"The Napa Abajo/Fuller Park Historic District represents a residential area of Napa in the period before the end of World War I. The district contains 604 buildings constructed during the past 140 years in two adjacent neighborhoods. The district includes approximately 354 parcels, all but six of which have a residential use. Most of the dwellings are sirigle-famiiy residences, but 15 are duplexes, 19 are apartment buildings, and 25 are second units constructed in back yards. Of the 362 residential buildings facing streets, 249 contribute to the historic character of the district and 113 do. not contribute. Most of the ancillary buildings are garages, and only 31 of them were constructed early enough to contribute to the district. One resource is not clearly visible from the street (and is thus excluded from the resource count). Two sites, a row of redwood trees and a large park, contribute to the district. Two parcels are empty.
The district's integrity is high due to the concentration of resources and the large proportion of contributors among major buildings. The district includes some or all of thirty adjacent blocks directly south of downtown Napa. The blocks on the east were part of Napa Abajo, the city's first subdivision; those on the west were part of three tracts added to the city a few years later. As a result, the streets join at irregular angles, and the blocks lack uniformity in size and shape. Parcels also differ in configuration, not only between blocks but, with two exceptions, on the same block The largest parcel in the district is about 50 times bigger than the smallest. Alleys divide five of the blocks.
The use by single families largely accounts for the visual characteristics of the district. Main buildings are clearly separated from their neighbors. They have side yards, often with driveways, and back yards. They also have front lawns that put them back usually 10 to 20 feet from the sidewalk. In most cases a grass margin between sidewalk and street adds to the setback The buildings are individually landscaped with trees, shrubs, and small plants. Sometimes low concrete walls or fences of picket board or wrought iron add to the separation between houses. About two-thirds of the parcels have both a main building (usually a house) and one or more auxiliary buildings (garages and second units). Many also have sheds.
Within the overall uniformity of the district, the individual residences vary substantially. At one extreme are mansions with twenty or more rooms; at the other are "shotgun" and "hall-and-parlor" houses that originally contained only two rooms. The vast majority of houses fell in the middle. Most have one story, but over a third have one and a half or two. In addition, many single-story houses have raised basements that make them appear larger than they actually are. Nearly all roofs have gables or hips. Horizontal board is by far the most popular siding, although a few are faced in shingles, vertical board , or (especially if constructed after 1918) stucco. The amount of detailing varies widely from lavish to non-existent. The details themselves are appropriate for the era of construction.
With a few notable exceptions, each building within the district is different from any other. Adjacent houses usually have had different builders and often have different styles and construction dates. Although contiguous houses tend to be the same size, grand and modest dwellings often share the same block. In a handful of instances, however, the same plan, sometimes reversed, was used for adjacent houses. In a few other cases twin buildings are far apart." (
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