If you look to your right, you’ll spot the Jastro Building-though you might also hear locals call it the Standard Oil Building. On the outside, it’s got that classic “I mean business” elegance, straight from the late-Second Renaissance Revival playbook. Two stories, flat roof, bold boxed cornices, and windows lined up with all the discipline of a marching band. Its quirky C-shaped first floor and H-shaped upper floor are a little like those puzzles you put together as a kid-except this one helped run Kern County’s oil empire.
Step back in time: It’s 1917, oil is king in California, and Standard Oil has just moved its Central California headquarters here. That move sent shockwaves-of the economic kind-across downtown. If you’re picturing bigwigs closing deals in dark suits, you’re not wrong. And when Mother Nature threw us the real 1952 earthquake, this building barely flinched... unlike most of downtown. Not only a survivor, but one of the finest examples of its architectural style left downtown.
Alright, when you’re ready, head east for about 2 minutes-that’s where Tevis Block waits for us.
