BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – If you’ve been jonesing for a cheeseburger from Bakersfield’s historic Woolworth’s lunch counter, we have good news and bad news.  First the bad: Sorry, it’s not ready yet. Now the good: Hang on, because they’re making it for you right now. The historic Woolworth’s building in downtown Bakersfield will be celebrating its 75th anniversary next year, 2025. Expect a party like none other in the building’s history. And, yes, it will have cheeseburgers. Why? Because it won’t just be a birthday, it’ll be a rebirth. Bakersfield’s Woolworth’s building is transitioning from a bygone era of retail to a very different commercial use.  The Bakersfield Woolworth’s, built in 1950, is being rededicated under the stewardship of Sherod and Emily Waite.  It will serve none of the purposes that Frank Winfield Woolworth had in mind in 1879. No penny candy, no socks, underwear, or laundry detergent. Nothing of the old Woolworth’s except the early-century architecture, protected by official historic building status  – and the original 1950s-vintage soda fountain.   We took a tour of the 33,000-square foot landmark this week with Sherod Waite of Moneywise Wealth Management and his wife, Emily Waite, the Woolworth’s project manager. One of the first things the new owners mentioned – relax, the lunch counter will be back. It has been dissembled and stored during construction. “Preserving something like that, and it being in Bakersfield, it rings a little bit like the last Blockbuster that is in Bend, Oregon,” Sherod said. “There's a little bit of that here. We have the last luncheonette.” When it opens sometime in the summer of 2025, the new Woolworth’s will be a live music venue, a music education space, a recording studio – and, on the huge second floor, the new home of Moneywise Wealth Management. Bicyclist dies after being hit by car on Airport Drive: CHP “We saw not only an opportunity for our business to be downtown, but for us to take care of this historic building and redevelop it into something we could give back to the community,” Emily Waite said. They could’ve built the $10 million-plus project anywhere, more quickly and cheaply, but they opted to come downtown. “Every downtown center is the heart and blood of the city, culturally, artistic,” Sherod said. “We want to have people who want to come back to Bakersfield, whether they were raised here and now they live in some other big city. We’re just trying to attract working professionals, then we have to have places like this downtown.” Architect Daniel Cater helped them meet state historic building standards while creating a space both modern and nostalgic. “We love Bakersfield so much,” Emily said. “We like to say this is our love letter back to the city.” If you’ve driven by the construction site at 19th and K Street, and haven’t noticed all the activity, it’s probably because the windows were up in your car – because it’s loud and it may stay loud until next summer.