Downtown Business Association History

1950s

54 Formation of the Downtown Business Association

. A Voluntary Dues Based Association

Formed after the 52 Earthquake need for businesses to come together

57 Promotion Mexican trip give-a-way with prizes from downtown businesses wall to wall people Promoted Downtown was open for businesses

1960s

Civic Auditorium DBA support local proposition

GET Bus

Crosstown Freeway

Sears wanted to expand.Local businesses fought the mall concept downtown.

Valley Plaza constructed out of the downtown area.

69 Formed Downtown Improvement District under AB103

Time limit parking took out parking meters

Increased parking with one-way streets and angle parking Nov. 1, 1970

To Compete with Valley Plaza did the following:

Golden Corridor Project proposed merchants nixed project opposed to closingChester Avenue to vehicular traffic.

1970s

70 Empire Square Project - $54 million HUD - $1,800,000 rejected project failed

Proposed location Cheater Avenure and M Street, Truxtun to 23rd.

73 Bank of America project completed redevelopment funds $8.5 million

73 Fedway Dept. Store transformed into Weill Institute

Under the Downtown Improvement District:

Purchased 72 new Spiral Christmas Decorations

Santa House in front of Penneys DID paid for Santa and candy canes

DID paid for Seasonal advertising in newspaper, TV and radio

DID supported sidewalk sales, poster contests, bike rodeos

With the one-way streets, cattle guards were put in.DBA replaced the unsightly metal guards (guards protects driving the wrong way done one way streets)replaced with landscaped rest areas.

California Downtown Association formed in 1971

DBA Executive Ivo (Buck) Keyser, DBA Board Member Lee Noble along with a cadre of businessmen representing downtown businesses throughout the state form the CDA at their first conference held at the Bakersfield Inn.)

Lost Christmas Parade 1971 (DBA helped to bring back in 1983)

Mall Proposed again for downtown.This time constructed on the East Side of

Chester Avenue, businesses on the west side didnt support the mall because the entrance ended up facing 23rd street instead of Chester.East Hills Mall was later built.

1980s

Two major projects were proposed for downtown:The Truxtun Galleria and the

City Center Building.

DBA raised money for the city to purchase the lot from the Sills to build a

parking garage.This garage was also to support the Truxtun Galleria that

was never built. Today the location of Borton & Petrini.

DBA raised $10,000.00 through a one-time assessment of .07 on the square foot.

DBA also raised another $10,000 raffled tickets for $50 to win a mens or

womens diamond ring courtesy of Wickersham Jewelers.

Busses were being stacked and traffic backed up at 19th and Chester in front of

Vests. DBA worked with GET to build a bus stop.GET wanted to just

put benches with no bathrooms along Chester Avenue. Woodys Toy

Circus burned down and the land was vacant.DBA worked with the

to build a new bus stop at 22nd and Chester.

1980s Continued:

Started the Facade Improvement Program (information gathered from the CDA

Conference patterned after Montebello.)Ken Reed was DBA President that

approached the city for funds. Henleys photo first to participate.

Later gave up Facade Improvement to put money toward the 19th St.

Improvement Plan.Never took place.

Plan proposed to improve 19th Street. Archiplan won an award for project never

completed. Property owners agreed to pay .02 on the sq ft combined with

Redevelopment Funds from the district to improve 19th Street. The Council

was then wearing two hats which later changed to a private group of citizens.

The city was wanting to upgrade the Civic Auditorium for their 25th Anniversary, in order to entice a convention center hotel. The new redevelopment agency thought that was a good idea but it took away funds from the 19th Street project. The City now wanted .09 on the sq ft and down sized the project considerably.

Property owners refused to pay more so the city pulled the project and Pennys pulled out of downtown.

DBA put pressure on the city to do a portion of the 19th Street Plan.With

Community Block Grant Funds the city was able to do the landscaping at Chester and 19th. The old landscaping from the 70s found the homeless sleeping on the structures, then stopped with the new landscaping.Although today we have the trouble again because the benches put in after the new landscaping in the late 90s.

83 Brought back the Christmas Parade with the help of Mary K. Shells Beautiful

Bakersfield Committee and the Golden Empire Jaycees.DBA still involved

today. Jim Scott was MC with TV 23 at the time.Later Robin MC they

courted at Guthries.

84 DBA held Fashion Show in Fox Theater celebrating DBAs 30th Anniversary

Brocks, Penneys, Shoe Tree n Things, Guarantee Shoe Centerall participated

Benefited The renovation of the Howell House for its anniversary.

84 Fox Theater Closed later that year DBA helped reopen in 94

85 DBA held a Hot Air Balloon send off on 20th Street

85 Started Street Faire BBQ cook off on 20th Street Ken Reed vs. Rusty Shoop

86 Started Street Faires on Chester Avenue every third Thursday May Sept next

year to Aug. Charles Drew head of Farmers Market approached Council

for Chester Avenue

County vs. the City events in front of the Kern County Court House to promote

the Street Faires.

We even tried Street Faires to bring in Santa around Thanksgiving.One year

George Martin dressed as Rudolph.

We also brought Santa in on an elephant combined with Circus Vargas, Rusty

Shoop was afraid of hights and refused to ride an elephant was in the wagon with the show girls.

Easter Egg Hunts in front of the Kern County Court House

Valentine Promotions

Sidewalk Sales until retail left

DBA made new decorations to replace the rundown spiral Christmas Trees

1990s

90Street Faire to celebrate the Fox Theaters 60th Anniversary and start to raise

funds to “Save the Fox”. DBA raised funds through selling Christmas Cards,

Fox Posters, Refrigerator magnets, Coffee Cups and Pencils. Fox Theater

Foundation was formed but it took years for the foundation to negotiate with the

owner in 1994.

91Dissolved the DID (due to the loss of Pennys and Brocks retail left downtown)

Retail paid the most so DBA board chose to dissolve district.

DBA still had the voluntary dues based district in place, created new goals such as

Saving the Fox Theater, during our three-day membership drive increased

membership from 80 to 400.DBA needed additional fundraisers such asUp on

Roof, Golf Tournament, Cast Party, etc.

DBA board members (Cathy Palla, Phil Bentley and Jim Ware) worked to bring

property owners together to fight the unreinforced masonry ordinance.DBA asked property owners to contributed $250 each to hire an attorney, raised

$40,000.Worked with new city manager Alan Tandy created a new ordinance that property owners could live with. Property owners receiving three bids could be reimbursed for their testing and plan for retrofitting. The plan gave property

owners seven years to comply.

94 DBA raised $100,000 to Save the Fox Theater gave funds to the Fox Theater

Foundation.DBA moved their office into the theater to help with the theater

for about a year and half.

94 DBA worked with K C Superintendent of Schools to start the “Up on the Roof

Party”A portion of the proceeds benefited DBA and other non-profit groups

DBA started working with local artist to beauty downtown through murals.

98DBA worked with the city to fund a Streetscaping project for Chester Avenue.

DBA kept the Christmas Parade Downtown after landscaping divided Chester

Avenue, by finding an alternative route.

DBA raised funds to pay for small decorative white lights in the new landscaped

Trees on Chester Avenue.

DBA used to hold Saint Patrick Day Parades, Kevin McCarthy, was chairman

2000

DBA worked with city to continue streetscaping down side streets Eye to “K”

DBA worked with the city in support for the Charrette

DBA worked with property owners for the Wall Street Improvements

DBA strengthens Street Faires

DBA worked with the Highway 99 Cruise n Show, created Treasure Hunt with

Downtown businesses.

Start First Thursdays (just beginning in Arts District

Try to form PBID to pull property owners resources together for the betterment of

The city.

DBA worked with city to continue streetscaping Chester Avenue to circle.

DBA starting Nightlife Businesses