage, with a decorative raised panel wood door, is at the east end. The modest concrete front
porch leads to a wood raised paneled front door. The roof is sheathed in composite shingle and has narrow boxed
eaves. The building is covered with clapboard siding. Scallop ended vertical siding and wood vents decorate the
gabled ends. Fenestration consists of wood one over one double-hung windows and a single large casement
window with divided lights. A small, rectangular concrete patio sits to the rear of the building’s southeast corner
where a personnel door provides access to the building (Photograph 2). A concrete ramp replaced the front walk
and parking lots border the building on the south and east sides.
⌧ Building
Structure
Object
Site
District
Element of District
facing southwest, July 15, 2004
accession #)
⌧ Historic
Prehistoric
Both
records
1531 Esplanade
Davis, CA 95616
*Attachments: NONE
Location Map
District Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
Other (list) __________________
DPR 523A (1/95)
Page 2 of
5
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
*NRHP Status Code
6
Map Reference 15
B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
single family residence B4.
B3. Original Use:
*B5.
Present Use:
Hospital gift services office
*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
Yes
B9. Architect:
unknown
Unknown
Date:
Built 1948; siding repaired 1968; reroofing 1982
Original Location:
unknown
n/a
Area
n/a
n/a
Property Type
b. Builder:
n/a
Applicable Criteria
n/a
also has not yielded important information for history (Criterion D or 4). Although it retains some historic
integrity from when it was constructed, it lacks historic significance. The building has been evaluated in
accordance with Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the CEQA Guidelines outlined in Section 5024.1 of the California
Public Resources Code, and does not appear to meet the significance criteria as outlined in these guidelines. (See
Continuation Sheet.)
*B12. References:
See footnotes.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator:
August 2004
DPR 523B (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 3 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference 15
Continuation
Update
Historic Context
institutional properties in Chico Vecino. Residential construction slowed during the Depression, recovering during
the late 1930s in the period leading up to World War II. After the war, Chico and the surrounding vicinity grew
quickly during the post-war boom. Vacant parcels in Chico Vecino were increasingly infilled with Minimal
its residual rural qualities during this period as smaller houses, such as the house 225 West Fifth Avenue, were
built on vacant parcels or on parcels that replaced outbuildings belonging to the old larger houses.1
1
College, July 1968, 17-28; Subdivision Map, Chino Vecino, 1888, Special Collections, Meriam Library, CSU, Chico
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 4 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference 15
Continuation
Update
forms with recessed entries and/or picture windows that emulate higher style ranches situated on large properties.
properties, some of which were inhabited by college students attending California State University, Chico.3
The house at 225 West Fifth Avenue, a modest ranch, was typical neighborhood infill construction in the 1940s
and 1950s. Constructed in 1948, various tenants and owners occupied the house. For instance, R. C. Blaney, a
salesman, lived at the address in 1950. By 1952, Safeway meatcutter, V. F. Uren, owned the property. Verna
Scheer, a widow, owned the property in the early 1960s. During this time, the house underwent reconstruction
due to damage caused by a garage fire. In the early 1970s, Frank Pelnar, a local clerk purchased the property.
The Enloe organization purchased the property from Pelnar’s estate in 1998. Enloe converted the house for use
by the hospital’s volunteer services. Enloe added the wheelchair ramp around 2002. The adjacent parking had
been built prior to Enloe’s purchase of this house.4
Historic Evaluation
of the development of Chico Vecino. The house was built during the general post-war residential expansion
occurring throughout the city and are part of the mid-twentieth century infill construction that occurred in the
otherwise well-established Chico Vecino area. The house is not associated with persons important to Chico or
California history that would make the building eligible under Criterion B or 2. Primarily a rented property,
owners and residents appear to lack historical significance.
2
3
Highway, ” 11-13; Sanborn Insurance Maps, 1921-1949; City of Chico Building files; and Butte County Assessor’s files.
4
Chico City Directories, 1955-1965; City of Chico Building Permit Files, 225 West Fifth Avenue; County Assessor’s Records, APN
003-031-004; and Enloe Medical Center Plant Operations Building Files.
DPR 523L (1/95)
Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 5 of
5
*Recorded by
____________________________________________
*Date
July 15, 2004 ⌧
Map Reference 15
Continuation
Update
likely yield, important information for history. The house at 225 West Fifth Avenue also does not appear to be in
an area that could constitute a historic district.
Only minor modifications have been made to the exterior of 225 West Fifth Avenue. In general, it retains historic
residences converted to hospital uses. Although it retains historic integrity, the former residence lacks historic
significance.
Photograph 2: south and east sides, camera facing northwest, July 16, 2004.
DPR 523L (1/95)

Appendix G - Chico Enterprise

Transcription

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