Tejon Theater and Granada Theater are memories. Wool Growers restaurant is still here.

Saba's, Tejon theater, Woolgrowers. 

Wow I can't believe Saba's is moving! They have been there forever! I am surprised Stinson's is still there.  As much as people have tried to "clean up" that area it is still scary to have to walk too far from your car even in broad daylight.  I go to Stairway Beauty Salon and I always try to park in front or at least across the street. At night two people will walk a customer to their car even if it is out front.  I used to live on Grace Street just west of Baker. At first it was a nice place then it started having trouble - too bad, I liked that house it had been custom built by Mr. Galey and he lived next door.    Nice man Mr. Galey

Earthbound~ my first job when I moved back home,it was  right next to the Granada,had the usual health food stuffs...but we also made food. Crepes,salads,soups,sandwiches,smoothies  and my favorite Friday night dinner with live acoustic music.

 Christine, it has been known that Saba's was closing for a few months now. Why are you all just now acting like it's big news? You need to find better news sources.

 When I was just shy of 16 years old, my boyfriends aunt, who owned Trend O Fashion" on Baker Street gave me a job working Saturdays and holidays.  Being a kid from the boonies I felt pretty darned grown up to be able to walk over to Ben Franklin's Five and Dime lunch counter and have a fried ham sandwich on toast.  It was my first experience with potato salad with celery chopped up in it.  Mmmmmmm.  When my son was born, Aunt Beulah walked us down to Urners on the corner and bought a stroller for Motopoet.  (yeah..he really was a little thing once.)  I remember when the bank on the corner was BofA and now is Lazlos.  At least I think it was BofA before they moved down on the corner of Monterey.  Penny's and McMahens were both there.  I believe the dress shop nearby was Christines and, of course, everyone knew about The French Shop where only the wealthy shopped and where they brought the clothes out TO you.  No rack digging.  There was a little coffee shop run by a gal named Betty who later opened The Pink Pig on North Chester...it was on the west side of Baker near Trend O Fashion. 

It was a bustling area back then in the late 50's but eventually gave way to progress and the beginning of urban sprawl.  Penny's moved up to College Heights along side See's Candy, Smiths Bakery, Dunlaps, and the big dime store..Newberry's?  Nahh..that's not the one, but it will come to me.

Anyway, Baker Street started to slide and my (by this time)  aunt in law got a partner, moved Trend O Fashion up to College Heights and the old street was slowly abandoned.   I missed Ben Franklin the most I think.  I missed the lunch counter and the special potato salad.  Now I miss  the wonderful old brick building that housed it.  Torn down because it didn't meet safety requirements.  (Not to mention the hobo's who slept there presenting a hazard.)

I am nostalgic about the old Baker Street.  When there's talk of revitalization I just shake my head in doubt.  It would take a miracle to turn that place around and I don't see any miracles on the Baker Street horizen.

Nancy ~ my Mom shopped at the French Shop~ I remember  the ladies bring those clothes out to her. The I.Magnin(sp?) in Santa Barbara had ladies that wore your selections and modeled them for you....I can not imagine that now! But there was something la te da about it. There was a children's shop on Baker for the longest time,but I am drawing a blank on the name. They had nice children's things ,but my Mom hated the "seedy" neighborhood even then. With the fabulous train station there,it is an area that cries out for redoing.I am afraid your right~ no miracles.

 Sage..being a little shy bumpkin I really wanted to go in the French Shop but never had the nerve.   Even now I'd probably be too intimidated to go in.  They'd take one look at my French Connection jeans from Mervyns and my Keds tennies and send me packing.  :-)

Besides..digging through sale racks is the way to find lots for little...I wonder if the French Shop ever had a sale rack? 

 I remember going to Saba's as a young girl to buy CHP uniforms with my father, Ray Miller.  I remember the Saba men were always so kind.  My dad really appreciated the fact that he was able to make monthly payments on his uniforms.  When my dad died, the Saba men were so kind to our family and waived his charge account as paid in full.  If you are ever in need of uniforms, go to Sabas.  You will enjoy the personal service and the genuine old fashioned customer service.  I hope the children continue this tradition. 

 Recently (last week) my wife and I were back home.  We attended a first holy communion at St. Josephs on Baker.  Both my wife and I were raised in Bakersfield.  As we drove down Baker, It wasn't a suprise... the condition was pretty much expected.  But we did reminisce about the times we spent on Baker as children.  I lived on Chico St which crossed Baker St,  Between California and Truxton.  I spent many a times walking up and down Baker and knew every corner.  On Sundays we would go to the Tejon theater.  I even was a paper boy (Bakersfield Californian) back then, it had to be around the 64-65.  We always ordered more papers than we needed; after our routes, we would stand on the corners and sell to the cars as they passed.  Then we would go to the closest diner and eat using our profits.  I remember there was this bar, TOP CAT I think, anyway I would go in there and try to sell papers, but because they had topless dancers (something new to Bakersfield back then) I would get thrown out.  But always made good sales before the bar tender caught up to me.  The next day I would repeat it.  Was it really for the profit?  Yes, those were the days.  

In a town that seems to consider good architecture as something as disposable as week old bread Saba's was a virtually pristine example of early Postwar Modern. The redevelopment agency in their efforts to improve Baker Street apparently didn't give much thought to how those new planters would work visually with the facade of Saba's but now with them moving it probably won't matter. It likely will be remuddled into some cheap contemporary looking place as nondescript and forgettable as the rest of its neighbors. Those, by the way were quite interesting buildings before they got "modernized" after the 1952 earthquake meaning all visual character was removed as they were converted into boring boxes. Movie directors needing a good backdrop for good 1950's vintage scenes will need to look elsewhere. In Bakersfield the only old building worth saving are the ones that can be poked away in Pioneer Village. Otherwise they get a trip to the landfill.

 in 1979 , i was almost 21, and worked at the Bakersfield Flower shop on Baker. 

back than i think it was starting to creep into disarray.  there was a furniture shop and a garden shop of some kind across the street and Stinson's down the street.   a donut shop on monterey and baker  and another flower shop there also.  there was a couple of eatery's(names elude me).  it was a very wonderful time in my young life.  i haven't been down baker street in many years.  mainly because it was kinda scary.  it's sad to see such a part of our town history going so downhill.

 I'd like to see the train station renovated and open as some kind of attraction. I doubt that will ever happen.

 Cat, it really is a beautiful old building with a lot of history.  (I get the scoop from motopoet whose office is in there.)

The problem remains the location.  Until that area is cleaned up and rebuilt no one would want to go there just to see that attraction.  One of the hotels was renovated for a residential drug rehab and looks pretty good but for the most part, it's just all so seedy.   I'm still protesting the tearing down and digging up of the International park which left an empty dirt field where there used to at least be some grass.  That was supposed to improve things but in my mind, only worsened the problem.

As much trouble as people are having revitalizing downtown, it doesn't seem likely that Old Kern will stir much interest.  It hasn't so far.

 Baker St is a prime example of benign neglect by the city and prior city councils!

 Why did they tear up International Park? I used to feed the homeless there iwth my dad. Was it to "revitalize" the area?

It was to get rid of the folks you were feeding.