Donut Wheel

Donut Wheel is a doughnut shop. It was established in 1962, and is a landmark in Livermore, California.[1] It is located at the intersection of the city's four quadrants and is patronized by the Fire Department, Police Department, and Public Works.

Donut Wheel
Restaurant information
Established1958 (1958)
Street address2017 First St
CityLivermore
StateCalifornia

The Donut Wheel (then "Jack's Donut Wheel") was started in 1962 by Jack and Jean Weil. The Donut Wheel got its name from a suggestion from a man who worked with Jack at Stemple's. He said that he should call it the Donut Wheel because that is how people pronounced his name, “wheel” instead of Weil (pronounced, "while"). Jack and Jean sold Jack's Donut Wheel in 1972. Since then it has changed hands a few times, but kept the name.[1]

The building was erected in 1941, as a Purity grocery store.[2] It was remodeled in 1958 by Hans Joachim Schiller, and is an example of Googie architecture.[1] Hans Joachim Schiller was a German architect who fled Nazi Germany to Palestine and then established himself in Marin County after World War II.[3][4] Before the grocery store, the site was occupied by an 1800s building called the Washington Hotel.[1]

Founding

In the beginning, the Donut Wheel was open 7 days a week and closed only on Sunday afternoons. The Weil's initially had two employees: Jean Weil's sister Beverly Syester and Jerry Musselman; along with Jack and Jean's three daughters, Marita, Jackie, and Kathy who helped out after school and on weekends. Jack primarily worked at night making the donuts while Jean ran the business.

Jack and his brothers, Dave and Bill, got their start in baking at a young age and worked at Stemple's Bakery in San Francisco. His brother Bill opened a shop in Cupertino, Jack and Jean moved to Campbell, and Jack went to work for Bill. Jack and Jean bought into their corporation. They then opened the Livermore Donut Wheel. Jack and Jean sold Jack's Donut Wheel in 1972 and bought a Donut Shop in San Jose, CA, and then moved to Sacramento and bought Sweet Things, a donut shop and lunch counter. They stayed in San Jose for about twenty years before landing in Sacramento, where they retired in 1993.

References
  1. "Livermore Heritage Guild". Livermorehistory.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-15. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  2. GPA Consulting. "2017 First Street." City of Livermore Historic Resources Survey Update Appendix B, 2021
  3. Lord, Carolyn. "Hans Schiller's Purity Market". Carolyn Lord Fine Art. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  4. "Germany, Palestine, Northern California: political and architectural activities, 1993 | WorldCat.org". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2023-06-04.

37.680821°N 121.770823°W / 37.680821; -121.770823

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