Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chinoiserie streetlamps in San Francisco. California's architecture was postmodern before
the word even existed.
Oddball California Archi-tecture
Hearst Castle
Winchester Mystery House
Tor House
Theme Building, LAX Airport
Wigwam Motel
Integratron
Spanish Missions & Victorian Queens
The first Spanish missions were built around courtyards, using materials that Native Cali-
fornians and Spaniards found on hand: adobe, limestone and grass. Many missions
crumbled into disrepair as the church's influence waned, but the style remained practical
for the climate. Early California settlers later adapted it into the rancho adobe style, as seen
in Downtown LA's El Pueblo de Los Angeles and San Diego's Old Town.
Once the mid-19th-century Gold Rush was on, California's nouveau riche imported ma-
terials to construct grand mansions matching European fashions, and raised the stakes with
ornamental excess. Many millionaires favored the gilded Queen Anne style. Outrageous
examples of Victorian architecture, including 'Painted Ladies' and 'gingerbread' houses,
can be found in such NorCal towns as San Francisco, Ferndale and Eureka.
But Californian architecture has always had its contrarian streak. Many turn-of-
the-20th-century architects rejected frilly Victorian styles in favor of the simpler, classical
lines of Spanish designs. Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, also known as Mission
Revival style, hearkened back to early California missions with restrained and functional
details: arched doors and windows, long covered porches, fountain courtyards, solid walls
and red-tile roofs. Downtown Santa Barbara showcases this revival style, as do stately
buildings in San Diego's Balboa Park, Scotty's Castle in Death Valley and several SoCal
train depots, including in Downtown LA, San Diego, San Juan Capistrano and Santa Bar-
bara, as well as Kelso Depot in the Mojave National Preserve.
