The one-and-a-half-story Orton house was built for Ira Orton, a lawyer from San Francisco, and his wife, Viola, in May and June of 1904. It has an L-plan, with a hip-roofed main block and a lower gable roof on the projecting ell. These rooflines, as well as that of the hip-roofed dormer, are topped with an unusual wooden cresting, creating an interesting profile. The wood-framed house is covered with clapboards.