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

The Bakersfield Register of Historic Places and Areas of Historic Interest lists special buildings and places in Bakersfield, California. The City of Bakersfield chooses these spots because they are important to history.

Bakersfield's program for saving historic places is voluntary. This means a building can only be added to the list if its owner asks for it. A group of citizens called the Historic Preservation Commission helps manage this program. They are chosen by the City Council and know a lot about history.

In the first five years (1992-1997), 12 buildings were added to Bakersfield's list. But in the next 20 years, only three more buildings and a cemetery were added. Bakersfield has only 16 sites on its local list. For example, the City of Fresno has over 300! Some people think Bakersfield needs to do more to save its historic places.

Besides Bakersfield's local list, some buildings are also on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This is a national list of important historic sites. Five Bakersfield buildings are on the NRHP. Only one of them, the Jastro Building, is also on Bakersfield's local list.

There are also four sites in Bakersfield that are California Historical Landmarks. These are special places recognized by the state. Two of these old buildings are not around anymore. None of the state landmarks are also on Bakersfield's local list.

You can see a map of these historic places by clicking "OpenStreetMap" in the box on the right.

Bakersfield's Historic Places List

Here are some of the places on Bakersfield's local historic register:

#	Name	Image	Location	Listed	What Makes It Special
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	This building was built in 1904. It has been home to many businesses, like a furniture store, a hotel, and even a theater.
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	This Colonial style building opened in 1921. It was a place for women's groups to meet.
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	This Craftsman style home was built around 1903 for Frank G. Munzer, a local business leader.
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	This Craftsman house was 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	This alley was the heart of Bakersfield's original Chinatown in the late 1800s. About 3,000 Chinese people lived here.
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, also known as the Jastro Building		1800 19th Street	2/23/94	This office building was built in 1917. It is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
10	Fox Theater		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	This beautiful theater opened in 1930. It was rebuilt in 1953 after an earthquake.
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	This house was built in 1890 and moved to its current spot 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	This two-story house was owned by Henry Jastro, an important local leader.
14	Kern County Chamber of Commerce Building		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 in 1927-28, this building is 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	This cemetery has a special section for pioneers. Many of Bakersfield's founders are buried here.
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	This African-American Baptist church was built around 1926. Its church group has been active since 1886.

Bakersfield's Areas of Historic Interest

These are places that are important to Bakersfield's history, even if they aren't single buildings.

National Register of Historic Places in Bakersfield

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the official list of the nation's historic places. These places are worth saving.

Name	Image	Location	Listed	What Makes It Special
First Baptist Church		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	This church was built in 1931 with a Mission/Spanish Revival style.
Kern Branch, Beale Memorial Library, also known as Baker Street Library		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	This library was built between 1913 and 1915. It has a Classical Revival style.
Bakersfield Californian Building		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	This building was built in 1926. It was the home of the local newspaper, The Bakersfield Californian.
Jastro Building, also known as Standard Oil Building		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	This office building was built in two parts, in 1917 and 1921.
Tevis Block, also known as Kern County Land Company Building		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	This office building was built in 1893 by the Kern County Land Company.

California Historical Landmarks in Bakersfield

California Historical Landmarks are places that are important to the history of California.

Number	Name	Image	Location	What Makes It Special
277	Garces Memorial Circle		Chester Ave & 30th St. 35°23′13″N 119°01′08″W / 35.386806°N 119.019023°W / 35.386806; -119.019023 (Garces Circle)	This traffic circle has a statue of Father Francisco Garcés, a Spanish explorer. He visited this area in 1776. It became a landmark in 1937.
382	Colonel Thomas Baker Memorial		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)	This statue honors Colonel Thomas Baker, who founded Bakersfield in 1863. It became a 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)	This was the home of Alexis Godey from 1883 to 1889. He was a guide for an important expedition in 1843-44. It became a 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)	This was the home of Elisha Stevens, who led a wagon train to California in 1844. He was the first European settler in the Bakersfield area. It became a landmark in 1960.