Old Town Eureka (formally the Eureka Old Town Historic District) in

Eureka, California Eureka (Wiyot: ''Jaroujiji'', Hupa: ''do'-wi-lotl-ding'', Karuk: ''uuth'') is the principal city and county seat of Humboldt County in the Redwood Empire region of California. The city is located on U.S. Route 101 on the shores of Humboldt B ...

, is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from cer ...

listed on the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. I t is an area containing 154 buildings mostly from the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

. The core of the district runs the length of First, Second, and Third Streets, between "C" and "M" Streets, and includes many types of architecture from the 1850s to the present. Though not officially within the district, the

Carson Mansion The Carson Mansion is a large Victorian house located in Old Town, Eureka, California. Regarded as one of the premier examples of Queen Anne style architecture in the United States, the house is "considered the most grand Victorian home in Amer ...

commands the highest elevation at the eastern edge of the district.

History

The city began as an 1850 settlement on the edge of

Humboldt Bay Humboldt Bay is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast of California, entirely within Humboldt County, United States. It is the largest protected body of water on the West Coast between S ...

, where the district is today. Developers and settlers planned for Eureka to aid in the provision of miners working inland to the east. By 1865, the central core of what would become Eureka's "Old Town" was considered "a lively place for a small town, full of business and with plenty of money." The roads beyond Second street (the equivalent of "Main" Street) were covered with stumps from the (recently logged)

Redwood Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Cupressaceae. It includes the largest and tallest trees in the world. Description The three redwood subfamily genera are '' Sequoia'' from coasta ...

forest, and had not opened yet.'' Old Town Eureka was named as one of the 100 best art towns in America. Within its bounds is the

Clarke Historical Museum The Clarke Historical Museum (formerly the Clarke Memorial Museum) in Eureka, California contains the area's premier collection of California North Coast regional and cultural history. The facility houses a Native American wing, Nealis Hall, whic ...

Examples of historic architecture in Old Town

File:Eureka California Illustrated Map1902.jpg, 1902 Illustration of City of Eureka. Old Town is the area of the city, primarily on the waterfront near the island on the left. File:Old Town Eureka, California.jpg, Victorian Commercial buildings on the south side of Second Street. File:Bank of eureka california.jpg, The

, located in the former Bank of Eureka, designed by

Albert Pissis Albert Pissis (1852–1914) was a prolific Mexican-American architect in San Francisco who studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France and is credited with introducing the Beaux-Arts architectural style to San Francisco, California, des ...

, 1911. File:Eagle House Inn Eureka.jpg, The Buon Gusto (Eagle House) Hotel from the era when travel to Humboldt Bay was primarily by ship. Docks for ships from San Francisco were nearby this corner, which at one time had four of these hotels. File:First and F Street Building Eureka CA.jpg, 1893-1904 Commercial Buildings File:Eureka Books Antiquarian.jpg, Bookstore: A Late 1870s Store Front on Second Street. File:Carson Mansion at Dusk.jpg, The Carson Mansion as viewed from Humboldt Bay. File:Eureka Old Town Commercial Building.jpg, Second Empire Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hall building with original commercial space on the first floor. File:Janssen Building, Eureka CA 2010.jpg, Humboldt Arts Council in mid-1800s (early) commercial brick building. File:Eureka 316 E Street.jpg, Victorian detailed Commercial Building. Now a popular local seafood restaurant. File:The Pink Lady in Eureka.jpg, Milton Carson Home: a wedding gift for the son of the early Lumber Baron, William Carson, who built the Carson Mansion, 1889. File:Carson Mansion Gate 2010.jpg, Victorian fencing and gate to the side yard of the Milton Carson Home. File:Eureka Restoration Hardware.jpg, Original Commercial Building with "false" front on 2nd Street.

References

HSU First Street Gallery HSU First Street Gallery (later known as the HSU Third Street Gallery) was a contemporary art, contemporary, fine arts gallery located in the E. Janssen Building at 422 1st Street (later moved to 416 3rd Street) in the historic Old Town Eureka, O ...

- Fine Arts Exhibitions owned and operated by

Humboldt State University California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt also known as Cal Poly Humboldt, Humboldt or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California or California State Polytechnic Universit ...

Humboldt Arts Council and Morris Graves Museum Website

Redwood Art Association

Redwood Curtain Theatre
{{Registered Historic Places California Historical Landmarks Buildings and structures in Eureka, California History of Humboldt County, California Tourist attractions in Eureka, California Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in Humboldt County, California Western false front architecture

History

Examples of historic architecture in Old Town

See also

References

External links