City’s oldest commercial building dedicated
What is commonly referred to as the Low’s Furniture building in Fortuna has been dedicated by the Native Sons of the Golden West as the oldest commercial building still standing in the city.
The designation was made on Saturday with the unveiling of a bronze plaque during a traditional ceremony of mixing sand, gravel, and water and the significance of history. The sand and gravel came from many of California’s 58 counties, and the water came from each of California’s 21 Missions.
Native Sons of the Golden West Grand President Joe Castillo presided over the ceremony, saying, “Our mission is to preserve the history of California.”
The three-story structure at 906 Main Street in Fortuna was built in 1889 and was originally used as a meeting hall for the town, and later by various fraternal organizations for the same purpose.
The bronze plaque says that in the early 1900s the building was renamed the Hansen-Hunter Company building and was operated as a furniture and undertaking business. In 1955 the Low family purchased the building and continued to operate it as a furniture store until retiring in 2016.
There is an elevator in the building which was installed in 1913 by the Otis Elevator Company.
Fortuna Mayor Sue Long told those gathered for the ceremony that she is “proud that Fortuna has such history to protect and preserve.”
The building at the corner of Ninth and Main streets was home to Green’s Pharmacy after the January 2015 fire that destroyed the Star Hotel building where the business had been formerly located. Green’s Pharmacy operated out of the “Low’s Furniture building” until it moved back to its former location when rebuilding was complete.
The current owner of the historic commercial building at 906 Main Street in Fortuna plans to open a military surplus business there, although no timeline has been announced.