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Bakersfield Register of Historic Places and Areas of Historic Interest facts for kids

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The Bakersfield Register of Historic Places and Areas of Historic Interest consist of buildings and sites designated by the City of Bakersfield, California, as significant historic resources.

Bakersfield's historic preservation program operates on a voluntary basis. The city may not designate a property on its register without being affirmatively petitioned by the property owner requesting inclusion. The program is overseen by a Historic Preservation Commission made up of citizens appointed by the City Council with special expertise and interest in historic preservation.

In the first five years of the city's historic preservation program (1992-1997), 12 buildings were listed on the Bakersfield Register of Historic Places. In the more than 20 years thereafter, only three buildings and a cemetery have been added. With only 16 sites on its local register (compared to more than 300 sites designated by the City of Fresno), Bakersfield has been criticized for its lack of focus on historic preservation.

These listings represent local designations by the City of Bakersfield. In addition, five buildings in Bakersfield have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and are also listed below. Of the five buildings listed on the NRHP, only the Jastro Building (also known as the Standard Oil Building) has been cross-designated on the Bakersfield Register of Historic Places. There are also four sites within the city that have been designated as California Historical Landmarks; two of the these buildings no longer exist, and none of the state landmarks have been cross-designated on the Bakersfield Register of Historic Places.

A map displaying the locations of Bakersfield's designated historic places and areas of historic interest, as well as the four buildings listed on the NRHP and four sites listed as California Historical Landmarks, can be viewed by clicking "OpenStreetMap" in the template found to the right below.

Bakersfield Register of Historic Places

# Name Image Location Designated Description
1 The Hayden Building 1622 19th Street
35°22′35″N 119°01′15″W / 35.37651667°N 119.02081667°W / 35.37651667; -119.02081667 (Hayden Building)
2/12/92 Second Renaissance Revival building built in 1904 by the Kern County Land Company; occupants have included the Hayden Furniture Company, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, Mrs. Andrews Dancing Hall, the Continental Hotel, and the Valley Office Supply Company, and the Spotlight Theatre and Cafe
2 Woman's Club of Bakersfield 2030 18th Street
35°22′31″N 119°01′30″W / 35.375392°N 119.025005°W / 35.375392; -119.025005 (Women's Club)
2/12/92 Colonial style building opened in 1921
3 Frank Munzer House 1701 F Street
35°22′28″N 119°01′25″W / 35.374476°N 119.023629°W / 35.374476; -119.023629 (Frank Munzer House)
2/12/92 Craftsman home built c. 1903 for Frank G. Munzer, Office Superintendent for the Kern County Land Company and a partner in the Breckenridge Lumber Company
4 The Guild House 1905 18th Street
35°22′31″N 119°01′25″W / 35.375222°N 119.023740°W / 35.375222; -119.023740 (Guild House)
4/8/92 Craftsman house built in 1908
5 Colonial Apartments 1701 B Street
35°22′28″N 119°01′42″W / 35.374493°N 119.028283°W / 35.374493; -119.028283 (Colonial Apartments)
5/20/92
6 The McGill Building 1821-29 B Street
35°22′32″N 119°01′42″W / 35.375617°N 119.028277°W / 35.375617; -119.028277 (McGill Building)
9/16/92
7 China Alley Alley between L & M and 21st & 22nd Streets
35°22′43″N 119°00′58″W / 35.378735°N 119.015978°W / 35.378735; -119.015978 (China Alley)
9/16/92 The historic center of Bakersfield's original Chinatown, occupied in the late 1800s by approximately 3,000 Chinese nationals brought to California for railroad construction
8 Curran House 222 Eureka Street
35°22′27″N 119°00′05″W / 35.374292°N 119.001450°W / 35.374292; -119.001450 (Curran House)
2/1/93
9 Standard Oil Building, aka the Jastro Building 2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-JastroBuilding.jpg 1800 19th Street 2/23/94 Second Renaissance Revival office building built in 1917; also listed in 1983 on the National Register of Historic Places
10 Fox Theater 2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-FoxTheater.jpg 2001 H Street
35°22′38″N 119°01′17″W / 35.377343°N 119.021365°W / 35.377343; -119.021365 (Fox Theater)
8/24/94 Spanish Colonial Revival theater designed by S. Charles Lee, opened in 1930, rebuilt 1953; remodeled after a 1952 earthquake with Art Moderne interior
11 Spencer House 1321 N Street
35°22′11″N 119°00′51″W / 35.369715°N 119.014227°W / 35.369715; -119.014227 (Spencer House)
11/8/95 Queen Anne/Eastlake house built in 1890 at corner of 14th and Chester; moved to present location in 1928
12 Hugh Curran home 1910 Alta Vista Drive
35°23′22″N 118°59′43″W / 35.389324°N 118.995260°W / 35.389324; -118.995260 (Hugh Curran home)
7/16/97
13 Jastro House 1811 20th Street
35°22′38″N 119°01′21″W / 35.377123°N 119.022588°W / 35.377123; -119.022588 (Jastro House)
3/9/05 Two-story Gothic Victorian Cottage owned by Henry Jastro, head of the Kern County Land Company and Chairman for 24 years of the Kern County Board of Supervisors
14 Kern County Chamber of Commerce Building Kern County Chamber of Commerce Building South Entrance.jpg 3801 Chester Avenue
35°23′39″N 119°01′08″W / 35.394198°N 119.018817°W / 35.394198; -119.018817 (Kern Co. Chamber of Commerce Bldg.)
3/12/08 Built 1927-28 with Beaux Arts, Mission Revival, and Arts and Crafts influences; now part of the Kern County Museum
15 Union Cemetery King and Potomac Streets
35°21′53″N 118°59′39″W / 35.364662°N 118.994178°W / 35.364662; -118.994178 (Union Cemetery)
10/27/12 Pioneers Section; burial place of local historic figures and Bakersfield's founding fathers
16 Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church 825 California Avenue
35°22′06″N 119°00′40″W / 35.368375°N 119.011014°W / 35.368375; -119.011014 (Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church)
3/8/17 African-American Baptist church built c. 1926; congregation active in Bakersfield since 1886

Bakersfield Areas of Historic Interest

Name Image Location Designated Description
James McKamy House 2124 E Street
35°22′44″N 119°01′28″W / 35.378800°N 119.024496°W / 35.378800; -119.024496 (James McKamy House)
3/16/10 Single-story wood frame house
R.L. Brown House 2128 E Street
35°22′44″N 119°01′28″W / 35.378962°N 119.024388°W / 35.378962; -119.024388 (R.L. Brown House)
5/18/10

NRHP listings in Bakersfield

Name Image Location Designated Description
First Baptist Church 2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-1stBaptist.jpg 1200 Truxtun Avenue
35°22′26″N 119°00′54″W / 35.373889°N 119.015°W / 35.373889; -119.015 (First Baptist Church)
1/2/79 Mission/Spanish Revival, Romanesque church built in 1931
Kern Branch, Beale Memorial Library, aka Baker Street Library 2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-BakerLib.jpg 1400 Baker Street
35°23′00″N 118°59′27″W / 35.383219°N 118.990729°W / 35.383219; -118.990729 (Baker Street Library)
4/1/81 Classical Revival, Beaux-Arts library built 1913-15
Bakersfield Californian Building 2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-Californian.jpg 1707 Eye Street
35°22′30″N 119°01′10″W / 35.375°N 119.019444°W / 35.375; -119.019444 (Bakersfield Californian Building)
3/10/83 Italian Renaissance Revival built 1926 as home of the newspaper, The Bakersfield Californian
Jastro Building, aka Standard Oil Building 2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-JastroBuilding.jpg 1800 19th Street
35°22′35″N 119°01′18″W / 35.376389°N 119.021667°W / 35.376389; -119.021667 (Jastro Building)
9/22/83 Second Renaissance Revival office building built in two sections in 1917 and 1921
Tevis Block, aka Kern County Land Company Building 2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-TevisBlock.jpg 1712 19th Street
35°22′36″N 119°01′14″W / 35.376667°N 119.020556°W / 35.376667; -119.020556 (Tevis Block)
3/29/84 Second Renaissance Revival office building built in 1893; built by the Kern County Land Company

California Historical Landmarks in Bakersfield

Number Name Image Location Description
277 Garces Memorial Circle 2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-GarcesCircle.jpg Chester Ave & 30th St.
35°23′13″N 119°01′08″W / 35.386806°N 119.019023°W / 35.386806; -119.019023 (Garces Circle)
A traffic circle featuring a 1939 sculpture of Father Francisco Garces by John Palo-Kangas; it is located at the approximate site where in 1776 the Spanish Franciscan friar Francisco Garcés visited a Native American rancheria; Garcés named the location, San Miguel de los Noches por el Santa Príncipe; listed as a California Historical Landmark in 1937
382 Colonel Thomas Baker Memorial 2011 Bakersfield City Hall Baker Statue.JPG Bakersfield City Hall, 1501 Truxtun Ave.
35°22′24″N 119°01′08″W / 35.373254°N 119.018952°W / 35.373254; -119.018952 (Col. Thomas Baker Memorial)
Memorial statue and marker in front of the Bakersfield City Hall South honoring Col. Thomas Baker who founded Bakersfield in 1863; listed as a California Historical Landmark in 1944
690 Site of the last home of Alexis Godey 414 19th St. W.
35°22′36″N 119°00′23″W / 35.376620°N 119.006370°W / 35.376620; -119.006370 (Site of Alexis Godey home)
Home of Alexis Godey from 1883 to 1889; Godey was a guide for John C. Frémont's expedition through the area in 1843-44 and was honored for his services at the Battle of San Pasqual in 1846; listed as a California Historical Landmark in 1959
732 Site of the home of Elisha Stevens W. Columbus & Isle Verde Sts.
35°23′51″N 119°00′21″W / 35.397383°N 119.005769°W / 35.397383; -119.005769 (Site of Elisha Stevens home)
Home of Elisha Stevens who in 1844 led the Murphy-Townsend wagon train from Iowa to Sutter's Fort; he became the first permanent European settler in the Bakersfield district, living there until his death 1887; listed as a California Historical Landmark in 1960
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