A neighbor emailed me today, informing me that 124 Main St. in Huntington Beach has a new owner who's "going to tear it down and rebuild. I think that building is quite old... It will be sad to see another building on Main Street go.".
The building, (home to Merrilee's Swimwear for decades now,) is historically known as the Tripp's Market Building. It was built in 1912, and yes it would be very sad to see it go. So little of historic downtown H.B. remains that every new loss is a major loss. At the very least, the facade should be preserved.
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Over the last century, this building has been home to a large number of businesses, including a number of cafes. It was also the first location of O'Barr's Drug Store in 1914. Architecturally, the Tripp's Market Building is a Western Falsefront with a Moderne stucco facade added in the early 1930s. A narrow stucco addition was added much later on the back of the lot.
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For those of you keeping score at home, yes, this building is directly across the street from 123 Main St. - another historic building which was demolished last year. (Don't worry though,... The owners put a plaque on the new building describing why the old one they demolished was significant.)
From the look of the storefront, it looks better kept up and nicer than the building around it, and they want to tear it down?
ReplyDeleteDoes the city of HB designate any building in the main street area as historic?
HB is famous for it's shortsighted policies and lack of historical preservation information sharing. We hope that the new owners will be informed about their rights and the advantages of preserving rather than demolishing. But don't hold your breath. Instead write to Scott Hess Director of Planning at City hall (2000 Main St.) and tell him to use the currently required codes and to share the required info with the owners.
ReplyDeleteStill waiting for the citizens of HB to rise up with pitchforks and torches (in black and white film) and march on City Hall demanding incentive progrmas like Mills Act be put into place to encourage property owners to retain your heritage. Good luck guys.
ReplyDeleteJust learned that my grandfather's butcher/meats shop was located at 126 Main Street in c.1925-28. Thanks to old family photos at the Orange County Directory 1925, page 515
ReplyDeleteThanks for the modern day post and photo. D.S.McIntosh