Bank of Bakersfield Building and Historical Marker

This historical marker was placed in 1970 by the Kern County Historical Society to note the location of the historic Bank of Bakersfield. The building was later home to a Bank of America branch, and for this reason, many locals refer to the building as "the old Bank of America building." The marker appears to the right of the entrance to the building, which is now home to the Stars Theatre Restaurant and the Stars Cafe and Lounge, operated by Bakersfield Music Theatre. The marker will appear on the right when traveling west on Chester Avenue. It is located at the intersection of Chester Avenue and 20th Street. Also visible on the exterior of the building is a small, circular brass marker that identifies the "Bank Deposit Door" from when the Bank of America occupied this space.

In addition, directly in front of the historic Bank of Bakersfield building ran the historic Highway 99. This roadway was also known as U.S. Route 99, or the Golden State Highway. It was nicknamed "California's Main Street," because it replaced an earlier, two-lane road that traversed numerous main streets at the heart of many Californian towns and cities. Highway 99 was commissioned in 1926, the same year as the creation of the U.S. Highway System. By 1928, it became a signed route in California.

In California, Highway 99 served to transport agricultural goods and migrant farmworkers, particularly through the San Joaquin Valley, as well as tourists and other travelers along the West coast of the United States. Serving as an inland highway rather than a coastal route, it served to connect important economic and geographical regions of California with their varied topography of deserts, cities, farms, fields, hills, and mountains.

The historic Highway 99 originally ran all the way from Calexico, CA, at the Mexican border, northwards through California, where it passed through cities such as L.A. and Bakersfield. It continued north through Oregon and Washington towards the Canadian border. Beginning in the 1960s, Highway 99 was gradually decommissioned due to the construction of the new Interstate-5. In California, this historic highway was officially decommissioned in 1965, and by the 1970s, U.S. Route 99 had been decommissioned in its entirety.

About Us, Bakersfield Music Theatre. Accessed March 26th 2021. https://bmtstars.com/about-2/.

Boose, Denise. The Historical Marker Database. November 5th 2019. Accessed March 26th 2021. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=55118.

Historic Highway 99: The Golden State Highway, gbcnet.com. Accessed March 26th 2021. http://gbcnet.com/ushighways/US99/index.html.

Mayer, Steven. Bakersfield: A highway ran right through the middle of it, Bakersfield.com. Accessed March 26th 2021. https://www.bakersfield.com/news/bakersfield-a-highway-ran-right-through-the-middle-of-it/article_29346100-6dd0-11e8-b9c2-a33f0a6ce895.html.

Photo Gallery: Historic Route 99 runs through Bakersfield, Bakersfield.com. Accessed March 26th 2021. https://www.bakersfield.com/multimedia/photo-gallery-historic-route-99-runs-through-bakersfield/collection_1c6142ae-6df3-11e8-9194-434430761fed.html.

Virtual Tour of U.S. 99, SoCalRegion.com. Accessed March 26th 2021. https://socalregion.com/highways/us_99/.