First and F Street Building
Also known as: Wave Saloon; Bluebird Cabaret; Golden State Cafe
Why it's listed
Built in 1893 on Eureka's waterfront, this two-story building at First and F Streets was constructed entirely of local redwood. It has decorated pillars on the first-floor facade, elaborate scrollwork and dentils on the second story, and two upstairs bay windows, one angled over the corner entrance. F. A. Weaver opened it as the Wave Saloon on the site of the former Humboldt House hotel. First Street was then a gathering place for loggers, sailors and stevedores, and the upstairs was remembered as one of several houses of prostitution. In the 1920s it became the Bluebird Cabaret, remembered as a bootlegging establishment, and later the Golden State Cafe. During World War II it was seized from a cafe owner and later used to store used appliances until 1973. Listing recognized it as one of the few waterfront structures suggesting the late nineteenth-century district and as a fine Victorian commercial building. Exterior repair and urban renewal work were underway at the time.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is one of the few remaining waterfront structures that evoke Eureka's late nineteenth-century character, when First Street was a gathering place for loggers, sailors and stevedores. It is described as one of Eureka's finest examples of Victorian commercial architecture, representing the height of a period of very ornate decoration.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 74000511, listed July 12, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 112 F St., Eureka |
|---|---|
| County | Humboldt County |
| Listed | July 12, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74000511 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date 1893) |
| Architectural style | Victorian commercial architecture |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked deteriorated; exterior recently repainted and decorative columns repaired, interior renovation incomplete and the building unoccupied at the time of nomination. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Eureka Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.80500, -124.16712 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 74000511.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133267190
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.