Tevis Block
Also known as: Kern County Land Company
Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of 19th and H Streets in downtown Bakersfield, this two-storey brick office building was completed in 1893 for the Kern County Land Company. San Francisco architect Henry A. Schultze designed it in the Second Renaissance Revival style, with arched first-floor windows, a belt-course, terra cotta arches over the entrance, and a full cornice with modillions and dentils. The brick was imported, and the half-basement is rusticated limestone. The company that used the building owned hundreds of thousands of acres and shaped much of Kern County's land, water, farming and later oil development. The building became the first commercial office building on the west side of H and 19th Streets, extending the downtown business district. It came through the 1952 earthquakes without the remodeling that affected neighboring buildings. Alterations are limited to interior offices, a rear addition and a closed doorway from the early 1960s. It is the only known Schultze work in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as an excellent local example of Second Renaissance Revival architecture and one of the best of its kind in the southern San Joaquin Valley. It housed the Kern County Land Company, which drove much of the area's land development. It is described as the oldest surviving downtown commercial building that remains architecturally intact, and the only known Schultze work in the region.
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 84000780, listed March 29, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1712 19th St., Bakersfield |
|---|---|
| County | Kern County |
| Listed | March 29, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84000780 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1893 |
| Architect / builder | Architect: Henry A. Schultze |
| Architectural style | Second Renaissance Revival |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Economics, Education, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, in excellent condition, on its original site and altered. A one-storey rear addition and a closed east entrance date from the early 1960s, and reopening the entrance was planned. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 35.37653, -119.02152 (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.
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 84000780.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7707152
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.