Name/Title
Ruff Bldg, Bank of Pinole, Downer BuildingDescription
SOUTH SIDE OF SAN PABLO AVENUE LOOKING WEST: The Ruff Building, Bank of Pinole, and Downer Building were a focal point of the city’s downtown for decades, until the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake severely damaged the two brick buildings, which were subsequently demolished. The Bank of Pinole survived the quake and is commemorating its 100th anniversary in 2015. Bill’s Liquor bought the Ruff Building from proprietor Mel Marcos (who succeeded Louis Ruff in the grocery store), and a Farmers Insurance agency eventually replaced Greenstein’s Pharmacy in the Downer Building, which housed the offices of longtime Pinole physician Manuel Fernandez on the second floor. The Pear Street Bistro was built on the lot where the Ruff Building once stood.
Carl Ruff built his eponymous building on the southwest corner of San Pablo and Fernandez avenues in 1914; it housed the telephone central and fire-alarm system, as well as a grocery. Louis Ruff took over the business when Carl died and ran it until he died in 1955. His employee, Mel Marcos, took over the business and eventually sold it to Bill’s Liquor. The building was demolished after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The Pear Street Bistro, a popular restaurant and bar, is on this site today.Made/Created
Date made
circa 1960 - circa 1980Copyright
Copyright Holder
Pinole Historical Society
