After going back a few years for the first post in this series, I realized that the chronological order should be reversed. So many changes are happening this year that it makes more sense to start with current events. Otherwise, the posts may never catch up to the calendar!
Just a few days ago, a nighttime fire damaged much of a house at 265 Water Street. Like its neighbor at #271, the wood-frame building dated from approx. the 1870s. At that time, the future Water Street was a dirt track approaching the first Water Street bridge, built in 1868. A
more flood-resistant design replaced it in 1882.
Following the big flood of December 22-23, 1955, Santa Cruz County acquired the large parcel of land where today's courthouse and government center buildings stand. The land across Water Street may have been part of that, or acquired at the same time, or acquired later. In 1981, the current jail was built, on land that included the two old houses at 265 and 271 Water Street. Since then, the two buildings have housed various county programs, but both have been boarded up for some time. The first picture at right shows #265 when it was still in use.
The second photo is from the morning of the 16th, after the fire. The north side of Water Street and sidewalk were closed, so the fire damage is seen through the trees to the west (left in the top photo). It's a good thing I took the pic that morning. By today (Friday the 18th), the building was demolished, as shown in the third photo.
