Bakersfield Register of Historic Places and Areas of Historic Interest

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. ^[1]

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. ^[2] 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. ^[3]

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. ^[1] 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. ^[4]

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 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

# [5]	Name	Image	Location	Designated	Description
1	The Hayden Building		1622 19th Street 35°22′35″N119°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″N119°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 [6]
3	Frank Munzer House		1701 F Street 35°22′28″N119°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″N119°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″N119°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″N119°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″N119°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″N119°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		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		2001 H Street 35°22′38″N119°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 [7]
11	Spencer House		1321 N Street 35°22′11″N119°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″N118°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″N119°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 [8]
14	Kern County Chamber of Commerce Building		3801 Chester Avenue 35°23′39″N119°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″N118°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 [9]
16	Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church		825 California Avenue 35°22′06″N119°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 [10]

Bakersfield Areas of Historic Interest

Name	Image	Location	Designated	Description
James McKamy House		2124 E Street 35°22′44″N119°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″N119°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		1200 Truxtun Avenue 35°22′26″N119°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 [11]
Kern Branch, Beale Memorial Library, aka Baker Street Library		1400 Baker Street 35°23′00″N118°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 [12]
Bakersfield Californian Building		1707 Eye Street 35°22′30″N119°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 [13]
Jastro Building, aka Standard Oil Building		1800 19th Street 35°22′35″N119°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 [14]
Tevis Block, aka Kern County Land Company Building		1712 19th Street 35°22′36″N119°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 [15]

California Historical Landmarks in Bakersfield

Number	Name	Image	Location	Description
277	Garces Memorial Circle		Chester Ave & 30th St. 35°23′13″N119°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 [16]
382	Colonel Thomas Baker Memorial		Bakersfield City Hall, 1501 Truxtun Ave. 35°22′24″N119°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 [17]
690	Site of the last home of Alexis Godey		414 19th St. W. 35°22′36″N119°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 [18]
732	Site of the home of Elisha Stevens		W. Columbus & Isle Verde Sts. 35°23′51″N119°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 [19]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kern County, California
• California Historical Landmarks in Kern County, California

References

1. "Bakersfield Register of Historic Places". City of Bakersfield. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
2. Douglas McIsaac, Bakersfield Community Development Director (September 16, 2014). "Memorandum to Bakersfield Legislative and Litigation Committee" (PDF). Retrieved July 8, 2019.
3. "Historic Preservation". City of Bakersfield. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
4. Steven Mayer (May 10, 2014). "Downtown building may be fostering changes". The Bakersfield Californian.
5. Numbers are as designated by the City of Bakersfield. Blue color notes properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
6. Lisa Kimble (December 26, 2014). "Named After: Woman's Club of Bakersfield". The Bakersfield Californian.
7. "The Historical Fox Theater". The Bakersfield Fox. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
8. Lisa Kimble (June 30, 2015). "Named After: Jastro House". The Bakersfield Californian.
9. "Historic Union Cemetery". The Bakersfield Californian. March 28, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
10. "Can we get an amen: Mt. Zion marks 130 years". The Bakersfield Californian. November 15, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
11. Wilbur Rickett (September 14, 1978). "NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form for First Baptist Church" . Retrieved July 8, 2019.
12. "Gallery of photos of the Baker Street Library". National Park Service. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
13. John Carroll Teves (August 9, 1982). "NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form for The Bakersfield Californian Building" . Retrieved July 8, 2019.
14. "Gallery of photos of Jastro Building". National Park Service. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
15. "Gallery of photos of Tevis Block/Kern County Land Co. Building". National Park Service. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
16. "Garces Circle". California State Parks, Office of Historic Preservation. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
17. "Colonel Thomas Baker Memorial". California State Parks, Office of Historic Preservation. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
18. "Site of the Last Home of Alexis Godey". California State Parks, Office of Historic Preservation. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
19. "Site of the Home of Elisha Stevens". California State Parks, Office of Historic Preservation. Retrieved July 8, 2019.