Description

Charles W. Bowers Memorial Museum, 1966. Booklet, 19 type-written pages. Acceptable+ in acceptable+ wraps. Stiff brown paper covers have a few tiny nicks and light bumping to edges and corners. Binding tight (staple bound). Pages lightly aged but otherwise clean and unmarked. Pretty floral wraps have a slits along crease of the spine and along the folds of the flaps and are starting to separate. Light overall scuffing and soiling to covers as well. Architectural notes by Gates Burrows, architect, research on old records by Mrs. Beatrice Cooke, social commentary by Charles D. Swanner and E.M. Sundquist. Dust jacket courtesy: Sargent Paint and Picture Company, Santa Ana California. Black and white illustrations. [From Introduction] The buildings you will see on this tour have a very interesting Architectural story to tell, one not uncommon to buildings in cities like Santa Ana, but interesting where ever you find it. Firstly, they are all built primarily of wood, of stud construction and having wood or shingle siding. Secondly, they were all built about the same time, somewhere near the the turn of the century when material was much more expensive than labor, and time could be spent in executing intricate patterns and details which are prohibitive today due to the cost of labor. These buildings were built between 1890 to about 1910, except the French residence, 214 E. 9th Street, which seems to be older. Except for a few examples, they all have a modified classical background, whether it be Colonial, Georgian or French Renaissance, and it is interesting to note the detail and how certain designs are used differently in different locations. Because these details occur often, it can be assumed that they were stock details bought at the lumber mill. There are a few exceptions to the Renaissance heritage and they belong to the late General Grant, Carpenter Romanesque, or Bungalow styles. The Church of the Messiah is generally Carpenter Romanesque. It is of wood frame construction, designed along the lines of the English stone churches of the late Romanesque or early Gothic periods. Particular note should be taken of the shingle patterns and the general mass of the building with its tower and cupola.