Grass Valley: Preserving the Past

“Dependence on a gold economy has given way to a much broader range of commercial enterprises, but due to the preservation of many of the original buildings, the Gold Rush legacy of the 1800s remains to delight and inspire visitors,” according to Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Grass Valley by the Grass Valley Historical Commission. Some examples are:

FOOTHILL FLOWERS
102 West Main St.
This building has been home to the Johnson family’s Foothill Flowers since the ‘60s. William Loutzen- heiser built the existing brick building. He was a member of the first board of city trustees, and he was one of the original owners of the Idaho-Maryland Mine.

HOLBROOKE HOTEL
212 West Main St.
The present two-story brick building was built in 1862, and the saloon was incorporated into the building, which became the Holbrooke Hotel when D.P. Holbrooke purchased the hotel in 1879.

TOFANELLI’S
302 West Main St.
The original building was built sometime before 1862. It has oper- ated as a bakery and market, including under the ownership of Gino Tofanelli in the ‘50s, and now is a popular restaurant.

SMITH VINEYARD TASTING ROOM
142 Mill St.
In 1872, P.H. Paynter, Justice of the Peace, had his office here. It has been the Reliance Grocery Store, a cigar store and Bunce’s Bar. The Smiths completed a renovation in April 2010 to become the downtown tasting room for Smith Vineyard wines.

DEL ORO THEATRE
165 Mill St.
Construction of the Del Oro Theatre was started in late 1941, and it was completed in 1946 after a pause during World War II. The architect of the Art Deco style the- ater was O.A. Deichmann.

151 UNION SQUARE
151 Mill St.
The building was built for The Union newspaper in 1903, and it was housed in this building for 76 years.

(Photo: Dave McLellan)