BLOSS HOUSE MUSEUM

ATWATER, CA

Terry Cemetery groundskeeper for 40 years. — Terry Credit: rtilden

Bloss House Museum is a historic house located in Atwater, California. It was built in 1880 by prominent local businessman, Henry Bloss. The house was originally located on the southwest corner of Atwater's main intersection, and was moved to its current location in the early 1970s. The two-story house is a classic example of Victorian architecture. It is built in the Italianate style with a wrap-around porch, bay windows, and a tower.

Inside the house, visitors can explore the many different rooms, which are filled with displays of the original furnishings, including a Steinway piano, a player piano, and antique furniture. There are also a variety of artifacts from the early days of Atwater, such as old newspapers, photographs, and other items.

The museum also offers a number of educational programs and activities, such as lectures, seminars, and tours. It also holds a variety of special events throughout the year, including an annual Victorian Tea and a community Christmas party.

The Bloss House Museum is open to the public, and admission is free. The museum is a great place to learn about the history of Atwater, and it also serves as a reminder of the town's past.

BLOSS HOUSE MUSEUM is a Historical Societies, Historic Preservation in ATWATER CA. US MID #8400602309

The museum is classed as HSC (Historical Societies, Historic Preservation). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Western (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington).

Merced County Courthouse (# 2544) Opened in 1875 and was in use as county courthouse until 1975! It was designed by the same architect who built the California State Capitol, and now serves as the home of the Merced County Historical Society.

<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merced_County_Courthouse" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merced_County_Courthouse</a>

Merced / streamline moderne (# 2539) Across from the Bank of Italy building, a streamline moderne buiding. Could not find any history on it.

Merced / Bank of Italy building (# 2537) Built in 1928 as the Bank of Italy building, seemingly fairly ornate for downtown Merced. It’s been through many name changes including the early change from Bank of Italy to Bank of America, and then most recently to Merced County Office of Education.

Merced / downtown (# 2536) Just another view of downtown Merced

Merced / El Capitan hotel (# 2529) One of my reasons for exploring through Merced was some recent stories about the reopening of an historic hotel in downtown Merced – the El Capitan.

Per the Merced County Times story, the hotel was constructed in 1911, suffered a major fire in 1931, a remodeling in 1936, and then a very major remodeling in 2018. The hotel is now part of a chain in the Hyatt system designed for boutique hotels.

As this and other pictures suggest, downtown Merced was very orderly and attractive. The streets were most likely quiet because Merced is now the home of University of California Merced (opened in 2005) and this was taken on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

<a href="https://elcapitanhotelmerced.com/" rel="noreferrer nofollow">elcapitanhotelmerced.com/</a>
<a href="https://mercedcountytimes.com/remodeling-is-nearly-complete-on-historic-el-capitan-hotel/" rel="noreferrer nofollow">mercedcountytimes.com/remodeling-is-nearly-complete-on-hi...</a>

Merced / The Tioga (# 2527) An impressive art deco building, the Hotel Tioga was built in 1928. Before and after the war (WWII), it was the place for prominent politicians and entertainers to stay, though it started to decline in the 1980’s. It’s interior has since been remodeled into 70 apartments aimed at professionals and students at nearby UC Merced.

Sources:
<a href="https://californiapreservation.org/awards/tioga/" rel="noreferrer nofollow">californiapreservation.org/awards/tioga/</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tioga_Hotel" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tioga_Hotel</a>

Merced / The Tioga (# 2542) An impressive art deco building, the Hotel Tioga was built in 1928. Before and after the war (WWII), it was the place for prominent politicians and entertainers to stay, though it started to decline in the 1980’s. It’s interior has since been remodeled into 70 apartments aimed at professionals and students at nearby UC Merced.

Sources:
<a href="https://californiapreservation.org/awards/tioga/" rel="noreferrer nofollow">californiapreservation.org/awards/tioga/</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tioga_Hotel" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tioga_Hotel</a>

Merced / Mainzer theater/event space (# 2530) Built in the 1920’s, per the Wikipedia entry, it apparently struggled through a fire in the 1930’s and changes in viewership over the years, and it is now an event space with a stage, cafes, games, and a movie space.

Sources:
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mainzer" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mainzer</a>
<a href="https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4405" rel="noreferrer nofollow">cinematreasures.org/theaters/4405</a>
<a href="https://www.themainzer.com" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.themainzer.com</a>

Hilmar Cheese Company Visitor Center Hilmar, California

Cheese for sale at Hilmar Cheese Company Visitor Center Hilmar, California

Darrius in Thought Darrius Garrett is an Author, Actor, Motivational Speaker, Mental Health Advocate, and Original Freedom Writer. In a few short years, Darrius Garrett transitioned from the ’hood to humanitarian, reaching heights he once could only imagine. As an inner-city youth of Long Beach, located in southern California. Garrett could quickly have become a product of his environment but rose instead to become a pillar of his community. He became a New York Times bestselling author at a young age when he co-wrote The Freedom Writers Diary, which inspired the 2007 movie The Freedom Writers, starring Hilary Swank. In the film, Garrett was portrayed as the heart-wrenching character Marcus. Darrius has penned his memoir entitled Diary of a Freedom Writer, released in 2013 but currently out of print after the book publisher shut down; the biography is currently seeking a literary agent to help find a new publishing home. Now, Darrius offers his services to speak at any event to help Encourage, Educate and Inspire the Adults and youth of today. For further information feel free to visit IamDarrius.com

Contact BLOSS HOUSE MUSEUM

ATWATER HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
PO BOX 111
ATWATER
CA
95301

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BLOSS HOUSE MUSEUM Information

MID #	8400602309
Name	ATWATER HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
Alternate Name	BLOSS HOUSE MUSEUM
Classification	Historical Societies, Historic Preservation, , Western
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)	942572656
NTEECC	A82
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM)	201212
INCOME	0
REVENUE	0
LAT/LONG	37.342286, -120.599547
CODES	FIPS State Code: 06 FIPS County Code: 047 US Census Tract: 000701 US Census Block: 2025