It’s a Gamble - Hwy 49 - California Gold Country

Gold RushCaliforniaExploratographyRoad Trip

Jun 18

An amazing stone Mercantile building. The last research I did:

The Gamble Block, as it was known during the 1850s and 1860s, is one of the finest and largest stone store buildings remaining in the Gold Country. Completed in 1852, the structure was built for Alexander Gamble, a very successful Gold Rush merchant. Constructed in a similar fashion to the Odd Fellows Hall just down the street, of stone, lime mortar, and brick, this large building actually housed three separate stores within. Behind each of the six large iron doors are conventional wooden doors with glass panels. During the day the iron doors would be opened and fastened against the walls, allowing the store’s customers to enter and exit through the inner doors. At night, everything would be locked tight against fire and theft.

Inside the building, a stone wall divides the middle lengthwise and two other partitions divide the space in thirds. The result is three separate stores facing the street, each with a rear room for storage or office space. The building originally had a wooden roof over the porch, which burned; then a corrugated iron roof, which blew off in a windstorm; the porch now gets by with the sky.

It’s been many years since I’ve visited this classic gold rush building, I did a quick check on google maps and the streetview picture from 2021 shows the building is nearly the same. The metal shed on the south end of the block is gone and around the corner a sign was at the back of the building that mentioned a restoration project :-).

So, not really an abandoned building, but definitely worth showing off.

Return to Abandoned Home Page