Ukiah in Two Parts: 1. Scenes

"Thanks to tree-shaded streets, an inviting downtown, and a vibrant cultural life, Ukiah was once named California’s best small town—and the sixth best in the entire country. The largest city in Mendocino County, Ukiah is home to a bumper crop of Bartlett pears, Victorian architecture and a distinctive laid-back vibe. For a taste of the past, saunter over to the Grace Hudson Museum for a personal tour of the Sun House, a stunning 1911 craftsman bungalow offering an inside look into the lifestyle of artist Grace Carpenter Hudson (in Part 2)." Who knew?

A must-see was a visit to the World’s Largest Redwood Tree Service Station which opened in 1936. The massive tree was over 1500 years old when it was carefully selected from a grove of monster redwoods 17 miles west of Ukiah. It was quartered and reassembled in its present location. Today the tree is a museum with many automotive relics, and vintage photographs.

A little about Ukiah (Haiku spelled backwards). This interesting town was founded in 1856 as a part of Sonoma County. With the creation of Mendocino County in 1859, Ukiah was selected as the county seat. The area is actually part of the Yokayo Rancho, which was a Spanish land grant in Alta California. The lumber boom of the late 1940s supported a large part of Ukiah's early population, as the logging of redwoods was a major industry at that time. Its wealth is evident in its architecture. Wow.

The historic plaque on this home reads, "The Connolly House, a colonial revival style building, was constructed in 1903. The Connolly family owned it from 1906 to 1935. They raised 7 children here. Patrick Connolly was a truly self-made man, in spite of a leg amputation in his youth, he rose from laborer to our State Assemblyman."

The Charles and Sophie Hofman house (1889) is a large two-story structure of Eastlake styling surrounded by yard and driveway. The building is a good example of a late Victorian house. The coming of the railroad in the spring of 1889, changed the look of the local Victorian houses. For the first time decorative trims and fancy work were available from the San Francisco mills at affordable freight charges. Large, fanciful mansions were built from Eureka to San Francisco. The Hofmans were in the top layer of the local economic strata and were proud of their achievements, socially, religiously and financially. Their house cost $4,000, the second largest sum spent in Ukiah at the time.

Okay, this building had me stopping in my tracks. I wish we could have seen a film here.

Built by Redwood Theatres chain, The Ukiah Theatre opened on September 8, 1948 with Cary Grant in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. The original incarnation of the movie house featured a single screen with seating to fit many hundreds of patrons and cost original owner George Mann $380,000 to build (approximately $3.2 million in today’s dollars).

The building was designed in 1941 by William B. David, who designed most of the theaters for Mann. This design is in Streamline Moderne and there's an apartment above the lobby that was built for George Mann. So Cool. Of course, the Mann company still survives and currently owns the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

The late 40s were good for Ukiah. Opened in 1949, this amazing camera shop, Triple S has been part of Ukiah, changing with the times to continue offering dependable service and helping people with photographic needs.

The store was originally owned by three siblings with the last name Sarber. The current owner, Jill Lolonis, was super helpful and patient with me. I needed a new lens cap and I couldn't stop taking photos of her amazing vintage camera collection. She said it began with a previous owner, long ago. People would come in to buy a new camera and didn't know how to dispose of the old one. WOW. It was a museum in the store. We actually visited it twice.