One of Susanville’s oldest commercial buildings, located at the intersection of Main and North Lassen Streets, has had a wide variety of occupants since it was built in 1893. Among the early occupants was the Susanville Post Office, Bank of Lassen County and the Government Land Office.
In 1913 and 1914 two major changes transpired. One was the addition of a third floor. On the Lassen Street side a smaller one story building was constructed to be known as the Knoch Annex.
One of the occupants on the second floor of the Knoch, was well known local attorney, Hardin “Finn” Barry. In 1921, Finn passed the California Bar and opened his office in the Knoch. He may have been the longest tenant. Finn remained there at that location until his passing in 1969. Once his office was vacated, another attorney Dawson Arnold rented that space, only to eventually relinquish it when he closed his practice and went to work full time as Lassen County Counsel.
Of course, it should be noted that on the ground floor was another long term tenant—Fred’s Barber Shop. Fred Borghi’s establishment was an old fashioned barber shop with a loyal clientele who would drop in to visit in between haircuts, to “shoot the breeze.”