John Pearson Soda Works facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Pearson, John, Soda Works
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 John Pearson Soda Works
Location in California
John Pearson Soda Works
Location in the United States
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| Location | 594 Main St., Placerville, California |
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| Built | 1859 |
| Architect | Pearson, J. |
| Architectural style | Rustic vernacular Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 85003326 |
| Added to NRHP | December 12, 1985 |
The John Pearson Soda Works is a really old and special brick building in Placerville, California. It's also known as the Placerville Soda Works. This building is in a part of California called the Gold Country. It was built in a style called rustic Victorian architecture.
This historic building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 12, 1985. This means it's an important place in history. For many years, from 2003 to 2018, it was home to a coffee shop and event space called The Cozmic Café.
Contents
A Look Back at the John Pearson Soda Works
How the Building Started
The John Pearson Soda Works building was built in different steps. Before it was built, another building on the same spot burned down. This happened during a big fire in Placerville in the 1850s.
A man named John McFarland Pearson, who was from Scotland, built the first part of the building in 1859. He designed it to be an ice house. An ice house is a place where ice is stored to keep it from melting.
He built it right in front of an old mine shaft. This allowed him to use the underground tunnels and rooms. These cool, dark spaces were perfect for storing ice. The walls of this first section were also very thick, about 22 inches (56 cm). This helped keep the ice cold inside the building.
From Ice to Soda Pop
Later, John Pearson started making and selling soda water. His sons then added the second floor of the building in 1897. This new brick section was used for bottling the soda.
They even added a special elevator that used water power. This elevator helped them move the soda bottles between the different floors. Besides soda, the store also sold other groceries like eggs and beer.
New Owners and New Uses
Over the years, the business changed hands a few times. The Pearson family sold the business in 1904 to the Scherrer Bros. Then, in 1934, Robert Hook bought it. He turned it into a Coca-Cola Bottling franchise.
The Pearson family finally sold the building itself in 1972. An antique collector named Roger John Douvres bought it. He spent four years making the building look new again. He used the bottom part as an old-fashioned soda fountain. The top floor became a fancy dining hall. It was decorated to look like the early 1900s.
Roger Douvres' daughter helped get the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This made sure the building's history would be protected. Over time, the building has been many different things. It was a theater, an antique shop, a bookstore, and a music store. It was also the Placerville Coffee House before becoming The Cozmic Café in 2003.
Another old soda works building nearby is also famous. It's called the Fountain-Tallman Soda Works. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
See also
