This sturdy iron-front building may have been a lesson learned from the April 1906 earthquake. The Dispatch Democrat newspaper reported on August 17, 1906 that a "deep cellar is being dug for a new brick building." Henry Meyer, who had come to Ukiah in 1894, built this structure as a investment property. He hired Ulysses N. Biggs, an excellent brick contractor, as the builder, who also built many other downtown buildings. On June 18, 1917, it survived the devastating fire that swept through downtown Ukiah.
The north half of the building was leased as a restaurant for sixty years. Part of that time it was "Wong Lung's California Restaurant" and for many Ukiahians their first taste of Chinese food. If they wanted take-out, customers has to bring their own food pails; Chop Suey and pork were among their favorites. The south half of the building was a saloon and liquor store for the majority of its life. Recently the building has been utilized for retail, law offices, and even a wine bar. The Meyer Building was renovated in 2007, at which time the cellar was repurposed as office space.
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