Built in 1938 (Spanish Colonial Revival architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. 21 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1897.
From the record
“Merrill House is a 6,000-square-foot residence built in 1938 and located in Orinda, California. Designed by regionally prominent architect Walter H.”
Wikipedia article Charles W. Merrill House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 49 National Register listings published here for Contra Costa County · listed in 2005 · category: Building · built in 1938, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.
National Register reference number.05000251- the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.
Then and now
1897 to 1995
The ground this property stands on, surveyed
98 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are
United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.
18971995
Fires near this property
182 since 1992
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The
federal wildfire occurrence database
lists 182 fires within 5 miles of Charles W. Merrill House
between 1992 and 2020, burning about 562 acres in total. None started naturally. 12 were recorded as arson.
Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted
here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
Reported cause
Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
104
Equipment and vehicle use
32
Arson/incendiarism
12
Debris and open burning
9
Misuse of fire by a minor
8
Smoking
8
Power generation/transmission/distribution
6
Recreation and ceremony
2
Fireworks
1
The most recent of
them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service
that recorded it.
Date
Cause
Size
Reported by
Name on the report
9 September 2010
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
1.0 acres
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
not named
7 September 2005
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
under an acre
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
not named
6 September 2015
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
under an acre
Santa Clara Unit
BEAR
6 September 2008
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
under an acre
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
not named
5 September 1994
Equipment and vehicle use
under an acre
Santa Clara Unit
ANZA
3 September 2014
Power generation/transmission/distribution
under an acre
Santa Clara Unit
WILDCAT
3 September 2011
Smoking
under an acre
Santa Clara Unit
not named
3 September 2010
Equipment and vehicle use
under an acre
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists
20 workings within 5 miles of Charles W. Merrill House: 8 occurrences, 6 past producers, 4 unknowns, 2 prospects.
None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Mercury, Lead, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the
map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring
settlement's page as well.
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The National Weather Service names
Orinda, the town this property stands in, in 9 storm reports between 1996 and 2024: 7 flood, 1 flash flood, 1 hail.
No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office
filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date
opens the federal record of that event.
During heavy rainfall, a 24 inch culvert failed and collapsed, opening up a 20 foot sinkhole on Tarabrook Drive. One lane of traffic could still get by the sinkhole. The Orinda City Council declared a state of emergency due to this large sinkhole.
United States Geological Survey topographic
sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then
testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.
Other National Register properties close
enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both
positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties
to their map sheets.
Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.
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