In 1922, the Bank of Italy began construction on this Classic Revival building after acquiring Bank of Visalia Savings Bank and Trust Company. The $375,000 project took 6 months and, at 5-stories, towered over Main St. The exterior remains unchanged, and the interior still boasts tall windows, marble floors and the original mail chute.

Now: The ground floor is still occupied by a bank, with the remaining floors leased to businesses.

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The site served as a courthouse as early as 1857. Spurred by a growing population, a larger one was built in 1876 and topped by a statue of the Greek goddess Minerva. Granite coping around the block was quarried from nearby Rocky Hill and added in the 1890s. In 1952, due to earthquake damage, the 1876 building was torn down. What remains is the Art Deco annex, added in 1935.

Now: The 1935 annex has been restored as The Darling Hotel offering rooftop dining at Elderwood Restaurant and Lounge.

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In 1916, the Mission Revival style structure was built as Visalia's Southern Pacific train depot. The same year it was built, this became the setting for a dramatic send-off to nearly 100 soldiers of Visalia's Company D Infantry Regiment of the National Guard to Nogales, Arizona. Shown in the background is the county courthouse.

Now: Visalia Heritage is working to establish a cultural museum at the historic Southern Pacific Depot.

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This Renaissance Revival building was constructed in 1918 at a cost of $50,000 to replace the previous county jail built in 1890. The older jail's exterior was described as "happy and pleasing", but the structure itself was not very secure. In 1891, notorious train robber Gratton Dalton used a knife and file to cut the bars, allowing him and two others to escape.

Now: This served as a jail until 1962, when the jail was moved near the current county courthouse.

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In 1852, the first settlers to Visalia built a split-oak stave fort on this site. A bridge leading to the fort over Mill Creek became the namesake for what is now Bridge Street. The fort was built in response to the Woodsville massacre of 1850, in which 15 to 17 men (accounts differ) were slain just a few miles to the east by Kaweah Indians.

Now: The Lofts at Fort Visalia housing project incorporates gallery, studio and living space. Visit The Heritage Room micro museum to view historic photos and a diorama of the Fort.

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This Italianate-style lodging house was built in about 1886 in this quiet section of the city. Quiet - until the jail and train depot were built. Stories of prisoners yelling and banging metal bars are well-documented.

Now: It serves as an office building.

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Built in 1927, this adobe building was the home of Tulare County Farm Bureau. Prior to that, the bureau met the Visalia Municipal Auditorium.

Now: At its current location at 737 N. Ben Maddox Way, the bureau pays homage to this building with a mural on the exterior of its office building.

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As early as 1866, Presbyterians were present in Visalia but not until 1878 did they have an on-going presence. The photo shows a previous structure facing Locust St which was replaced in 1958 with the current sanctuary.

Now: Today the church is active in the community making their 210 Center facility at the northwest corner of Locust and Center Streets available for civic and other presentations.

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This site served as a school and/or library since May of 1857, starting with Visalia's first school, known as Little White School. As the town outgrew Little White School, larger ones like this were built on the site. The mature oak trees provided shade for community gatherings.

Now: The old City Library, built in 1936 was restored and converted in the children's wing in 2008. The newer portion of the complex was built in 1976 as the Join Tulare County/Visalia City Library.

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The William Fox Company-Fox West Coast Theaters began construction on this beautiful structure in April 1929, and it opened to audiences in 1930. Built in the glamorous age of motion pictures, the 6-foot neon-lit clocks on its tower and its bulb-lit marquees beckoned movie-goers to upcoming feature films. The theater has a Spanish-style exterior and an East Indian interior featuring a large carved head of a genie over the main stage, elephants, pagodas, stars that light up in the ceiling, and a pipe organ. Its exterior tower has become a symbol of Visalia's downtown.

Now: The meticulously restored theater is home to the Sequoia Symphony and hosts A-list entertainers.

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Local newspaperman, businessman, and visionary Ben Maddox teamed up with like-minded experts and investors to start the Mt. Whitney Power and Electric Company. The fledgling enterprise incorporated in 1899, and work soon commenced on a generating plant, flumes, and electrical lines, In 1912, the company built its own offices on Main Street for $30,000, and remained at this location even after becoming Southern California Edison. By 1955 it had outgrown its space and moved to new offices down the street.

Now: The building is now The Mix, a stylish two-story food hall and social hub that brings together local, family-run eateries.

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Construction on this WPA-era (Works Progress Administration) project went fast, beginning in 1933 and finishing in April 1934. Note geometric elements and nature motifs throughout: eagle, plant, flower, and sunrise, as well as the unique brick work, friezes above the main doors and windows, and the bronze scallop shell light fixtures flanking the entrance. The terrazzo flooring, marble paneling, service windows and radiator grills are original.

Now: This Art Deco-style building still serves as Visalia's downtown post office.

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Originally built in 1889 with three stories, this was Visalia's first "skyscraper". Built primarily as a bank with offices upstairs, it housed the depot for Visalia & Tulare Railroad (VTRR) until 1900. Unfortunately, a 1962 fire destroyed the top floor, and water damaged rendered the second floor unsalvageable.

Now: Only the ground floor and the basement remain of the original building. It still operates as a bank with Jasper Harrell's vault still inside. Note the mural painted on the west side along Court Street, "Welcome to Visalia".

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Erected in 1876 by Elias Jacob, this was Visalia's first structure built specifically as an entertainment venue. Notable entertainers included Charles Stratton, a dwarf, better known to the world as General Tom Thumb, and his wife, pictured above. Stratton was discovered and made world-famous by circus pioneer P.T. Barnum. The theater was upstairs with retail on the ground floor.

Now: A recent renovation revealed the date it was built, 1876, cast in the top of the façade. The building houses retail.

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Built in 1876, the Palace Hotel was declared the "finest hotel outside San Francisco". It was here that Stephen Mather met up with 15 influential men to embark on a two-week venture as the Mather Mountain Party. The group trekked through Sequoia National Park and summited Mt. Whitney, making note of the lack of oversight and declining conditions in the park. This venture was a pivotal step in passing legislation that created the National Park Service. Mather was named as its first superintendent. The hotel occupied the second floor, with retail space on the street level. The main entrance was on the west façade, facing Court Street.

Now: The bottom floors are still used for retail. The second floor has been unoccupied for decades.

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Sweet's Department Store began in 1857 and moved two years later to this location. The building was later divided into three businesses. One of them, Link's Clothing Store, was operated by brothers Bob and Tom Link until 2013. The brothers had taken over from their dad, who opened Link's in 1941, just days before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Now: The building currently houses various businesses, and its upstairs has been developed as apartments.

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The Elias Jacob building was erected in 1894 by the local businessman to replace the previous structure that burned in January 1894. Arthur Saunders of Visalia was the architect and C.S. Hogan of Los Angeles was the contractor. Granite trim on the building was quarried from Rocky Hill, near Exeter.

Now: During his tenure as building owner and tenant, former Visalia Mayor Bonnel Pryor has portions of the plaster on the façade removed in the 1990s, revealing many of the brick and granite features of the original construction.

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