California’s Santa Cruz Architectural Styles have become historical icons, which the area proudly preserves with a great deal of care. There have been many eras that have left an indelible mark behind on the buildings, homes, and structures around the city. A little flavor of all the eras remains as an undeniable element of the city’s long and varied history.
Santa Cruz, CA was established largely for the sake of a Franciscan Mission and a Spanish garrison. The mission was built in 1791 and the garrison was erected in 1793. The Franciscan Mission was relocated to the Mission Hill area where it still stands today due to flooding issues precipitated by the San Lorenzo River. The founders of the mission fashioned it in a baroque manner as they were accustomed to. It was constructed with the plaza as its central focus forming almost a triplex around the plaza. The style heralds to those seen around Mexico and Spain. The mission is basically an adobe construction with deep layers of wall in the interior. This simplistic design was adopted due to the utilization of Indian laborers lacking extensive construction knowledge. Decorative bell towers and deep piers surround the structure to present day.
Some of the earliest structures to be erected throughout Santa Cruz were home constructed in a non-decorative, rectangular shape. Wooden boards were used to side these basic homes of the area. They were very popular around the Pioneer age dating back as far as 1850. Sylvar Street still has a house from this time period that stands as an example of the architectural era.
From 1850-1890 homes and office building went through many transitions and Santa Cruz Architectural Styles evolved, celebrating different periods of styling such as: Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Stick, Eastlake, Romanesque, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Shingle. A Greek Revival home reflected an all American taste in construction. Though the construction had large pillars like Greek styling, and big porches this style could be see throughout the country during its era. The Gothic Revival showcased churches and building with very sharp edges and interesting detail much like the Gothic structures in Europe. The Italianate Period boasted buildings that were big and had large windows and a covered porch around the front. This style was indicative of The Renaissance Period in Italy. Both the Stick and Eastlake styles of homes had large windows and porches or verandas outdoors.
The Romanesque structures were quite popular for businesses. Miniature columns that are clustered along with rock fronts are strong characteristics of these buildings. The Queen Anne is a very lovely Victorian looking structure. Homes in this style were fashioned with turrets on the side of the homes with decorative chimneys and an overall ornate look. The Colonial Revival yielded buildings and homes that much in common with American homes of the Revolution War era. There was a resurgence of American pride as they pushed westward gaining more territory, and a tendency to emulate past American style developed. The Shingle style much like its name boasted homes with subdued shingles to line the exterior of the home instead of siding. These homes were still very large in appearance, yet understated in d’ecor on the exterior, and all indicative of Santa Cruz Architectural Styles.
For a home or structure to be of historical significance in the Santa Cruz area it generally has to be at least fifty years old. This is in keeping step with the requirements of the National Registry, even though it isn’t implicitly stated in the California state register. However, there are exceptions and if births of historical figures, major historical events, religious constructions, or cemeteries are involved sometimes the building can be deemed historical having not yet approached fifty years of age.
Archive for December, 2009
Santa Cruz Architectural Styles
December 30th, 2009The Beijing Art Scene: Factory 798
December 30th, 2009The contemporary art scene in China is still in its early stages, but there’s little doubt that it has come a long way since the 70s, when the Cultural Revolution was responsible for the repression of all the arts. A vivid example of China’s newly flourishing art movement is the vast complex of galleries, shops and bars spearheading the renaissance in a largely abandoned military electronics complex located in Beijing’s Dashanzi District.
With its still intact Mao Zedong slogans propagating Marxist-Leninist thought, factory 798 is the hub for creating and showcasing contemporary paintings and sculpture, contrasting sharply with its fairly recent history. Warehouse rooms where workers once studied the Little Red Book are now populated with painters and performers and purveyors of gourmet food, designers of haute couture, and crafters of luxury furniture. Live music can be heard at numerous house bars and chic bookshops and cafes. Factory 798 can best be described as the Soho-esque district of Beijing and is now the third most visited attraction in the city after the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.
Built by the Russians in the early 1950s as part of the war-reparations deal with Germany, the State-owned plant churned out electronic goods by the millions for the People’s Liberation Army. Architecturally, the factory was built in the Bauhaus style reflecting the influence of the German designer Walter Gropius. During China’s modernization in the 1990s, most of the factory was closed down due to falling orders and other factors, resulting in thousands of workers being laid off and the warehouses being vacated.
The buildings are architecturally simple, emphasizing utility. Their massive ducts and vast windows were designed to help conscientious workers increase production, and the open spaces served as large assembly lines. The walls still bear slogans painted during the Cultural Revolution, but now the peeling paint and massive boilers have become part of the art. Currently, over seventy artists and fifty chic enterprises have settled in. It’s now considered the place to go for a look at modern Chinese art.
Unfortunately, Factory 798 is an endangered species. The city is continuing its campaign of urban development, replacing the labor-intense and polluting industries with low-pollution, low-capital office buildings and high-tech electronic industries. Demolition of Factory 798 is set to begin by the end of this year.
Artists have submitted a proposal to the government to save the art center, but they are not optimistic. A final decision of the fate of Factory 798 will be made before the end of 2007. One can only hope that China’s center for the avant-garde remains intact and continues to flourish.
By: Timothy Green