Live Oak Historic Commercial District
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Live Oak's historic commercial district occupies Broadway and Fir Street in the city's downtown, with a railroad parcel on the east side of Broadway. It contains twelve buildings and a row of palm trees, nine of which contribute to its historic character. The oldest building is Live Oak Hall, dating from about 1875, with retail space below and a community meeting room above. Other contributors include a 1913 bank branch, 1920s brick stores and a bakery building, a 1882 railroad depot, and a wood warehouse. Palms planted around 1900 link the depot and warehouse visually. The district developed after the Southern Pacific Railroad laid tracks in 1869 and made Live Oak the main shipping point in Sutter County. It is the only surviving group of pre-1930 commercial buildings in the city. Some demolitions and several vacant, boarded buildings have affected it, but the area still closely resembles its 1930 appearance.
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) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1875-1930 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival; Late Victorian: Italianate; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Commerce |
| Acreage | 8.8 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Live Oak Historic Commercial District (property record) |
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).
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.