Tevis Block
The Tevis Block was the Bakersfield home of the Kern County Land Company from 1894, when it was built, until the property was sold in 1959. It is a two-story, U-shaped structure constructed of imported fire brick which was brought around the Horn as ballast in the ships. Around the turn of the 20th century, the Kern County Land Company owned hundreds of thousands of acres of land throughout the county. The construction of this building as its headquarters was a sign of optimism about the future of the city and its role in the development of the region. This classic example of Second Renaissance Revival architecture was designed by Henry A. Schultze, a prominent San Francisco architect. It is one of the last early buildings in the downtown business district of Bakersfield which retains its architectural integrity. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Bakersfield, Kern County
Photographer: John Bare