Significance |
|
The northern portion of this two-story concrete building was constructed in 1951 for the Sixth & Battery Corporation and served as offices for the Farmers Insurance Group. The southern section was designed in 1956 for the Sixth Avenue Corporation (perhaps the same company as the earlier one). The later design was from the firm of noted architect Henry Bittman, but was done after his death in 1953. It appears that the two building were joined together in 1959, and they may have been deisgned for this purpose. The buildings housed various office uses until the late 1990s, when they were remodeled by Antioch University. The façade was modernized with new wider aluminum sash replacing the many of the original steel and aluminum window frames. Some storefronts and entries were also updated.
In the early 1950s construction was recovering after World War II, and some developers took advantage of lower land prices in the eastern portion of the regrade because of the convenient location close to downtown and SR 99. However, this office building was something of a pioneer in this vicinity at the time, surrounded by auto lots and, in the late 1950s-60s, motels. The regrading east of Fifth Avenue was not finished until 1930, and, due to the Depression and war, little development occurred for several decades. Even today, there is little office use here.
|
|