Historic Chamber of Commerce Building
By: Kern County Museum
Topics: bakersfield, architecture, history
Posted by sawoodman Tue Feb 24, 2009 15:14:06 PST
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When the Kern County Chamber of Commerce building was completed in 1928, Chester Avenue was part of State Highway 99, the main north-south route through California.
Architect Charles H. Biggar designed this Spanish-style building on land adjacent to the Kern County Fair Grounds. Inside this building, visitors were treated to exhibits of Kern County’s produce and products.
Soon after the building opened, a letter to the editor suggested historical materials be collected at the Chamber. In 1941, the Kern County Board of Supervisors voted to establish a local museum. The Kern County Museum was granted space in the basement of the Chamber of Commerce building to collect artifacts documenting Kern County’s rich and diverse heritage.
The first museum exhibits opened to the public in a corner of the first floor of this building. When the Chamber of Commerce moved their operations downtown, the museum expanded to use the entire building for exhibits. The Kern County Museum is currently working to restore the building back to its former grandeur.
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