HAUCK’S

Hauck’s: A history Downtown building stands test of time

BY ANGELINA MARTIN

For over 100 years, the Hauck’s building has stood as a focal point of Turlock’s downtown core. A diverse group of businesses past and present have called the historic building home over the decades, and it’s recently found new life as Main Street’s newest steakhouse.

The Hauck’s building was built on the corner of East Main Street and South Broadway in 1914 by Arshague Toprahanian, an investor from Fresno. He tore down the old building on the property and constructed an $18,000 two-story brick structure with plans calling for four store spaces — one of which was used for the 300-seat Royal Theater.

After some time, Englesby’s Drug Store was the building’s main occupant before Marysville pharmacist Ben Hauck took the space over in 1921.

When Hauck moved his business, Hauck’s Pharmacy, to Turlock, he told the Turlock Daily Journal on Feb. 12, 1921, that he saw the city as “destined to become one of the liveliest cities in Central California.” He told the paper he would be a booster for Turlock and do everything he could to work for its development.

While Hauck’s Pharmacy was in business, it became known for its ice cream counter and as a place where teens could find valuable work experience. Turlock historian Scott Atherton worked for the pharmacy himself, he said, as did many others, and there was a shoe store next door.

“Half the teenagers in Turlock worked for Hauck’s,” Atherton said.

In the ‘60s and ‘70s the Turlock Hotel operated out of the upper floors, Atherton added, and throughout his teens and even beyond, residents called those floors home. Downstairs, the Hauck’s building went on to become a sports store.

The upper floors house office space these days, and in 2016 the Hauck’s building was remodeled to house a restaurant which paid homage to the past, Hauck’s Grill. The barbecue eatery closed in 2020, and last year Cuts Steakhouse was opened by Jerry Powell and Devin Hill.

Whether the building served as a pharmacy, sports shop or restaurant over the years, countless Turlock memories and history lie in the bricks of the Hauck’s building. If the lively patio seating in front of Cuts Steakhouse is any indication, memories will continue to be created at the building for decades to come.

“The Hauck’s building is very important to Turlock’s history. It’s one of the foundational corners of downtown,” Atherton said.

then

now

TOP: In 1921, Ben Hauck purchased the building on the corner of East Main and South Broadway and opened Hauck’s Pharmacy; ABOVE: Today, the Hauck’s building is home to Cuts Steakhouse.