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Building History

San Francisco architect Frederick Herman Meyer designed a grand, up-to-date Beaux-Arts Revival design for Kern County; raised on a tall, rusticated stone base, the courthouse had a tripartite plan, with a central templar block framed by wings and two, projecting, bays. A dome covered the entry atrium. It replaced a previous Romanesque Courthouse built in 1896; subsequently, the County of Kern sold the 1896 facility to the City of Bakersfield, which used it as its city hall.

In 02/1910, the Kern County Board of Supervisors met to discuss bond financing bids submitted by six firms. The Bakersfield Californian reported: "The February session of the Board of Supervisors was opened at 10 o'clock this morning, and the first business brought up was the opening of bids for the $400,000 4 1/2 per cent county bonds for the new court house. N.W. Halsey Co. offered the largest premium--$9,126. After a short discussion on the bid the board referred the matter to a committee of the whole board for consultation and discussion, and proceeded with other business." (See "Courthouse Bond Issue Bids Are Opened", Bakersfield Californian, vol XXI, no. 162, 02/07/1910, p. 1.)

This courthouse was damaged in the Tehachapi, CA, Earthquake of 1952. It was subsequently demolished in 1953.

PCAD id: 10683