New — Preservation in Eureka Resources. Helpful Contacts & Links
The Annie B Ryan House and Gardens, home of the Eureka Heritage Society.
1000 F Street • Eureka
With this being the Society’s 50th year celebration, we want to recognize and celebrate our members. We thank them for helping us get to a celebration of 50 years. And help us prepare for the next 50 years.
Eureka Heritage Society
Summer Event
Sunday, September 17 • 1:00-3:00pm
Members will receive a free hotdog or a hamburger. There is no charge to enter the Luncheon and Lawn Games event, it is free for all members and their guests.
Not a Member? Join the fun by purchasing a membership on the the day of the event. Your purchased membership will be for the remainder of 2023 and all of 2024.
Come spend the afternoon playing corn hole, badminton, bocce or maybe even some line dancing. Or just come and enjoy the Gardens of the Annie B.
Cold drinks, hot dogs, and hamburgers will be available for purchase at a special member price.
May is National Preservation Month.
Since 1995 the Eureka Heritage Society has taken the opportunity to recognize preservation efforts in our city by giving annual awards to deserving individuals and buildings.
How does the Society determine these awards?
We base them on more than just fresh paint and a new roof, although those are very important. Throughout each year, we watch and listen for news about restoration projects.
2023 Preservation Award Winners
1228 C Street
Katharine & Michael Eagan
1409 C Street
Karen Smith & Chaz Lord
2419 F Street
Renee Chappelle
2085 Myrtle Avenue
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Eric Hollenbeck
The Eureka Heritage Society Education Series
In conjunction with the Eureka Heritage Society’s 50th anniversary celebration, the Society sponsored three informational seminars this month.
Introduction to Sources
Bob Libershal, the Eureka Heritage Society’s archivist, will present an “Introduction to Sources” for learning about and researching the histories of buildings in Eureka.
He will provide information about locally-available resources to get you started or to expand your research horizons.
Humboldt History from the Comfort of your Home
Carly Marino, Special Collections Librarian and Archivist at Cal Poly Humboldt, will talk about “Humboldt History from the Comfort of your Home.”
Learn how to navigate various online resources when researching historic homes and neighborhoods in Eureka and Humboldt County.
Architectural Styles of Eureka
Jill Macdonald, a local realtor, will present and discuss “Architectural Styles of Eureka.”
Jill graduated from the University of Oregon with degrees in Architectural History and Historic Preservation and was an instructor for the College of the Redwood’s Historic Preservation and Restoration Technology program.
1st Eureka Heritage Society Newsletter
On November 11, 1974, the Society published the first newsletter.
Great News on the Preservation Front
As you know we purchased the fence that surrounded the Buhne mansion, thanks to many of our members donations. We had the fence in storage until we could find someone to sandblast and paint the fence.
We found a local company that will do this work. We will be moving this incredibly heavy fence to their site in the very near future. (We might need some assistance moving the fence). Once repaired and painted the fence will be ready for the next stage with the rebuilding of the E Street wall and it’s installation there.
Thanks to several generous donations and the Eureka Heritage Society Board of Directors the sandblasting and painting is paid for.
The wall rebuild and the installation are not yet funded. We will be starting a fund for this expense.
It is because of your generous donations, from our members, that we are able to save this piece of Eureka history.
Thank you
The Green Book
In 1987, The Society published the outstanding document, “Eureka, An Architectural View.” Also known as The Green Book, it contains over 225 images of structures and is considered one of the finest collection of details on historic homes ever published.
Books may be purchased locally at Eureka Books, Booklegger and Humboldt County Historical Society. You may also order The Green Book online here for $35 (includes shipping and handling) through PayPal.
The Eureka Heritage Society owes a deep dept of gratitude to the many people who have helped to survey Eureka’s architecture and to create this book. Every one of them deserves to be personally acknowledged for his or her contribution. An attempt was made to compile a comprehensive list; this resulted in a list of more than one hundred names. And yet, upon review it was obvious the list was still incomplete. A complete list would contain over 1000 names, because that many people have helped in both large and small ways to bring this book into being. People who took photographs, filled out survey cards, abstracted old newspapers, took tickets at Heritage Fairs, served on the Society’s Board, or performed a multitude of other tasks over the years. Each of you know the part you have played in creating this book. To all of you we offer heartfelt thanks.
Among the multitude of contributors a few individuals have given so much of themselves that it is impossible to imagine the project ever having been completed without them. First among these is Dolores Vellutini, the Survey Coordinator. She helped to conceive the survey, served as the general in charge of the legion of volunteers working on it over the years, and made it her personal project to see that research was completed on the 1,600 significant buildings identified. Milt Phegley gave her material aid early on by photographing each of Eureka’s 10,000 structures. Marilynn Bartlett was responsible for running the two Heritage Fairs that raised most of the money needed to complete the survey. Western Title provided data, and the Humboldt Area Foundation funded research into the history of specific structures.
Architectural Resources Group
Architectural Resources Group could not have produced this volume without the talents and assistance of several individuals. Special thanks are due Delores and Ray Velluntini for their help and guidance, Leslie Kleh for her work on the glossary and maps, and Mrs. G Bland Platt and the late John Beach for their review of the text and comments. The section on the Romano Gabriel Wooden Garden, in particular benefited immeasurably from the insightful assistance of Mr. Beach.
Thanks also to partner Bruce D Judd, AIA, for his review and comment throughout the course of the project, and to staff members Charles Miller, Dina Cheyette, Louise Duford, Suzanne LeGette, and Joe Wagner for their help in bringing this project to completion.
Society Goals:
- Advocate and provide public awareness for historic preservation.
- Identify, evaluate, and register historic properties.
- Provide historic preservation education
- Partner with preservation alliances
- Maintain historical Eureka Heritage Society properties.
The Buhne Fence
A fundraising project to buy and preserve a precious part of Eureka’s history!