423 First Street


Built ca. 1869. This structure is one of the earliest extant commercial buildings in Eureka and was constructed adjacent to an earlier store. Captain Hans Henry Buhne, one of the first settlers to enter Humboldt Bay, constructed the store as part of his extensive commercial holdings in Eureka. He served as vice president and director of Eureka’s first bank, was an active partner in the City’s largest sawmill, and invested heavily in timber and railroads.

The “H.H. Buhne Store” features a classically detailed facade, including a projecting gable, corner pilasters, and window frames embellished with bracketed hood moldings and garlands. The first floor storefront dates from the 1880s. It is characterized by central double doors flanked by storefronts with large mullioned windows. A sub cornice supported by large brackets on the corners appears between the first and second stories.

(Credit: Eureka: An Architectural View)

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