Main Street Historic Commercial District

This block of Main Street in Point Arena, California, forms a small downtown commercial district of thirty buildings, twenty-one of which contribute to its historic character. The street slopes downhill from north to south, and most buildings are one or two stories with stucco walls, straight cornice or parapet lines, and storefronts with recessed entrances, transoms and display windows. Much of the district was rebuilt after a major fire in 1927. The Bank of America Building, built in reinforced concrete around 1912, helped stop that fire from spreading south. Other notable buildings include the Spanish Colonial Revival I.O.O.F. Hall, the large Point Arena Mercantile Company store of 1928, a theater, and several garages and service stations that reflect the growing role of the automobile. The two oldest buildings, the 1867 hotel and the Giannini Building, were remodeled and no longer contribute. Retail trade, from 1893 to 1940, is the basis for the district's significance.