Hits before your mother was born
The theme of this walk around the block is amazing corner buildings.
Three of the bookend buildings in this block, bounded by Broadway and W. Second, Main and W. Third streets, have been around since the 19th century. Even the one 20th century building is older than most baby boomers’ parents. Give thanks for the durability of these buildings by singing the Beatles song that goes “Let’s all get up and dance to a song that was a hit before your mother was born, though she was born a long, long time ago.”
Let’s start with the youngster, the vacant Chevy’s restaurant building at the southeast corner of Broadway and Second. With its gaudy accent colors, it’s all tarted up with no place for customers to go, except for Jamba Juice, which occupies a small space on the first floor.
It started out its life as the home of Bank of America, which built its sixth California branch at this corner in 1931. This is one of the few Chico buildings that was done in the moderne style. Among its more prominent features are the truncated corner tower and the decorative parapet and entrance arches.
Heading east on Second, the scaffolding covering the facade of the building that houses Magna Carta will catch your eye. The front of this building is covered with ceramic tile that was added in the 1930s to give it a more contemporary art deco appearance.
The building on the southwest corner of Second and Main, which now houses Zucchini & Vine, was built in 1874 after a fire leveled the entire block. It was the site of a drug store for 97 years, from 1874 until 1971. It has undergone some remodeling, but the tall arched windows on the second floor help it retain its original Italianate -style appearance. This is one of downtown Chico’s oldest remaining commercial buildings.
Join me again next time and we’ll complete this walk around the block.