Feraud General Merchandise Store
Also known as: 1903 Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1903 at the corner of West Main Street and Ventura Avenue, this L-shaped brick commercial building served as the general store and bakery of Jules Feraud, a French native who arrived in Ventura in 1875. Builder H.A. Giddings constructed it in a classical commercial style, with a metal bracketed cornice, arched openings and a frieze that once carried the store's painted signs. Inside are an original brick bakery oven, a fireplace and floor tracks once used to deliver flour. Feraud's bakery was celebrated along the coast for its sourdough French bread, and the store also sold groceries, hay and feed. The building replaced an earlier wood-frame structure during a period of rapid growth tied to the arrival of the Southern Pacific coast railroad. It is the oldest building remaining on its block and one of only two largely unaltered turn-of-the-century commercial brick buildings downtown. It now houses a furniture store and barbershop.
Significance in brief: It is architecturally significant as one of only two virtually unaltered turn-of-the-century commercial brick buildings remaining in Ventura's downtown. It also represents an early Ventura business tied to the French, Italian and German immigration of the 1870s. Feraud's store and bakery grew into one of the city's largest general merchandise stores, known for sourdough French bread.
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 86000109, listed January 23, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2 and 12 W. Main St., Ventura |
|---|---|
| County | Ventura County |
| Listed | January 23, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000109 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | H.A. Giddings (builder) |
| Architectural style | Turn-of-the-century classical commercial brick style |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in commercial use, housing a furniture store and barbershop; rehabilitation is planned to retain historic character. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 34.28089, -119.30090 (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 86000109.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5443763
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.