Located across the street from Susanville United Methodist Church (also a dated building) is the Pardee Building, erected in 1912 as indicated on a date stone in front. I located website that published an
Two Susanville landmarks added added to historic registry
SUSANVILLE, California (STPNS) -- City Ordinance Number 17 passed around the turn of the 20th century forbidding wooden buildings to be built off of Main Street and the Pardees were the first family to comply with the new law.
The Pardees built a two-story building located at 59 South Lassen Street in 1912 and in recognition of its historic value the building was added to the Historic Building Registry at the Wednesday, Nov. 1 City Council meeting.
With that designation, owners Wayne and Barbara McGaughy can apply for low-interest grants and renovate under special building codes.
R.E. Bangham Furniture Store was the first tenant of the building with the law offices of Pardee & Pardee and Rollin O. Doyle occupying the second floor.
According to Community Development Director Bill Nebeker the Pardee family was among the pioneers that settled in the Honey Lake Valley and contributed greatly to the early days as owners of the first utility company in the area. For many years the first floor was used as the Lassen Electric Company.
Records indicate the building is constructed from two parallel courses of native sandstone from the quarry behind the old Lassen Hospital located on Hospital Lane in Susanville. Mayor Lino Callegari said at the Nov. 1 council meeting the building is made from the same sandstone as the old Lassen County Jail that sits next to the courthouse.
A course of stone refers to a continuous and usually horizontal range of bricks, shingles, etc., as in a wall or roof.
The McGaughys were the ones to write an overview of the building?s history.
According to the McGaughy?s documentation, the building site is part of the original land Isaac Roop, the founder of Susanville, claimed prior to 1864.
On April 25, 1864, Roop quit claimed the lot for $500 to G. P. Heap. In 1872, the land was patented and awarded to Heap by judicial decree by Judge John S. Chapman.
No title history exists on the land from 1872 to 1912, when on Feb. 5, 1912 Harriet Pardee Bangham purchased the lot from Otis M. and Marie Doyle for $500. On Jan. 6, 1913 Bangham and her husband Ross E. Bangham sold an undivided 5/24ths of the property to James A. Pardee for $100. The same day they sold one half undivided interest in the property to Julien E. Pardee for $100.
Also on Jan. 2, 1917, James M. Pardee sold his 5/24ths interest to Julien E. Pardee for $100 and on Jan. 4, 1917, the Banghams also sold their remaining 7/24ths interest to Julien Pardee for $100. Julien Pardee became the sole owner of the property.
On May 18, 1922, Julien Pardee sold the property to Rilla E. and Frank P. Cady for $100. Then on April 8, 1930, L.R. Cady became one-half owner of the property with his father, Frank, by Rilla?s will. Four years later, Frank sold one half of his ownership of the property to L.R. for $100. L. R. now owned three-quarters undivided interest in the property.
On Sept. 22, 1941, L. R. sold the property to California Pacific Utilities Company for $100.
The history is blurry at this point. Somewhere down the line Marvel Properties, Inc, a California corporation, sold the property to Alfred J. Vandenberg who sold the property in 1966 to Dewey Enterprises. Billie M. Properties bought it from Dewey Enterprises in 1968 and Vandenburg got the property back by default in 1970. It was then sold to Audrey and Dale Soule, Sr., in 1970. Soule?s company, the Susanville Logging Company, sold it to Peter Briggs in 1976 and he sold it to his business, Hotel Mt. Lassen Limited Partnership, in 1979. In 1980 Briggs sold one half undivided interest to R. F. McCallaster who then sold his half to I.L. and Leila Nicholson in 1989. The Nicholson?s sold the building to James Rowden in 1990 and took it back in 1997. The McGaughy?s have been owners since Aug. 30, 2006.
More History
After Lassen Electric Company and California Utilities Company no longer leased the first floor, several tenants occupied the building. Among them were a logging company, a CPA, a gold mining company, a mortgage company, a hearing aid company and a charter school.
Construction
The two parallel courses of native sandstone are about 35-feet high and rectangular in shape. The walls are approximately 15 inches thick. The roof is the original corrugated iron roofing, now 94 years old.