Old Town Eureka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 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) |
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| (U.S. Registered Historic District) | |
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| Location: | Eureka, CA-Roughly, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Streets, between C and M Streets. |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949 |
| Architect: | Multiple |
| Architectural style(s): | Late Victorian, Greek Revival, Classical Revival (Neoclassical) |
| Added to NRHP: | 1991 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 91001523 (area includes 73000402 & 82002180)[1] |
| Governing body: | Private, Local Government |
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 highlights of this gem of the North Coast.
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[edit] 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]
[edit] Old Town today
Old Town is the thriving, cultural heart of Eureka, California. 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]
The Clarke Historical Museum is located at the corner of 3rd and F 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.
[edit] Culture
- 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
[edit] Notes
- ^ National Register of Historic Places
- ^ Historic Sites in Humboldt County, California
- ^ Overhold, K. (Ed.). (1994) Eureka: An Architectural View. Eureka Heritage Society, Eureka CA.
- ^ Villani, John. The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America.
[edit] 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
[edit] External links
- General guides
- Arts, music & museums
- First Street Gallery - Fine Arts Exhibitions
- Clarke Historical Museum
- Humboldt Arts Council and Morris Graves Museum Website
- Redwood Art Association
- Eureka Art and Culture Commission
- Arts Alive! Weblink and list of art galleries
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