City of Davis

1. Davis Library (Hattie Weber Museum), 445 C St. (1911)

First library building in Davis. The Bachelor Girls, a social organization, collected $550 to purchase a lot on F Street to construct this building. Hattie Weber, the first librarian, remained in charge for 43 years. When the building was moved to its present site in 1988, it opened as the Hattie Weber Museum in honor of the years of service she dedicated to the citizens of Davis.

2. Davis Community Church, 412 C St. (1926)

The only large scale Spanish Colonial structure in Davis, a fine example of the best architectural achievements of the 1920's. Cypress trees grown from seeds brought from the Garden of Gethsemane flank the front entrance.

3. H.J. Hamel Home, 505 2nd St. (1920)

Built by Henry Jacob, son of Hartman Henry Hamel, a German immigrant, who came to Davis in 1867. A typical example of the fusion of Colonial Revival and craftsman elements.

4. Dresbach-Hunt-Boyer Mansion, 604 2nd St. (1875)

The Dresbach-Hunt-Boyer Mansion, a two story Italianate house topped by a very shallow hipped roof, is a superb example of the style and one of the few remaining mansions in the downtown area. The 12 room, 3500 square foot main house and 340 square foot water tower were built between 1871 and 1875 by William Dresbach, the original owner and Davisville's first postmaster. Mr. Dresbach is credited with naming the town after rancher Jerome C. Davis. The land on which the mansion sits is likely some of the first residential land purchased in Davisville. Mr. Dresbach, one of Davisville's wealthiest citizens, also owned a livery stable, general store, hotel and saloon, and a grain warehouse.

5. Boy Scout Cabin, 1st & F Sts. (1927)

Telephone pole logs donated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. were used by members of the Davis Rotary Club to build this cabin for use by local Boy Scout troops. This cabin is an example of a continued fondness for the rustic forms and images of pioneer America.

The Eastman Collection contains many historic photos of Davis and other Central Valley communities. Picture Copyright © Eastman Collection Photos, Department of Special Collections, University of California Library, Davis, California

6. Southern Pacific Depot, 2nd & H Sts. (1913)

In 1868, the California Pacific Railroad built a branch north from Davisville to Yuba City off its main line between Vallejo and Sacramento. This "Y Junction" greatly stimulated growth in Davisville. The original frame depot was replaced in 1913 by the present Mission Revival style structure commonly used by the railroad to let people know they had arrived in "exotic" California.

The Depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

7. Brinley Block, 714-726 2nd St. (1926)

An attractive example of Commercial architecture of the late 1920's. Ornamentation primarily consists of integral patterns in the brick.

8. Anderson Bank Building, 203 G St. (1914)

Built by J.B. Anderson, first mayor of Davis, to house the newly formed Bank of Davis. The direct simplicity of its style reflect the influences of Louis H. Sullivan, a landmark American architect of the Prairie School.

9. Old Davis City Hall, 226 F St. (1938)

This Spanish Colonial Revival style building originally housed all city administrative offices and the Police and Fire Departments.
The Eastman Collection contains many historic photos of Davis and other Central Valley communities. Picture Copyright © Eastman Collection Photos, Department of Special Collections, University of California Library, Davis, California
Photo Courtesy of Eastman Collection

10. Bank of Yolo, 301 G St. (1910)

building establishes a massive scale through its careful proportion. The Bank of Yolo operated until 1933. Although it did not open its doors after the Crash, depositors were paid in full within a few years.

11. Williams-Drummond Home, 320 I St. (1914)

Believed to have been built on land purchased from the Jerome C. Davis Ranch. John Drummond, a local rancher, assumed the mortgage in 1880, and in 1918 passed it onto his daughter, Lillian, who was thought by the neighbors to be a witch. The house is of simplified Stick style and balloon frame construction.

12. Schmeiser Home, 334 I St. (1911)

Built by Davis pioneer-inventor Theodore Schmeiser, this Colonial Revival design with Queen Anne style features ornate brick work bordering the front porch. The house's most intriguing artifact is a swastika pattern in the chimney brickwork. Schmeiser, the son of German immigrants, had the brick pattern put in as a good luck charm.

13. McBride Home, 405 J St. (1912)

This one story house with its hipped primary roof and gabled porch roofs is an example of Craftsman design. It was built by E.S. McBride, one of Davis' first councilmen.

14. Tufts-Longview Home, 434 J St. (1890)

Victorian residence built for Joshua and Mary Tufts, pioneers responsible for the first commercial enterprises in the area. The house combines Stick and Eastlake styles. Noteworthy details include the eave brackets, turned porch columns, fishscale shingles and stained glass.

The Tufts home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

15. Anderson-Hamel Home, 623 7th St. (1903)

A Queen Anne cottage built by Davis' first mayor, John B. Anderson, who came to the Davisville area in 1893 and opened the Davisville Cash Store. The Hamels, another pioneer family, bought the house in 1923 and lived there until 1945. Originally built on the comer of 2nd and F Streets, the house was moved to its present location in 1945.

16. College Park (1924)

Residential area developed as an inducement in recruiting university facility. Lots sold for $475 to $500. There are 19 "landmark" trees of special interest within the park. Until 1950, this circle of stately homes was separated by a sheep pasture from the city, an indication of the town's rapid growth in the past decades.

You can learn more about the city's Landmark Trees and the Street Tree Program.

17. Arlington Farm, LaRue-Romani Home, Russell Blvd. (1887)

Built by H.M. LaRue, this Victorian is a typical farm home of the period. It later became the headquarters of a 2060-acre family farm developed between 1867 and 1918. LaRue was a prominent agriculturalist and state legislator. Son Jacob was active in efforts to acquire the University State Farm for Davisville.

18. Avenue of Trees, Russell Blvd. West of Highway 113 (1874-80)

A 1.25 mile section of the transcontinental Lincoln Highway, shaded by majestic black walnut trees planted by H.M. LaRue. The trees were part of an early state and national interest in roadside beautification and improvement in the 1880s.

19. Davis Subway (Richards Underpass) (1917)

The Davis Subway, better known to the community as Richards Boulevard Underpass, is listed on the prestigious National Register of Historic Places. The subway, built in 1917, is formed by the last remaining I-beam railroad bridge in use in California. It was constructed as part of the first state highway, State Route 6. Once complete, the highway became an alternate route on the coast-to-coast Lincoln Highway, linking Sacramento to the Bay Area.

20. Walker Engineering Bldg. (1929) & Hart Hall (1928), Shields Ave.

Two examples of the first "permanent" campus buildings of the 1920s, reflecting the Mission architectural style.

Hart Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hart Hall Photo Courtesy UC Davis

21. The Silo, Hutchison Drive (1908)

Another early building, part of the University dairy barn. A model of it was on display at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915.

22. Jerome C. Davis Homestead Site (1851)

Two olive and two fig trees just east of Olson Hall on the U.C. Davis campus are all that remain to mark the pioneer homestead of Jerome C. and Mary Chiles Davis. In 1851, they settled on a portion of Rancho Laguna De Santos Calle previously owned by Joseph B. Chiles, father of Mary and one of California's noted trail-blazing pioneers of the 1840s.

23. University House, Shields Ave. (1928)

One of the first four buildings on campus, originally home of the director of the University Farm.

24. North Hall (1908) & South Hall (1912), East Quad

First residence halls on the Davis campus and examples of early campus buildings. Designed in the "shingle style", an American domestic architectural style first seen along the Atlantic seaboard in the 19th century.

25. Greive-Asbill Home, 310 A St. (1909)

This 1 ½ story shingled Craftsman bungalow was built of Humboldt County redwood by Albert "Jack" Grieve. The Grieve family played a significant role in the commercial development of Davisville. The house was moved to its present location in the 1970s from its original site on the northeast corner of 3rd & A Streets.

26. Old Davis High School (City Hall), 23 Russell Blvd. (1927)

A group of citizens encouraged the creation of the school district by raising funds to purchase an entire city block for the site of the future high school. Converted to city office space in the early 1980s. The present gymnasium replaced a frame one that burnt in a 1937 fire.

Lincoln Highway Marker in Cental Park

Who could have imagined that the first highway connecting New York to San Francisco would pass through Davis? The Lincoln Highway, also known as U.S. 40, did just that on its final stretch from the Sierra to the Bay Area. The oak-shaded Slater's Court on Olive Drive and the Boy Scout Cabin on First Street are glimpses of history from the 1920s era of the Lincoln Highway. Lincoln Highway markers, originally used to show turns in the road, stand in Central Park on the corner of Fifth and B Streets, and on the south side of Russell Boulevard at Arthur Street.