The Afternoon Light

Walking east on Wentz Alley the other afternoon, I got excited as I approached the Biker mural at San Benito Street. No garbage cans! Finally, I could get an unobstructive view of Johnny's Bar & Grill mural. But, then, I noticed the light. Oh, well. It still was a great photo opportunity. 

By the way, the Hollister Freedom Rally is set for July 3, 4, and 5.  For more info about the rally, head over to it's official website. 

Today, I'm hooking up with NatureFootstep's Digital Art Meme. Click here to see awesome work by bloggers from around the world.

Relax!

No. That's not an epitaph on a tombstone, although it would make a great one.  It's actually part of a sign on a building near the intersection of San Juan, Mitchell, and Union Roads. Yup. It's the restaurant called Relax! Grillin & Chillin Roadhouse.

Today I'm participating in Our World Tuesday. Please click here to read posts by bloggers from around the world.

Downtown Hollister Historic District: The "New" Buildings

You've probably noticed that Downtown Hollister has several "new" and large buildings on its main street, which are quite compatible in look with the historic buildings. These modern buildings were constructed in the 1990s after the original buildings were destroyed by an earthquake or fire.

The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake changed the face of Downtown Hollister in a very big way. The original buildings on the northwest corner of San Benito and Fourth Street collapsed in the earthquake and the commercial buildings that once stood on the lawn in front of the Briggs Building were so unsafe that they were razed a few days later. The structural integrity of a few other buildings was found to be poor so they were demolished, too. The following year, more commercial buildings in Downtown Hollister were destroyed by arson fires.

Obviously, the devastation, along with a drought and economic recession, did not stop the people of Hollister back then. With the help of redevelopment and other grants, they constructed the following handsome buildings in the Downtown Hollister Historic District, which is in the National Register of Historic Places.

The 500 Block of San Benito Street

The 600 Block of San Benito Street

The 700 Block of San Benito Street

The Downtown Hollister Historic District series comes to an end with today's post. I hope you've enjoyed the series. To check out past posts of the historic commercial buildings in Downtown Hollister, please head to these links:

• Contributing historic buildings to the district
• Non-contributing historic buildings

Downtown Hollister Historic District: Noncontributors, Part 4

Okey-dokey, here is the last group of noncontributing historic buildings to the Downtown Hollister Historic District, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  I'm not completely done with the series though. Come back tomorrow to see photos of buildings within this historic district that went up after the district was entered into the National Register in 1992.

544 San Benito Street

This historic one-story building was constructed around 1920. I think it may have been built for J.C. Penney. As a kid in the 1950s and 1960s, I knew this building as the Baughman's Department Store. In the 1980s, Ford Department Store opened there. Today, the building has two sections, with the San Benito County Esperanza Center occupying the south side and Discount Furniture on the north side.

575 San Benito Street

The commercial building that Wells Fargo occupies today was built around 1975. The notes in the National Register of Historic Places state the building "...is the district's only example of strikingly incompatible design."  Perhaps. The building is beautiful.

710 San Benito Street

The gas station at the southwest corner of San Benito and Seventh Streets has been a gas station for as long as I can remember. Several buildings has gone up on this site over the decades. The noncontributing building cited by the National Register of Historic Places is the smallest building behind the gas pumps. That's the one on the left with the sign Cheap Beer and Cigarettes. It was built in the mid-1970s.

713 San Benito Street

This quaint looking one-story building was constructed around 1920.The original architectural features that remain are the recessed panels on each end of the building.  Sears Catalog once occupied the building. Today it is the home to Metropolis.

Interestingly, this historic building sits between an empty lot (which was once a theater) and one of the newer buildings in Downtown Hollister. The original buildings were damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.

737 San Benito Street

Many old-time locals will remember this site as the home to Baywood Creamery, which had been there before 1970 when this reinforced concrete building was constructed. This "new" building is currently occupied by AJ Sushi.

801 San Benito Street

Constructed around 1960, the long section of the L-shaped historic building has always been a liquor store, while the smaller section was an office. The businesses occupying the spaces today are the Pacheco's Express Way Liquor Store and Dabo Financial Group.


To check out the other noncontributing historic buildings to the Downtown Hollister Historic District, please click here. To check out the contributing buildings, please click here.

Downtown Hollister Historic District: Noncontributors, Part 3

Today and tomorrow, I cover the last of the noncontributing buildings in the Downtown Hollister Historic District, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Even though some of these historic buildings were constructed between 1880 and 1942, they are categorized as noncontributors because their original material and/or architectural details were removed during alterations.

435 San Benito Street

This one-story commercial building was constructed around 1900. The notes in the National Register of Historic Places describe this building as having "...a gable roof masked on the front (west) elevation by a simple rectangular parapet." There must've been a remodel after the early 1990s that removed the gable roof and added the second storefront on the south side of the building.

Occupying this site today is Design Line & Granger Printing (435 San Benito Street) and New Image Salon (437 San Benito Street).

439 - 443 San Benito Street

Built around 1920, this commercial edifice originally was one storefront listed as 443 San Benito Street. In the 1940s, it was divided into two sections. Today, the building is occupied by three businesses: Su Casita Multiservicios (439 San Benito Street), Aristotle Insurance Agency (441 San Benito Street),  and Simple Mobile Solutions (443 San Benito Street).

510 and 512 San Benito Street

Here is another historic commercial building in Downtown Hollister that has been divided into two sections so it seems like separate buildings. This building was constructed around 1900. The entry way to the southern section is beautifully paved with bricks.

La Villa de Jerez Taqueria occupies the storefront at 512 San Benito Street. The one at 510 San Benito Street is vacant.

520 San Benito Street

This building was also constructed around 1900, possibly the same time as its neighbor on its north flank. A false stone siding gives it a look unique from other buildings in the Downtown Hollister Historic District. Only the Honorable Tattoos & Body Piercings occupies this site today.

526 San Benito Street

This one-story concrete-block building was constructed in the early 1950s, according to the National Register of Historic Places. But, I wonder whether that's correct. In 1947, bikers during the so-called Hollister Riot drove through Johnny's Bar & Grill, which continues to occupy the building today.

535 San Benito Street

This one-story commercial building was constructed around 1950. The architect did a great job designing it to blend in with the look of the other buildings in Downtown Hollister.  The storefront has an attached garage in the rear that opens to Briggs Alley. The Hollister Sign Company is located in the garage space, while the storefront is currently vacant.

Contributing Buildings

Over the past six weeks, I posted photos of over 40 contributing buildings to the Downtown Hollister Historic District. To check out those posts, please click here.