Ukiah Street, c. 1930. (Gift of Dolly Efishoff)
Ukiah Street, 2023. (Photographer: Robert Dominy)
These two images, taken almost a century apart, show Ukiah Street near the intersection with Kasten Street, looking east.
In the 20th century photo, two calves belonging to the Paoli family stand on Ukiah Street in front of the Paoli Hotel, which is just out of sight on the right side of the photo. Raffaelo Paoli and his wife, Emelia, purchased this hotel in 1919 and operated it until about 1941. From 1946 to 1982, their son Miles ran Paoli TV & Hi-Fi Radio Shop from this building. Following Miles’ death, his niece, Dolly Efishoff of Fort Bragg, sold the property to Al Weaver of Greenwood, who renovated the old hotel to restore it to its original appearance and convert the interior to shops and offices. Today, Mendo Pack & Ship is located on the first floor of the former hotel building.
The first Odd Fellows Hall, built in 1878 and located on the southwest corner of Ukiah and Kasten Streets, can be seen on the right side of these photos. When the first photo was taken, the Ancient Order of Foresters owned the hall. In 1964, Warren Zimmer remodeled the historic building and operated a gallery and frame shop on the property. Today, the first Odd Fellows Hall is the home of Highlight Gallery.
The Heeser Water Tower, on the southeast corner of the intersection, can be seen to the left and just behind the hall. Built about 1900, this two-tank tower provided water to the Heeser property (now the Mendocino Hotel Garden Suites) and to the Beacon Building. A fierce storm blew the water tower down in 1974, and a replica was reconstructed on the same site in 1983. The tanks on this tower still hold water.
The large portico on the front of the second Odd Fellows Hall can be seen on the left side of the earlier photo. All of the lumber used in the 1894 construction of this two-story building was sawn at the Mendocino Lumber Company mill, except for the flooring which was made of vertical-grain white pine shipped from Oregon. By the 1950s, the hall was badly deteriorated, and the front portion was demolished. The remaining structure (not seen in these photos) was repaired and is used for shops and apartments today.
Looking east on Ukiah Street in the older photo, the Beacon Building is next on the left. Built about 1872 to house the Bank of Mendocino, it was enlarged in 1877 when William Heeser began publishing the Mendocino Beacon. The Beacon maintained an office here until 2000, when the reporters and clerical staff moved to the Fort Bragg office of the Advocate-News. Today, the building houses Partners Gallery, massage studios, a Pilates center, and offices.
In the background on the left in both photos stands the Masonic Hall with its iconic statue, “Father Time and the Maiden.” It was constructed by Eric Jensen Albertson between 1866 and 1872 to provide meeting space for the Mendocino Masonic Lodge No. 179. Albertson, a Mason and local lumber mill employee, also carved the statue from one redwood log. In 1976, the building was sold to the Savings Bank of Mendocino County, with the Masonic Lodge retaining the right to use the second-floor meeting hall. SBMC opened downstairs in October of 1977.
If you would like to learn more about Mendocino’s historic structures, the Kelley House archives are open for research appointments Wednesday through Friday from 12:00 to 4:00 pm. To make an appointment, write to curator@kelleyhousemuseum.org
The Kelley House Museum is open from 11AM to 3PM Thursday through Monday. If you have a question for the curator, reach out to curator@kelleyhousemuseum.org Walking tours of the historic district depart from the Kelley House regularly.