Downtown in Campbell in Santa Clara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Ainsley House

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, April 5, 2023

1. Ainsley House Marker

Inscription. This Property Has Been
Placed on the
National
Register of
Historic Places
By the United States
Department of the Interior
John Colpitts Ainsley, an Englishman, immigrated to California in 1886 and made his fortune in the canning of fresh fruit, which was almost exclusively exported to England. In 1925, he and his wife, Alcinda, built this retirement home in the English Tudor style.

The house is both a symbol of his success and a time capsule of the 1920s. The house and most of the furnishings were donated to the City of Campbell by the Ainsley’s granddaughters, Geraldine Lloyd Hicks and Georgene Lloyd Bowen.

[Lower Marker:]
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places
October 2005

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical month for this entry is October 2005.

Location. 37° 17.315′ N, 121° 56.614′ W. Marker is in Campbell, California, in Santa Clara County. It is in Downtown. It is on Civic Center Drive near Harrison Avenue. Parking for the museum is off of Harrison Avenue.

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Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Campbell CA 95008, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area,

in Silicon Valley,

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named The Ainsley House (within shouting distance of this marker); Campbell Fire Station (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fire House #1 (about 300 feet away); Gilman House (about 500 feet away); Lena Swope French House (about 500 feet away); Farley Building (about 500 feet away); Bank of Campbell (Farley Building) (about 500 feet away); Downing Building (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Campbell.

Another marker is no longer nearby. The Ainsley House (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . .
1. The Ainsley House. City of Campbell Museums entry (Submitted on November 6, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.)

2. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 2005. Statement of Significance:

Constructed in 1925, the John Colpitts Ainsley House is being nominated under Criterion C for its local and statewide significance as a distinctive representative of Tudor Revival architecture in the context of the California Arts and Crafts movement.
Photographed by Syd Whittle, November 5, 2009

2. Ainsley House Marker
Although removed from its original location, the Ainsley House is now a museum at the Campbell Civic Center, placed on a site designed to reflect its original context and setting. The intention of the museum is to present an important aspect of Campbell's history for the public's benefit by commemorating a family who was instrumental in the early development of the community. The two buildings have a high level of integrity to their original design and construction, and are furnished with 1920s furniture and fixtures, almost 90% of it original to the house.

Ainsley was one of Campbell's founders, an industrialist that helped established the city's early character. His downtown cannery is now gone, but his house clearly illustrates the pattern of development of the Campbell community due to its association with the Ainsley family.