Old Town Eureka

This article refers to the historic commercial center of the city of Eureka, California, on Humboldt Bay, California

Old Town Eureka (Eureka Old Town Historic District)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic District
Near 2nd & "F" Streets in Old Town
Location:	Eureka, California-Roughly, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Streets, between B and M Streets.
Coordinates:	40°48′13.34″N 124°9′59.04″W / 40.8037056°N 124.1664°W / 40.8037056; -124.1664Coordinates: 40°48′13.34″N 124°9′59.04″W / 40.8037056°N 124.1664°W / 40.8037056; -124.1664
Built:	1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Architect:	Multiple
Architectural style:	Victorian, Greek Revival, Classical Revival (Neoclassical)
Governing body:	Private, Local Government
NRHP Reference#:	91001523 (area includes 73000402 & 82002180)[1]
Added to NRHP:	1991

Old Town Eureka (formally the Eureka Old Town Historic District) in Eureka, California, is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. This Historic district is a 350-acre (1.4 km²) area containing 154 buildings^[2] mostly from the Victorian era. 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 undisputed Victorian jewel of the city and region, commands the highest elevation at the eastern edge of the district. Art venues, coffee shops, bed and breakfasts and inns, antique stores and shops, restaurants, museums and galleries, and public areas (complete with views of Humboldt Bay and its marinas) are among the highlights of this gem of the West Coast. Of particular note is the remarkable authenticity of the district simply because it did not suffer the ravages of extensive fires or redevelopment like many other historic commercial centers.

History

The city began as an 1850 settlement on the edge of Humboldt Bay 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 forest and not yet open. ^[3]

Old Town today

Old Town is the thriving, cultural heart of Eureka, California and the region. The area is an attraction for visitors and locals alike. Its placement on the California North Coast is indisputably beautiful. The area, often shrouded in fog and very definitely behind the Redwood Curtain is very different from the rest of California. The vibrant art scene that has grown up there in the final decades of the 20th century led to the declaration that the city was one of the 100 best art towns in America.^[4] Among restaurants and inns, there are multiple bed and breakfasts, including the award winning Carter House Inn Restaurant 301, noted for repeatedly winning the "Grand Award" from Wine Spectator Magazine due to extensive collection of wine.

The Clarke Historical Museum is located at the corner of 3rd and E Streets. The collection includes extensive representation of basketry of indigenous native cultures throughout the region and regional and cultural history, with focus on the Victorian era.

Eureka's California State Historical marker, #477, is located on a plaque near the intersection of Third and "E" Streets.

Culture

• Blues By the Bay occurs in late summer on City of Eureka property below the Carson Mansion.
• First Saturday Arts Alive! occurs each month in the Old Town and Downtown sections of Eureka. More than 80 local galleries and other shops display local art to the public. The open house event often features wine, non-alcoholic drinks, and hors d'oeuvres. Live music venues abound and performances by musicians, jugglers, fire dancers and poets are often visible on street corners as well as in the shops and galleries. The event often coincides with performances of the Eureka Symphony in the Arkley Performance Center (beautifully refurbished "Old" State Theater Building). Children can be safely cared for in the Discovery Museum, while parents participate in the North State's largest ongoing community arts event.

• Fourth of July celebration

Examples of Historic Architecture in Old Town

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  1902 Illustration of City of Eureka. Old Town is the area of the city, primarily on the waterfront near the island on the left.

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  Victorian Commercial buildings on the south side of Second Street.

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  The Clarke Historical Museum, which was the Bank of Eureka. Renaissance style with Terra Cotta tile work covering the entire exterior, 1911.

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  The Buon Gusto (Eagle House) Hotel from the era when passenger shipping was the only way to get to Humboldt Bay. Docks for ships from San Francisco werer nearby this corner, which at one time had four of these hotels.

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  1893-1904 Commercial Buildings

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  Bookstore: A Late 1870s Store Front on Second Street.

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  The Carson Mansion as viewed from Humboldt Bay.

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  Second Empire Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hall building with original commercial space on the first floor.

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  Humboldt Arts Council in mid-1800's (early) commercial brick building.

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  Victorian detailed Commercial Building. Now a popular local seafood restaurant.

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  Milton Carson Home: a wedding gift for the son of the early Lumber Baron, William Carson, who built the famed Carson Mansion, 1889.

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  Victorian fencing and gate to the side yard of the Milton Carson Home.

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  Original Commercial Building with "false" front on 2nd Street.

Notes

1. ^ National Register of Historic Places
2. ^ Historic Sites in Humboldt County, California
3. ^ Overhold, K. (Ed.). (1994) Eureka: An Architectural View. Eureka Heritage Society, Eureka CA.
4. ^ Villani, John. The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America.

References

• The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America, by John Villani; ISBN 1-56261-405-3
• Eureka: An Architectural View, by The Eureka Heritage Society, Inc; ISBN 0-9615004-0-9

External links

General guides

• Eureka Old Town
• Old Town and Downtown Eureka
• Humboldt County Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Old Town Eureka
• The "Hum Guide:" Extensive area resources and information

Arts, music & museums

• Arts Alive!
• Clarke Historical Museum
• Eureka Art and Culture Commission
• HSU First Street Gallery - Fine Arts Exhibitions owned and operated by Humboldt State University
• Humboldt Arts Council and Morris Graves Museum Website
• Redwood Art Association
• Redwood Curtain Theatre