San Bruno CA: Centennial Celebration Historic Walks

Centennial Historic Walking Tour of San Mateo Avenue

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Tours start at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Join San Mateo County Historical Association President Mitch Postel in an exploration of San Bruno’s historic business district. Tours will start at the intersection of San Mateo Avenue and El Camino. Highlights include stops at historic independent businesses, a visit to a special historical display and a tour of a private slot machine collection.

For More information Visit www.sanbruno100.org or call 650-616-7017

San Bruno History Walking Tour Route

August 16, 2014 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

1. Begin at intersection of San Mateo Ave. and El Camino Real to view photos of what the old junction looked like, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s.

2. Club Barber Shop, 460 San Mateo Ave., 1940, Art Moderne architectural style.

3. Barney Ward Building, 495 San Mateo Ave., 1906; Ward began selling alcoholic beverages there just after the Earthquake. Don Newell renamed it Newell’s Bar in the 1930s.

4. Costa’s / “Just Things,” 575 San Mateo Ave.; proprietor Harry Costa will give a tour of his San Bruno History mini-museum.

5. San Bruno Lumber Company Office, 588 San Mateo Ave., 1925, 1st brick commercial building in San Bruno, office for 1st lumber company in San Bruno.

6. Eimac Corporation original location, 598 San Mateo Ave., 1932, Art Moderne Style; Eimac was a pioneer manufacturer of vacuum tubes in the 1930s and 1940s, contributing in meaningful ways to the World War II, war effort. It also was one of the first companies to employ women in manufacturing jobs during that era.

7. 601-605 San Mateo Ave., 1930, Mediterranean Revival architecture; so reminiscent of a 1930s building, it was used in the filming of the Hollywood movie Tucker.

8. Debenedetti Building, 609-617 San Mateo Ave., 1909, Mission Revival architecture; the Debenedetti brothers of Half Moon Bay originally used it as a general store.9. Artichoke Joe’s, 678 San Mateo Ave., 1907, originally Lo Reaux’s plumbing shop one of the two original businesses on San Mateo Ave. Became a pool hall in 1916. 1921, taken over by Joseph Sammut. Through the years the family extended it into a casino.

10.Della Maggiora General Store, 733 San Mateo Ave., 1906, the other of the two original commercial buildings on San Mateo Avenue. Sebastiani Della Maggiora sold produce, at this location, grown by local Italian farmers.

11.American Legion Post #409, 757 San Mateo Ave., 1935, Art Moderne architectural style, belonging to the oldest remaining veterans group in San Bruno.

12.View photographs of the old railroad stations, 1860’s-1920’s.

13.Arthur G. Meehan House, 777 Mills Ave., 1915, wood framed bungalow, belonged to police officer Meehan, killed in the line of duty in 1923.

14.J.H. Galleher House, 785 Mills Ave., 1922, Colonial Revival Style of architecture, built by Prosper Bou for postal employee Galleher.

15.San Bruno Funeral Home, 200 W. San Bruno Ave., 1935, Spanish Eclectic architectural style, one of the best of its type in San Bruno.

16.383 W. San Bruno; stop to view the Welch family historic slot machine collection.

17.Mathias Drescher House, 649 Easton Ave., 1915, wood framed Craftsmen style of architecture; Drescher was a builder who came to San Bruno in 1906.

18.Louis Traeger House, 625 Easton Ave., 1912, wood framed Craftsmen style of architecture, belonged to Louis Traeger, San Bruno’s first mayor.

19.Nick Drescher Hall, 300 W. Angus Avenue, 1910; built by Drescher, younger brother of Mathias, as a carpenters union hall, that became a community meeting place, then a chapel for various congregations.

20.Back to San Mateo Ave. and end of tour.

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Photo Credit: City of San Bruno

Source Credit: City of San Bruno