The Nut Tree

For anyone who is not familiar with the Nut Tree in Vacaville, here is a little background info for you. Of course, for those of us who grew up or lived in northern California in the latter part of the last century, no introduction is needed. Nut Tree was that cool place you sometimes got to stop at when on a road trip--but only if you promised to stop pummeling your sibling in the back seat of the station wagon. It was a place that was mentioned at least once on any such road trip, often prefaced with "can you hold it until we get to the..."

It was a road trip way-station. It was a auto-tourist complex consisting of restaurant, gift shop, toy store, and replete with the all-important, clean restrooms. Then of course there were the rides. It had big hobby horses, carousel, and a really cool, miniature steam train you could ride on.

It was in Vacaville, which is an oasis on a barren stretch of I-80, roughly midway between Sacramento and the San Francisco bay area. Now mind you, I didn't get to experience the Nut Tree that much growing up, because for my family Vacaville was an end destination much of the time, seeing as my brother lived there for many years. I only remember being taken there one time, and that was by my brother and his wife of the time. I think it must have been around my birthday, because I remember getting this really cool toy airplane on a stick, and it would whiz round and round for hours, draining the life out of any batteries in the house I could lay my hands on.

HISTORY
The Nut Tree began, as the story goes, in the summer of 1921--when a blistering heat wave caused all of the figs to ripen almost simultaneously. The grower needed to sell the crop fast, so they put up a little fruit stand alongside what was then highway 40, under the shade of a huge walnut tree. This worked out well, so the following year they created a more permanent building with an attached kitchen. The place became quite popular, and featured several signature dishes. It marked the beginning of what would be later known as "California Cuisine".

The Nut Tree continued to flourish and evolve. The Toy Shop and model railroad were added in 1952. The Nut Tree airport was added in 1955. A newer, more modern restaurant was built in 1958.

In 1953, the Nut Tree hired artist Don Birrell as their chief designer. He studied at a prominent art school, and created a signature look of clean lines, bold color, and impeccable form and design. He was instrumental in bringing northern California to the forefront of commercial art in the 1950s and 60s. For the Nut Tree, he designed the architecture, the signage, the menu, and even the way the food was arranged on the plates in the restaurant! Before the concept of "branding" was even kicked around in the marketing world, he created the branding for the Nut Tree. This man had a very lasting effect on the city of Vacaville--you can still see examples of his work adorning buildings all over town. (Sadly, Mr. Birrell passed away last year.)

Then years of increasing competition from fast food restaurants and outlet stores took their toll, and in 1996 the Nut Tree closed its doors. In 2000, the City of Vacaville bought the property, and a few years later the buildings were torn down. Plans soon emerged that spoke of a return of the Nut Tree--this time as a shopping center, a vineyard, an amusement park, and and an open-space shopping village (inspired by the design of the renovated Ferry Building in San Francisco). And now, in early 2007, most of it is complete! The village portion is still being completed, but the rest of the shopping center is filling in nicely. They have even begun signups for the bocce league! I've never played that game before, but it sounds mighty tempting...