Union Oil Company Building

The Santa Paula Hardware Company Building, located in Santa Paula, California, and more commonly referred to as the Union Oil Company Building, is significant for its historical importance as the birthplace of the Union Oil Company on October 17, 1890. Originally, the Santa Paula Hardware and Post Office were downstairs, and the Union Oil Company offices were upstairs. The building continued to serve as a field division office after the main headquarters moved to Los Angeles in 1900.

Santa Paula Hardware Company Block--Union Oil Company
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
California Historical Landmark No. 996
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Location	1003 E. Main St. Santa Paula, California
Coordinates	34°21′15″N 119°3′32″W
Area	0.2 acres (0.081 ha)
Built	1889
Architect	Burrows, C.W.
Architectural style	Queen Anne style with Italianate influences
NRHP reference No.	86002619[1]
CHISL No.	996
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	August 14, 1986
Designated CHISL	1991[2]

The Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board designated the building County Landmark #36 in December 1977. The building is a California Historical Landmark (#996) and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NPS-86002619).^[3]

California Oil Museum

In 1950, the Union Oil Museum was established, and in 1990, for its Centennial Celebration, the building was restored to its original appearance and reopened as the California Oil Museum. The exhibits include oil and gas industry equipment, such as an 1890s iron and timber operating drilling rig, historic gas pumps and product containers, a recreated 1890s period Union Oil Company corporate headquarters office, and a 1930s period apartment. The building and artifacts were donated to the city of Santa Paula through an agreement with Chevron Corporation in 2024 that included a $2 million grant to maintain and preserve the structure.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]}

See also

• List of Registered Historic Places in Ventura County, California
• Ventura County Historic Landmarks & Points of Interest
• List of petroleum museums

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. "Union Oil Company Building". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
3. Cultural Heritage Board. "Ventura County Landmark Map" Archived 2015-10-16 at the Wayback Machine County of Ventura Planning Division Accessed 1 January 2014
4. Woods II, Wes (October 23, 2023). "Santa Paula takes over California Oil Museum from Chevron". Ventura County Star. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
5. Woods II, Wes (September 26, 2021). "Santa Paula California Oil Museum closes with future unknown". Ventura County Star. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
6. Woods II, Wes (September 25, 2022). "Fate uncertain for California Oil Museum, 130-year-old building in Santa Paula". Ventura County Star. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
7. Woods II, Wes (November 17, 2022). "Chevron negotiating to transfer California Oil Museum to Santa Paula". Ventura County Star. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
8. Orozco, Lance (November 18, 2022). "Company offers South Coast community a huge present: One of the oldest buildings in Ventura County". KCLU. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
9. Orozco, Lance (January 11, 2024). "A Ventura County community gets a huge gift: It's one of the region's oldest buildings". KCLU. Retrieved January 12, 2024.

External links

• Official California Oil Museum website