Abstract
This project determines the eligibility of and establishes a historic context for the nomination of the Security Trust Company Bank Building to the National Register of Historic Places as a commercial building, with an accompanying nomination form. Sources of data used in this project include county assessor records, maps, historic and contemporary photographs, city and county histories, city directories, journal and newspaper articles, articles of incorporation, architectural plans, biographical texts, and contemporary literature on historic preservation and architectural history. The Security Trust Company Bank Building is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C. Under Criterion A, the property is eligible for its association with the 1952 Bakersfield earthquake. The building is also eligible under Criterion C for embodying the distinctive characteristics of a type and period of construction and representing the work of a master.