Ferndale Main Street Historic District Explained

Ferndale Main Street Historic District
Nrhp Type:	hd
Nocat:	yes
Location:	300–580 Main, 330 Ocean and 207–290 Francis Sts. Ferndale
Coordinates:	40.5766°N -124.2637°W
Architect:	includes T.J. Frost
Architecture:	Italianate, Stick/Eastlake, Queen Anne commercial and mixed use buildings
Added:	January 10, 1994
Refnum:	93001461

A portion of the City of Ferndale was designated a State Historic Landmark (No. 883) in 1975 by the California State Parks Office of Historic Preservation. Ferndale's Main Street Historic District was established in 1994 by the National Park Service and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.^{[1] [2]}

Architecture

Two distinct architectural phases are represented: late 19th century Victorian architecture, 1880 to 1890 and the early Modern period of the 20th century, 1920 to 1936. Eastlake-Stick style buildings by Architect T.J. Frost are particularly well represented as are Italianate, Queen Anne, Neo-Classic, Bungalow, and Mission styles.

The Ferndale Main Street Historic District covers 46 acres, includes 39 contributing buildings and one object, the Town Clock.^[3]

	.	width = 18%	Name	width = 8% class="unsortable"	Image	width = 10%	Date built		Location	Summary
	1	Alford House			207 Francis St.	Cottage built for Dr. Alford in 1884.
	2	Masonic Temple			212 Francis St.	Eastlake-Stick architecture.
	3	Enterprise Office			219 Francis St.	Currently residential.
	4	Faulkner House			230 Francis St.	Built for Thomas H. Faulkner.
	5	Faulkner Building			248–250 Francis St.	Commercial false-front.
	6	Russ Bank Building			290 Francis St. and 400 Ocean Ave.	Eastlake-Stick – T.J. Frost, Architect
	7	Robert's Hotel/Ferndale Hotel			315 Main St.	Currently Ivanhoe Hotel. Oldest building in historic district.
	8	Taylor Building			325–327 Main St.	The red building on left is part of the Taylor building which has housed the Post Office and a drug store.
	9	Enterprise Building			334 Main St.	Concrete moderne.
	10	Post Office/ Drug Store Building			337 Main St.	The grey part of the Taylor building at right has been the Post Office and a drug store.
	11	Palace Saloon (M.H. Donnelly Building)			341–353 Main St.	The Palace Saloon is the westernmost saloon in the conterminous 48 U.S. states.
	12	Loewenthal's Ferndale Reliable Store		344 Main St.	Eastlake-Stick – T. J. Frost, Architect.
	13	Brown's Office Building			350 Main St.	Built as T.H. Brown's Office Building by putting up what is known as a Victorian False-front in 1902.
	14	Rose Mullady's Millinery & Art Needlework Store			358 Main St.	Modernistic building with added Victorian ornament.
	15	D. A. Branstetter Building			361 Main St.	Victorian False-front.
	16	Ring's Pharmacy			362 Main St.	Eastlake-Stick – T.J. Frost, Architect
	17	Russ & Sons Meat Market			376 Main St.	Eastlake-Stick – T.J. Frost, Architect.
	18	Town Clock			385 Main St.	In front of Dan A. Branstetter building.
	19	P.F. Hart Building			393 Main St.	Former gallery of Hobart Brown.
	20	Ferndale Bank			394 Main St.	Neo-Classical – operated as a bank until 2022 (now a retail store).
	21	New Hart Building			399–405 Main St.	Mission Revival Style.
	22	Alford's Drug Store/Michel Drug Store			409 Main St.	Italianate storefront.
	23	Mullady Building			424 Main St.	Victorian False-front built for James Mullady.
	24	Masonic-Odd Fellows Hall			425–431 Main St.	Victorian False-front.
	25	Meng Building			430–436 Main St.	Victorian False-front.
	26	Hart Theatre			441–451 Main St.	F. Georgeson, Architect, currently Ferndale Repertory Theatre.
	27	Gill House/Blackburn Building			444 Main St.	Victorian False-front.
	28	Grangreen-Ward-Gill House			452 Main St.	1870 residence joined to a 1918 storefront.
	29	G. W. Williams Building			455 Main St.	Modified in 1920, 1948, and 1954. Upper floor subsequently rebuilt and restored by Ferndale Blacksmith Company.
	30	Eel River & Southern Telephone Company Building			460 Main St.	Mission Revival.
	31	Dahlquist Plumbing & Electrical Shop			468 Main St.	Eastlake-Stick style – T.J. Frost, Architect.
	32	Gill Building/Hiller Building			476 Main St.	Victorian False-front.
	33	Paine Building			484 Main St.	Queen Anne Style built for S.H. Paine.
	34	Old Red Front Store			505 Main St.	Italianate (modified late 1940s).
	35	Kemp Building			513–525 Main St.	Mission Revival.
	36	Petersen's Service Station			524 Main St.	Modernistic/Streamline Moderne
	37	R. H. Edwards Building			535 Main St.	Victorian False-front.
	38	Hiram Hatch Building			543 Main St.	Victorian False-front.
	39	Charles A. Doe Building			561–563 Main St.	Neo-Classical.
	40	S&E Garage and Ford Dealership			580 Main St.	Modernistic False-front.

Six other Historic Landmarks, the Shaw House, the Berding House, the Catholic Church of the Assumption Rectory, Ferndale Public Library and the Alford-Nielson House are within the city limits. The Fern Cottage Historic District and F. W. Andreasen–John Rossen House are slightly out of town.

Popular culture

Legoland Model Replica

Many of Ferndale's buildings have been recreated at the Legoland California theme park – the only American small town represented alongside New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas and other nationally known locations. Ferndale was settled by many Danes, and Lego is a Danish company. In 1995, Legoland staff took hundreds of photos in Ferndale, and used over 1 million Lego bricks to recreate the town in the Miniland section of the park.^[4]

Films and Movies

Ferndale's historic Main Street has been shown in television and movies since the 1960s. The street is featured in movies like The Majestic, Outbreak, Salem's Lot and A Death in Canaan.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ferndale Main Street Historic District . National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service . 14 January 2012 .
2. Web site: Stanton. Kathleen. Van Kirk. Susie. Jahier. Jeanna. Ferndale Main Street Historic District #93001461. National Park Service. National Park Service. 24 March 2016. November 29, 1993.
3. Web site: City of Ferndale . Ferndale Main Street Historic District . City of Ferndale, California . 30 August 2010 . 14 January 2012 .
4. News: Ringwald . George . Ferndale's Dan Rather . North Coast Journal . 29 July 1999 . 4 April 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110701060312/http://www.northcoastjournal.com/072999/cover0729.html . 1 July 2011 .