Redwood City Historic Commercial Buildings
Why it's listed
Four commercial buildings at the northwest corner of Broadway and Main Street in Redwood City form a district that traces the town's growth from a lumber-shipping landing to a county seat. The oldest is the Pioneer Store, built in brick in 1859 by John V. Diller near the old tidewater embarcadero. It is the city's oldest surviving commercial building and the first privately financed brick building in San Mateo County. Beside it stands the Bank of San Mateo County, completed in 1900 to designs by Alfred I. Coffey, with stone veneer, colossal pilasters and a domed corner entrance. The adjoining Fitzpatrick Building, from 1905, has a terra cotta brick front rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake. A 1928 Building & Loan structure completes the group. The buildings differ in era but fit together in scale and detail. The nomination presents them as the focal point of community life since pioneer days and as linked to early civic leaders.
Significance in brief: The Pioneer Store is the oldest extant commercial building in the city and the first brick building built with private capital in San Mateo County. It also stands on the site of the Spanish-Mexican embarcadero and the first courthouse. The bank housed the first commercial bank on the Peninsula and marks the key pioneer intersection. The buildings blend well and are tied to pioneer county and community leaders.
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 77000339, listed November 7, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Broadway and Main Sts., Redwood City |
|---|---|
| County | San Mateo County |
| Listed | November 7, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77000339 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899, 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Alfred I. Coffey of Martens & Coffey, San Francisco (architect for the bank, the 1904-10 bank facade and the Fitzpatrick Building); Robert Brown, local contractor; O.E. Brady & Son, masonry; John V. Diller (Pioneer Store builder) |
| Architectural style | Modified Classical Revival (Pioneer Store); Renaissance with Queen Anne corner treatment (Bank); 19th century Renaissance commercial (Fitzpatrick Building); late Italianate (Building & Loan) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The bank and the Fitzpatrick Building are described as vacant; the Pioneer Store has been altered and used as a laundry; the Building & Loan building is occupied and lightly modernized. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 37.48688, -122.22672 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 77000339.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q64610736
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.