Bakersfield Register of Historic Places and Areas of Historic Interest facts for kids
The Bakersfield Register of Historic Places is a special list of buildings and places in Bakersfield that the city has decided are important parts of its history. Think of it like a hall of fame for old buildings!
This program works because people who own historic properties ask the city to add their buildings to the list. A group of citizens called the Historic Preservation Commission, who love history, helps decide which places get added.
In the first five years of this program (from 1992 to 1997), 12 buildings were added to Bakersfield's list. Since then, a few more buildings and a cemetery have joined, bringing the total to 16 sites. Some people think Bakersfield could do more to protect its old buildings, especially when compared to other cities like Fresno, which has over 300 historic sites.
Besides Bakersfield's own list, some buildings here are also recognized on a bigger list called the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Five Bakersfield buildings are on this national list. Only one of them, the Jastro Building, is also on Bakersfield's local list. There are also four places in Bakersfield that are California Historical Landmarks, which are important sites for the whole state. Two of these state landmarks don't exist anymore, and none of them are on Bakersfield's local list.
You can see where all these cool historic places are on a map! Just click "OpenStreetMap" in the box to the right.
Contents
Bakersfield's Historic Buildings and Places
This section lists the special places that Bakersfield has officially recognized as important to its history.
| # | 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 |
February 12, 1992 | A beautiful building from 1904, designed in a style called Second Renaissance Revival. It has been many things, from a furniture store to 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 |
February 12, 1992 | This Colonial-style building opened in 1921 and has been a gathering place for women in Bakersfield for a long time. | |
| 3 | Frank Munzer House | 1701 F Street 35°22′28″N 119°01′25″W / 35.374476°N 119.023629°W |
February 12, 1992 | A Craftsman-style home built around 1903 for Frank G. Munzer, an important person at the Kern County Land Company. | |
| 4 | The Guild House | 1905 18th Street 35°22′31″N 119°01′25″W / 35.375222°N 119.023740°W |
April 8, 1992 | Another lovely 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 |
May 20, 1992 | An apartment building with a classic style. | |
| 6 | The McGill Building | 1821-29 B Street 35°22′32″N 119°01′42″W / 35.375617°N 119.028277°W |
September 16, 1992 | An interesting building that has been part of Bakersfield's street scene for many years. | |
| 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 |
September 16, 1992 | This alley was once the heart of Bakersfield's original Chinatown in the late 1800s, where many Chinese workers lived after helping build the railroads. | |
| 8 | Curran House | 222 Eureka Street 35°22′27″N 119°00′05″W / 35.374292°N 119.001450°W |
February 1, 1993 | A historic home that has stood for many decades. | |
| 9 | Standard Oil Building, also known as the Jastro Building |  |
1800 19th Street | February 23, 1994 | This office building, built in 1917, has a grand Second Renaissance Revival style. It's 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 |
August 24, 1994 | A beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival theater that opened in 1930. It was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1952 and now has a cool Art Moderne interior. |
| 11 | Spencer House | 1321 N Street 35°22′11″N 119°00′51″W / 35.369715°N 119.014227°W |
November 8, 1995 | This Queen Anne/Eastlake style 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 |
July 16, 1997 | Another historic home on Bakersfield's list. | |
| 13 | Jastro House | 1811 20th Street 35°22′38″N 119°01′21″W / 35.377123°N 119.022588°W |
March 9, 2005 | A two-story Gothic Victorian Cottage once owned by Henry Jastro, a very important leader in Kern County. | |
| 14 | Kern County Chamber of Commerce Building |  |
3801 Chester Avenue 35°23′39″N 119°01′08″W / 35.394198°N 119.018817°W |
March 12, 2008 | Built in 1927-28, this building shows off several cool architectural styles. It's 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 |
October 27, 2012 | This cemetery has a special "Pioneers Section" where many of Bakersfield's founding fathers and important historic figures are buried. | |
| 16 | Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church | 825 California Avenue 35°22′06″N 119°00′40″W / 35.368375°N 119.011014°W |
March 8, 2017 | An African-American Baptist church built around 1926. Its congregation has been active in Bakersfield since 1886! |
Other Places of Historic Interest in Bakersfield
These places are also recognized by the city for their historic value.
| Name | Image | Location | Listed | What makes it special? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James McKamy House | 2124 E Street 35°22′44″N 119°01′28″W / 35.378800°N 119.024496°W |
March 16, 2010 | A single-story wooden house with a long history. | |
| R.L. Brown House | 2128 E Street 35°22′44″N 119°01′28″W / 35.378962°N 119.024388°W |
May 18, 2010 | Another house recognized for its historic importance. |
Bakersfield on the National Register of Historic Places
These buildings are so important that they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a list for the entire United States!
| 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 |
January 2, 1979 | A beautiful church built in 1931, combining Mission/Spanish Revival and Romanesque styles. |
| 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 |
April 1, 1981 | This library, built between 1913 and 1915, features Classical Revival and Beaux-Arts architecture. |
| Bakersfield Californian Building |  |
1707 Eye Street 35°22′30″N 119°01′10″W / 35.375°N 119.019444°W |
March 10, 1983 | Built in 1926 in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, this was once the home of The Bakersfield Californian newspaper. |
| 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 |
September 22, 1983 | This impressive office building, built in two parts in 1917 and 1921, is a great example of Second Renaissance Revival style. |
| 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 |
March 29, 1984 | Another Second Renaissance Revival office building, built in 1893 by the Kern County Land Company. |
California Historical Landmarks in Bakersfield
These sites are recognized as very 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 |
This traffic circle has a sculpture of Father Francisco Garces from 1939. He was a Spanish friar who visited this area in 1776, meeting Native Americans. This spot was listed as a California Historical 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 |
A statue and marker honoring Colonel Thomas Baker, who founded Bakersfield in 1863. It's located in front of City Hall and was 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 |
This is where Alexis Godey lived from 1883 to 1889. He was a guide for John C. Frémont's important expedition in the 1840s and was honored for his bravery. It became 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 |
This was the home of Elisha Stevens, who led a wagon train from Iowa to California in 1844. He was the first European settler to live permanently in the Bakersfield area until he passed away in 1887. It was listed as a California Historical Landmark in 1960. |
See also
