The Andrew J. Landrum House was built in 1875 by the carpenter who designed it Photograph by Judith Silva, courtesy of the City of Santa Clara

The Andrew J. Landrum House is one of the perfect period pieces which give the Old Quad area of Santa Clara its architectural quality. Andrew Landrum, a noted Santa Clara carpenter, designed his new home in 1875. He combined the then popular Italianate and Gothic Revival styles he found in pattern books, as seen in the corner quoins, the Italianate porch with scroll brackets, gables with cross-bracing and the cruciform interior plan. The two-story wooden residence was built on a "T" shaped plan which exhibits crossed, steeply gabled rooflines which are punctuated by a brick chimney and sheathed in wooden shingles. Largely unaltered, the house is an excellent example of eclecticism.

The Andrew J. Landrum House remains one of the best preserved homes in Santa Clara Photograph by Judith Silva, courtesy of the City of Santa Clara

The Andrew Landrum House is significant not only because of its distinctive architecture, but also due to the historical associations with Andrew Landrum, the builder, who was an early pioneer in Santa Clara. Mr. Landrum was advertised in the Santa Clara County Directory as a "carpenter." Little can be ascertained about the Landrum family. However, the Landrums must have been quite prominent as "Landrum, Miss M. 1217 Santa Clara Avenue" is listed in the Social Directory of 1903, as compiled by March Bowden Carroll. Miss Landrum was one of the 29 ladies listed under the Santa Clara Section of the San Jose Social Directory. Most of the ladies stipulated certain days and hours when they would be at home for callers, but Miss Landrum did not do so. It is also said locally that the Landrum House was one of the few buildings in Santa Clara whose chimney did not crumble in the earthquake of 1906. No major alterations have changed the building over the last 125 years and it remains one of Santa Clara's oldest and best preserved houses.

The Landrum house is located at 1217 Santa Clara St., at the north west corner of Santa Clara and Jackson Sts. This is a private residence and is not open to the public.