John Pearson Soda Works
Encyclopedia
The John Pearson Soda Works, also referred to as the Placerville Soda Works, is a historic rustic vernacular Victorian
brick building in Placerville
, El Dorado County, California
. The building, in the Gold Country
region, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP) on December 12, 1985. The 'Soda Works' currently houses the 'Cozmic Café' coffee shop.
immigrant John McFarland Pearson built the lower portion of the building in 1859 as a commercial ice house. He chose to build in front of an idle mine shaft so he could use the underground rooms and tunnels to store ice at controlled temperatures. In addition, the walls of this section were made 22 inch (0.5588 m) thick to keep the ice cool in the storefront. Pearson later expanded into soda water; his sons added the brick second story in 1897 to house the bottling operation. They added a water-driven elevator to transport the product from each level. The store also sold other groceries such as eggs and beer.
franchise.
The structure held other businesses until the Pearson family sold the building in 1972 to Roger John Douvres, an antique collector, who restored the structure over a period of four years and used the lower section as an old-fashioned soda fountain
and the upper portion as an elegant dining hall decorated in early turn of the 20th century atmosphere. Douvres' daughter had the building successfully placed on the National Register of Historic Places
-NRHP. The structure has also housed a theater, antique store, bookstore, music store and the Placerville Coffee House before becoming The Cozmic Café in 2003.
Another nearby soda works building, the Fountain-Tallman Soda Works
, is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places-NRHP.
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
brick building in Placerville
Placerville, California
Placerville is the county seat of El Dorado County, California. The population was 10,389 at the 2010 census, up from 9,610 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, El Dorado County, California
El Dorado County, California
El Dorado County is a county located in the historic Gold Country in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and foothills of the U.S. state of California. The 2010 population was 181,058. The El Dorado county seat is in Placerville....
. The building, in the Gold Country
Gold Country
Gold Country is a region in the central and northeastern part of California, United States. It is famed for the mineral deposits and gold mines that attracted waves of immigrants, known as the 49ers, during the 1849 California Gold Rush.-Geography:State Route 49 was built through the Gold Country,...
region, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NRHP) on December 12, 1985. The 'Soda Works' currently houses the 'Cozmic Café' coffee shop.
1800s
The 'John Pearson Soda Works structure was built in several stages: The previous building on the site burned down in a devastating fire that affected most of Placerville in the 1850s. ScottishScottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
immigrant John McFarland Pearson built the lower portion of the building in 1859 as a commercial ice house. He chose to build in front of an idle mine shaft so he could use the underground rooms and tunnels to store ice at controlled temperatures. In addition, the walls of this section were made 22 inch (0.5588 m) thick to keep the ice cool in the storefront. Pearson later expanded into soda water; his sons added the brick second story in 1897 to house the bottling operation. They added a water-driven elevator to transport the product from each level. The store also sold other groceries such as eggs and beer.
1900s
The business changed hands several times, though the building remained in the Pearson family for some time. The Pearson sons sold the business in 1904 to the Scherrer Bros., who in turn sold it in 1934 to Robert Hook who turned it into a Coca-Cola BottlingCoca-Cola Bottling Co.
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in the United States, producing, marketing, and distributing nonalcoholic beverages—primarily licensed products of the Coca-Cola Company -- in North Carolina, South...
franchise.
The structure held other businesses until the Pearson family sold the building in 1972 to Roger John Douvres, an antique collector, who restored the structure over a period of four years and used the lower section as an old-fashioned soda fountain
Soda fountain
A soda fountain is a device that dispenses carbonated drinks. They can be found in restaurants, concession stands and other locations such as convenience stores...
and the upper portion as an elegant dining hall decorated in early turn of the 20th century atmosphere. Douvres' daughter had the building successfully placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
-NRHP. The structure has also housed a theater, antique store, bookstore, music store and the Placerville Coffee House before becoming The Cozmic Café in 2003.
Another nearby soda works building, the Fountain-Tallman Soda Works
Fountain-Tallman Soda Works
The Fountain-Tallman Soda Works is a historic building in Placerville, El Dorado County, California. It currently houses the Fountain & Tallman Museum, which is owned and operated by the El Dorado County Historical Society...
, is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places-NRHP.