Settled in 1850 on the shores of Northern California's Humboldt Bay, Eureka has a rich heritage of ships and fishing, redwoods and logging, and a built environment reflective of that heritage. Its older residential streets are lined with settlement house, Victorian houses and bungalows, all of which provide a strong supportive setting for the city's notable pieces of architecture.

The Clark House was built from redwood by skilled craftsmen under the supervision of master carpenter Fred B. Butterfield for William S. Clark - banker, real estate developer, businessman and mayor. It is an outstanding example of Victorian design which combines opulent Eastlake ornamentation with a handsome architecture of bays and gables.

Eastlake features, including the intricate gable grillwork, chamfered and pierced brackets, elaborate entrance porch, and a wonderful assortment of applied decoration, identify this house as an exciting representative of that popular late 19th-century house.

Excerpted from the NRHP Nomination.