Fake windows look out over Broadway above Collier Hardware

Masonic Lodge in late 1800s/early 1900s (MLSC) Collier Hardware is not only a downtown hardware store, it is a piece of Chico history. The store has been a part of Chico life since 1935, and has been voted "Best Hardware Store" in the Chico News & Review's Best of Chico Awards several times. The building itself was built in 1875. It was at one time the location of a Masonic Lodge.

They are known for having everything. From a certain sized nail or washer for your home project to an authentic Danish Aebelskiver pan, it is shocking what you can find within their walls. Just before you have given up on finding something in Chico, first try Collier's. They even have an entire room dedicated to outdoor cooking.

If you buy something at Collier Hardware and it is a gift, be sure to ask about having them gift wrap it for you. They offer this service for free, which can be quite handy for those who are not skilled with wrapping paper. They have several patterns of paper, one of which will be appropriate for the gift and person you are buying it for. As a courtesy, Collier's has provided an additional entrance for its illiterate customers for many years An interesting fact about Collier Hardware's building: the upstairs windows facing Broadway are fake. There are no upstairs windows there, only paintings of windows. If you look carefully, there is a cat painted to look as though it is sitting on the window ledge, and another window has a pair of eyes peeking out over the street.

The building before the "modern" renovation

The Historic Building, that houses Collier Hardware was, before renovation, in a style similar to that of Old Sacramento.  This particular building has a similar layout to a historic building in Cuba.  The style closely resembles the early architecture of California, with origins in Andalusia, Spain.

Footnotes:

1. Architectural Doppelgangers: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11nts5AgIHKFmxL1MPXTOs6ufQri6TSqdmIY-3Es2Ixc/edit?usp=sharing

2. California’s Architectural Beginnings: The Andalusian Townhouse: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10jumeVkU98J0vET5X3cg4xSbqiE40Uw_udMJSQ0suzk/edit?usp=sharing

Comments

2008-09-23 16:40:10   Collier Hardware is amazing! The selection of items that they have in stock is unbelievable. There is something to look at in every nook and cranny. If you don't find what you're looking for be sure to ask the helpful staff. They almost always have all the odd items you might need. —66.122.191.126

2009-07-15 16:07:55   The structure (corner W.1st St. and Broadway), was built in 1871. The granite keystone over a side arched doorway on W. 1st St. has the date carved into it, 1871. —75.15.95.14

2009-07-27 15:17:17   According to MLSC, the picture of the Masonic Lodge is in fact the current Madison Bear Garden. —69.238.197.2

2009-07-28 02:49:56   Looks like the MLSC is wrong (yikes!). —Pietro

2011-05-10 07:19:02   i like it . —216.176.131.99

2012-09-01 15:22:45   I am looking for any information about the history of the building and any tragedies that occurred their in the 1800's! I can be reached at [email protected] Thanks, Myrna Arens —71.193.0.22