Nut Tree

File:Nut Tree 826 - panoramio.jpg

The original Nut Tree opened on July 3, 1921{{cite web |title=Helen Harbison Power oral history interview |url=https://archive.org/details/cua_000094 |website=Archive.org |date=1973}}{{cite web |title=Nut Tree Timeline |url=http://www.nuttreeusa.com/history/timeline/ |website=Nut Tree USA |access-date=24 October 2018}} on the Lincoln Highway (old U.S. Route 40). It was created by Helen and Ed "Bunny" Power as a small roadside fruit stand, and built near the site of Helen's childhood home ('Harbison House' dating from 1907), which she and her husband purchased from her parents not long after their 1920 marriage. The black walnut tree after which the Nut Tree was named grew from a black walnut that pioneer Sallie Fox had picked up along a trail in Arizona before arriving in Vacaville in 1859.{{cite web |title=Sallie Fox Day Returns to the Vacaville Museum on Sunday May 5 |url=https://www.ci.vacaville.ca.us/Home/ShowDocument?id=2502 |website=City of Vacaville |publisher=Vacaville Museum |access-date=24 October 2018}}

By its second year, it was serving an average of 950 cars per day.{{Cite web |title=Nut Tree |url=https://nuttreevacaville.com/the-plaza/history/ |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=nuttreevacaville.com |language=en}}

File:Nut Tree Airport sign in Vacaville.jpg

The Nut Tree grew as US 40 became Interstate 80. At its peak, it contained a restaurant, an outdoor eatery, a bakery, a gift shop, a toy shop, the Nut Tree Railroad that gave rides from the toy shop to the airport, and the Nut Tree Airport, which is now owned and operated by Solano County. It was a welcome rest stop on the road between Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout the year, kids enjoyed giant frosted honey cookies (personalized on request), the numerous "Hobby Horses" rocking horses and riding the train.

It welcomed several celebrities, including Ronald Reagan when he became California governor in 1967, Richard Nixon, Danny Kaye, Shirley Temple Black, Chuck Yeager,{{cite web |title=Memories of Simpler Times |url=http://www.uchucc.org/blog/2017/6/9/memories-of-simpler-times |website=United Church of Hayward |access-date=24 October 2018 |date=9 June 2017}} Peter Marino, and Bing Crosby, among others. On March 4, 1983, Nut Tree catered a luncheon hosted by (California) Governor George Deukmejian for Queen Elizabeth II{{cite web |last1=McManis |first1=Sam |title=I-80 Landmark Nut Tree Once Catered to a Queen |url=https://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/I-80-Landmark-Nut-Tree-Once-Catered-to-a-Queen-2766354.php |website=SF Gate |access-date=25 October 2018 |date=31 March 2000}} and Prince Philip at the State capitol.{{cite news |last1=McManis |first1=Sam |title=Nut Tree Nostalgia / A premier roadside attraction may be headed for a rebirth |url=https://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/Nut-Tree-Nostalgia-A-premier-roadside-3304706.php |agency=SF Gate |date=25 February 2000}}

Beginning in 1980, Nut Tree was home to a month-long October harvest event called 'Pumpkin Patch'. Pumpkin Patch attractions included a great scarecrow contest, a giant pumpkin display and weigh-in, and pumpkin carving contests.

The Nut Tree Restaurant was an early pioneer of California cuisine,{{cite book |last1=Burns |first1=Maryellen and Keith |title=Lost Restaurants of Sacramento and Their Recipes |date=2013 |publisher=American Palate, A Division of The History Press |location=Charleston, SC |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i6t2CQAAQBAJ&q=Lost+Restaurants+of+Sacramento+and+Their+Recipes+nut+tree&pg=PT61 |access-date=24 October 2018|isbn=9781625840417 }} with fresh fruits and vegetables featured in the recipes. By 1978, it was identified as "the region's most characteristic and influential restaurant."{{cite book | title=Nut Tree Remembered - The Cookbook }} It also featured small loaves of wheat and rye bread, cooked fresh each day on the premises. A notable feature of the restaurant was its large indoor aviary, which had glass walls extending from floor to ceiling. Nut Tree knives and cutting boards, as well as books on aviation, were sold in the gift shop. A recipe book called Nut Tree Remembered - The Cookbook was printed by the Vacaville Museum in 1997. It contains 40 recipes, and more than 100 photos and graphics from the restaurant and retail stores that closed in 1996. As of September, 2015, they still accept phone orders for the remaining copies.{{cite web|title=Nut Tree Remembered - The Cookbook|url=http://www.vacavillemuseum.org/#3093951|website=Vacaville Museum|publisher=Vacaville Museum|access-date=24 October 2018}}

Don Birrell served as the design director for the Nut Tree from 1953 until his retirement in 1990.{{cite web |title=Don R. Birrell - Obituary |url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thereporter/obituary.aspx?n=don-r-birrell&pid=18345998&fhid=3836 |website=Legacy.com |date=2 July 2006}} Ed Power hired Charles Eames to design the Nut Tree's furniture.{{cite news |last1=McManis |first1=Sam |title=Nut Tree Nostalgia / A premier roadside attraction may be headed for a rebirth |url=https://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/Nut-Tree-Nostalgia-A-premier-roadside-3304706.php |agency=SF Gate |date=25 February 2000}}{{cite web |title=Nut Tree, Don Birrell |url=http://referencelibrary.blogspot.com/2007/05/nut-tree.html |website=Reference Library |format=Blog |date=30 May 2007}} A 1957 trip to Denmark gave Ed Power and Don Birell the idea of designing the Nut Tree's patio area to resemble the Tivoli Gardens with special lighting and kiosks.{{cite news |last1=McManis |first1=Sam |title=Nut Tree Nostalgia / A premier roadside attraction may be headed for a rebirth |url=https://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/Nut-Tree-Nostalgia-A-premier-roadside-3304706.php |agency=SF Gate |date=25 February 2000}}

The Coffee Tree was a coffee shop and restaurant that was a subsidiary of the Nut Tree. The Coffee Tree opened in 1965 across Interstate 80 from the Nut Tree restaurant.{{cite web |title=It All Started with the Nut Tree in Vacaville, California |url=http://coffeetreefoods.com/history.html |website=Coffee Tree Foods |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184857/http://coffeetreefoods.com/history.html |access-date=25 October 2018|archive-date=2018-11-08 }}

The Coffee Tree building was designed by architects Dreyfuss and Blackford in 1965.{{cite web |title=Coffee Tree |url=http://www.dreyfussblackford.com/project/coffee-tree/ |website=Dreyfuss + Blackford |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184857/http://www.dreyfussblackford.com/project/coffee-tree/ |access-date=25 October 2018|archive-date=2018-11-08 }} The Coffee Tree building with its distinctive curved roof line{{cite web |last1=Boyd |first1=Jeff |title=The Coffee Tree |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/theboyds/4833176919/in/photostream/ |website=Flickr |date=2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184857/https://www.flickr.com/photos/theboyds/4833176919/in/photostream/ |archive-date=2018-11-08 }}{{cite web |last1=travísimo |title=3526-1.3.556.0 |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/travster/4751284108/in/pool-nuttree/ |website=Flickr |date=17 May 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184857/https://www.flickr.com/photos/travster/4751284108/in/pool-nuttree/ |archive-date=2018-11-08 }} was featured in the October 1966 issue of Architectural Record{{cite web |title=Five Restaurants: Good Design Competes with Googie |url=https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/archives/backissues/1966-10.pdf |publisher=Architectural Record |access-date=25 October 2018 |pages=161–168 |date=October 1968}} and received an AIA Central Valley Merit Award in 1967.{{cite web |title=Coffee Tree |url=http://www.dreyfussblackford.com/project/coffee-tree/ |website=Dreyfuss + Blackford |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184857/http://www.dreyfussblackford.com/project/coffee-tree/ |access-date=25 October 2018|archive-date=2018-11-08 }}{{cite web |title=It All Started with the Nut Tree in Vacaville, California |url=http://coffeetreefoods.com/history.html |website=Coffee Tree Foods |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184857/http://coffeetreefoods.com/history.html |access-date=25 October 2018|archive-date=2018-11-08 }} The interior of the Coffee Tree was largely designed by Don Birrell, the design director of the Nut Tree, along with the Coffee Tree's logo{{cite web |last1=Boyd |first1=Jeff |title=Coffee Tree Sign (Closeup) |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/theboyds/4833788286/in/photostream/ |website=Flickr |access-date=26 October 2018 |date=2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184857/https://www.flickr.com/photos/theboyds/4833788286/in/photostream/ |archive-date=2018-11-08 }}{{cite web |last1=Boyd |first1=Jeff |title=Coffee Tree Sign |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/theboyds/4833788136/in/photostream/ |website=Flickr |access-date=26 October 2018 |date=2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184857/https://www.flickr.com/photos/theboyds/4833788136/in/photostream/ |archive-date=2018-11-08 }} and menu designs. The Coffee Tree displayed artwork from artists such as Ruth Dicker,{{cite web |title=Coffee Tree paintings |url=http://ruthdickerpaintings.blogspot.com/2008/07/coffee-tree-paintings.html |website=Ruth Dicker Paintings |access-date=25 October 2018 |format=Blog |date=30 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184857/http://ruthdickerpaintings.blogspot.com/2008/07/coffee-tree-paintings.html |archive-date=2018-11-08 }} whose work was sometimes featured in the Coffee Tree menus as well.

The Coffee Tree was known for several of its signature items, such as a large elongated hamburger known as the "Buddy Burger" and an "Ice Cream Clown" (a scoop of ice cream with an ice cream cone for hat and a candy clown face). The gift shop sold Nut Tree frosted gingerbread cookies featuring designs by Don Birrell. It also sold glass jars of colored sugar crystals in an assortment of colors.

When the Nut Tree restaurant closed in 1996, many employees of the Nut Tree restaurant migrated to the Coffee Tree.{{cite news |last1=Bowen |first1=Jerry |title=Glorious Memories of the Nut Tree |url=http://www.solanoarticles.com/history/index.php/weblog/more/glorious_memories_of_the_nut_tree/ |access-date=25 October 2018 |publisher=www.solanohistory.org. |date=20 April 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184857/http://www.solanoarticles.com/history/index.php/weblog/more/glorious_memories_of_the_nut_tree/ |archive-date=2018-11-08 }} The Coffee Tree building was demolished in 2005.{{cite web |last1=Hall |first1=Tom |title=A Cup of Progress: Sips Long Gone, Nut Tree Sibling Falls |url=http://solanosgotit.blogspot.com/2005/12/coffee-tree-sips-long-gone-nut-tree.html |website=Solano's Got It! |publisher=The Reporter |access-date=25 October 2018 |format=Blog |date=20 December 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184857/http://solanosgotit.blogspot.com/2005/12/coffee-tree-sips-long-gone-nut-tree.html |archive-date=2018-11-08 }}

The Nut Tree ceased operations in 1996 due to financial issues brought about by a family feud that was taken to court.{{cite news |last1=McManis |first1=Sam |title=Nut Tree Nostalgia / A premier roadside attraction may be headed for a rebirth |url=https://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/Nut-Tree-Nostalgia-A-premier-roadside-3304706.php |agency=SF Gate |date=25 February 2000}} The main Nut Tree buildings were demolished in the fall of 2003. The Coffee Tree restaurant across the I-80 freeway, another part of the original Nut Tree holdings, was demolished in late 2005. The old original Harbison house was donated to the Vacaville Museum in 1998 and is being restored in a new location 1000 feet from the original site.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}

File:Nut Tree 821 - panoramio.jpg

In 2002, Snell & Company began the redevelopment project. In 2004, the Vacaville City Council approved the Nut Tree Master Plan with retail, restaurants, offices, housing and an amusement park. In 2006, Nut Tree Plaza{{cite web |title=Nut Tree Plaza |url=https://www.visitvacaville.com/directory/nut-tree-plaza/ |website=Visit Vacaville |access-date=8 June 2022}} opened. In 2009, Snell sold to Westrust, later called Capretta Properties. In April 2022, Nut Tree Plaza was sold to Tower Investments. As of 22 April 2022, the Nut Tree Master Plan's 216 apartment-unit land reportedly was sold to a developer,and the 176,000 square-foot business park land is for sale.{{cite news |title=Nut Tree Plaza is sold |url=https://www.thereporter.com/2022/04/21/nut-tree-plaza-is-sold/ |access-date=8 June 2022 |work=The Vacaville Reporter |date=22 April 2022}}

"The Nut Tree is a 71-acre $255 million Master Planned Development being developed by Nut Tree Holdings, LLC, a joint venture of Capretta Properties Inc. and Reaal Ventures Inc. At completion, the Nut Tree Master Plan will include 399,000 square feet of retail space, 140,000 square feet of office space, 216 apartment units, a 2-acre amusement park, and a 3.4-acre event center."{{cite web |title=Nut Tree |url=http://www.nuttreeusa.com/ |access-date=8 June 2022 |website=NutTreeUSA.com}}

{{unreferenced section|date=October 2021}}

Nut Tree reopened in 2006 as a mixed-use development of Snell & Company. It contains Nut Tree Family Park (children's amusement park), Nut Tree Bocce Grove (bocce ball venue), Nut Tree Village (restaurants and stores) and Nut Tree Complex (retail, hotel, offices, residences). Retailers operating at opening were Best Buy, Sport Chalet and BevMo!. The restored Harbison House (which the Nut Tree had open for public tours during its final years of operation) is a major centerpiece of the development. It opened in October 2009.

Between the time that the Nut Tree closed and its building was demolished, the Northern California Renaissance Fair was held on its grounds for several years running.

The Nut Tree Family Park closed on January 14, 2009, due to the lack of attendance.

On August 22, 2009, the grand opening celebration was held for the reopening of the Nut Tree, under the new ownership of Westrust. The new Nut Tree adopted some of the original attractions, such as the Nut Tree Railroad and other historical elements of the original Nut Tree, along with new elements such as a carousel.

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://www.nuttreevacaville.com}}
• [http://www.artistla.com/nut_tree.htm Digital painting of The Nut Tree c1950 by Melvin Hale - ArtistLA / Pix2canvas]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150809233726/http://alamedainfo.com/nut_tree_CA.htm Historical photographs of the Nut Tree]

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Category:Roadside attractions in California

Category:Tourist attractions in Solano County, California

Category:History of the San Francisco Bay Area

Category:Buildings and structures in Vacaville, California

Category:1921 establishments in California

Category:Vacaville, California