Adventure: 051, Site 167 –
Leggett House
National Registry ID: 79000501
Team: Thing One, Thing Two
Date: September 22, 2012
Location:
Latitude: 37°18′19″N
Longitude: 120°28′40″W
Address: 352 West 22nd Street, Merced, CA
Date Built: 1884
Architect: E.M. Herron
No, this is not the same house as the previous adventure(051, Site166)—it is a different address and different colors. But the same style—both are Queen Anne, and the same person, Thomas H Leggett. This house is just as attractive as his previous house. But neither one of them have a plaque, but they both are part of the National Registry of Historic Places. We enjoyed seeing both of them.
From NRHP:
When the city was 13 years old, E. M. Herron, a prominent rancher in the area, purchased the property from the Crocker Huffman Land & Water Company. (This partnership consisted of Charles Crocker of Southern Pacific Railroad fame and C. H. Huffman, wheat king of the San Joaquin Valley. Crocker Huffman Land & Water Company was the precursor of the Merced Irrigation District.) Herron built the house on a knoll high enough to escape the flood waters of Bear Creek which often escaped its boundaries during heavy rainfall. He sold the house to T. H. Leggett, one of the early settlers of the community, who served as one of the first postmasters of Merced. In 1894, the front parlor of the home became Leggett's Jewelry Store, the first such establishment in the city. A search of Merced County tax records reveal an easement of $1,500 on an inventory of jewelry at this residence in that year. The house remained a private residence until the 1930's when it became a rooming house. Later, in the 1950's, the building became a duplex apartment. In 1975, it was restored as a private residence.
The
house is one of seven surviving private homes built prior to 1900 in
Merced. With its prominent turret, it remains one of the finest
examples of Queen Anne style architecture in the city. Important to
the local community, this house has been featured in publications and
walking tours as an example of Victorian tract housing. The Leggett
House is one of the few historic homes in the city that has suffered
only minor alterations to its original appearance.
References:
Overall Landmark References:
- National
Registry of Historical Places (NRHP)
- Noehill
(NOE)
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