Santa Cruz County Bank building

The Santa Cruz County Bank building on the northeast corner of Pacific Avenue and Cooper Street, whose facade was saved from demolition after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, has had an interesting history. Built in 1894 after the 1894 fire destroyed Mike Leonard's saloon, a 1910 remodel extended the Pacific Avenue facade to cover the front of the formerly-separate building called "The Gem". That remodel also removed the corner entrance and turret above. The original configuration can be seen in a photo on History Pages 56: The Big Rebuild of 1894. The photo at right shows the post-1910 building. Just visible at far left is the Staffler bldg. In 1979, the County Bank facade was extended to cover that building as well. However, the 1979 extension was done with prefab concrete panels rather than individual stone blocks. A vertical seam shows where the later facade begins. Notes:

• The photo (presumably on a postcard) is labeled "1936", but all of the cars are pre-1920. Was this photo staged by a classic car club, using the similar-age bank building as a backdrop?
• Later photos show a corner marquee sign. That sign was apparently installed after 1936, and was already gone by the time of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
• The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture (4th ed. 2023) includes, in Chapter Five: Downtown, a photo of the facade walls that were saved (and remain today) after the earthquake. Also included are descriptions of "The Gem" and the Staffler building.
• The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture, 4th edition, page 157 (image of facade walls after earthquake), 158.