Dirt streets that turned to muddy quagmires in the rainy season were the norm and Victorian era trim decorated the buildings of early Modesto. This 1900's view of the Tynan Hotel, on the left, shows the clock tower in all its Victorian splendor. Unfortunately, the clock in the tower had no working parts.

The Modesto Bank Building, down the street, finally brought a working clock to the downtown area, so it wasn't long before the Tynan Hotel's clock tower was dismantled.

The photograph above is an early 1900's view of 10th Street looking North. The cross street closest to the photo is H Street. The Tynan Hotel later became the State Hotel, with its bric-a-brac facade stripped, it would eventually become an eyesore in an area that was considered a "skid row." It was eventually torn down to make way for a parking lot.

That same fate was suffered by many of the early downtown buildings during the late 1960s and 1970s, when the city went through a "redevelopment" craze that left most historical buildings condemned and victims of the wrecking ball.

I Street was planned by the railroad as the widest street in town. Here is a view looking West - taken sometime after 1912, because the arch is shown in the distance. The streets are dirt in both pictures, obviously taken during a dry season. Modesto's streets turned to impassible messes during the rainy season, with mud and a small spring running down the streets in this area of town.