Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout001007_Template-BowersMuseum_2002NMain.pdfPage 1 of 5 cm\historic\templates\Main N 2002 (Bowers Museum) 11/21/01 NAME Bowers Museum REF. NO. 135 ADDRESS 2002-2004 North Main Street CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92706 ORANGE COUNTY YEAR BUILT 1932 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Landmark HISTORIC DISTRICT N/A NEIGHBORHOOD N/A NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION A, C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 4S2 Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted USGS 7.5” Quad Date: T R ¼ of ¼ of Sec : B.M. Prehistoric Historic Both ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND RELATED TO PERIOD ARCHITECTURE: The Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival style, as its name implies, encompasses two major subcategories. The Mission Revival vocabulary, popular between 1890 and 1920, drew its inspiration from the missions of the Southwest. Identifying features include curved parapets (or espadana); red tiled roofs and coping; low-pitched roofs, often with overhanging eaves; porch roofs supported by large, square piers; arches; and wall surfaces commonly covered in smooth stucco. The Spanish Colonial Revival flourished between 1915 and 1940, reaching its apex during the 1920s and 1930s. The movement received widespread attention after the Panama- California Exposition in San Diego in 1915, where lavish interpretations of Spanish and Mexican prototypes were showcased. Easily recognizable hallmarks of the Spanish Colonial Revival are low-pitched roofs, usually with little or no overhangs and red tile roof coverings; flat roofs surrounded by tiled parapets; and stuccoed walls. The Spanish vocabulary also includes arches, asymmetry, balconies and patios, window grilles, and wood, wrought iron, tile, or stone decorative elements. A Monterey Colonial Revival, popular from the mid to late 1920s on, fused the vocabularies of the Spanish Colonial American Colonial Revival styles; its signature element was a cantilevered balcony recessed beneath the principal roof. Page 2 of 5 cm\historic\templates\Main N 2002 (Bowers Museum) 11/21/01 CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations) February 1, 1932. Museum. July 27, 1956. Add room to museum. September 10, 1962. (Unspecified; $41,000). August 17, 1966. Replace pergola. June 13, 1973. Gallery, storage, workroom, and classroom. March 18, 1974. Interior partition in shop area. July 29, 1974. Construct room within existing gallery. March 28, 1975. Exit door installation. April 16, 1982. Install door and window. June 30, 1982. Handrail (new ramp). November 1, 1982. Four light standards, 12-feet high. May 27, 1983. Reroof. February 28, 1984. Retaining wall and block wall. March 20, 1984. Canopy attached to workshop. September 27, 1984. Reinforce seismic safety. March 1, 1985. Repair damaged tile on arcade. June 28, 1985. Redo irrigation, new wall, and side entry. November 20, 1990. Demo storage shed. November 20, 1990. Demo workshop and canopy. December 6, 1990. Renovate existing museum (including new west wing by Bissell Architects). August 30, 1991. Mobile storage rack system. December 5, 1991. Sign (monument). February 18, 1992. Skylight. September 4, 1992. Relocate and add fire sprinklers. September 9, 1992. Restaurant. January 15, 1993. Foam letters on existing monument sign. RELATED FEATURES: (Other important features such as barns, sheds, fences, prominent or unusual trees, or landscape) Corner entry gate topped by mission parapet, L-shaped covered arcade, open courtyard, landscaping and trees, auditorium murals, Ada E. Bowers Memorial Fountain. DESCRIPTION: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, settings, and boundaries.) Located at the northwest corner of Main and Twentieth Streets, the Bowers Museum occupies a large parcel dotted with mature trees. Facing the corner, a massive, buttressed archway, gated in wrought iron and topped by a mission parapet containing a bell in an arched opening, is the most visible feature of the property from the public right-of-way. A covered arcade extends west and north from it, covered in stucco and topped by a tiled gable roof whose eaves are punctuated by corbels. The arcade is characterized by round arches with corbeled brick bases and impost moldings, a wood truss ceiling, and tile paving. L-shaped in plan, the museum building itself is mostly obscured from view from the street. It, too, is covered in stucco and topped by a tiled roof that varies between hipped and gabled configurations. Spanning a portion of the second story east elevation, a wood balcony is tucked beneath the principal gable in the manner of the Monterey Revival style. It is characterized by a carved balustrade and tile paving. Immediately to the north, an impressive exterior staircase climbs the façade. At its base, facing south, the Ada E. Bowers Memorial Fountain includes a statue of the explorer Cabrillo and 11 carved panels depicting Orange County historical episodes. An elaborate entrance on the south elevation features a terracotta or cast stone surround that culminates in an overscaled, broken scroll pediment. Its arched opening is framed with archivolts and accented by a large keystone motif extending down from the pediment. Large windows, round- headed on the south and flat-headed on the east, face the street elevations. Other windows are metal casements with generous reveals. The north wing of the building appears to either be an addition or has been substantially altered on the exterior. Additions to the museum were made in 1957, 1961, 1974, and a major addition (the west building) and renovation were undertaken in 1990-1992, designed by Bissell Architects. HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS: During 1886 Jonathan and Mary Bowers came to Santa Ana from Missouri for health reasons, and in 1888 purchased land in the newly subdivided Orange Grove Tract, a part of the Ferguson Tract of the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, north of the original town site. They were joined by their son Charles Bowers in 1888, and the family successfully pursued land development and citrus cultivation. After his parents’ deaths in 1890 and 1902, Charles Bowers inherited the family home on the property at Main and Twentieth Streets. He married in 1902; after his first wife’s death in 1905, he married Illinois native Ada Abbott in 1908. Page 3 of 5 cm\historic\templates\Main N 2002 (Bowers Museum) 11/21/01 The Bowers Museum, designed by Long Beach architect W. Horace Austin with local architect Frank Lansdown and built by prominent Santa Ana contractor William Rohrbacker, was erected in 1932 at a cost of $54,080. It was the result of a trust set up by Charles and Ada Bowers in 1924, specifying that, upon their demise, the City of Santa Ana would construct a fireproof museum on the site of their home at Main and Twentieth Streets. Aficionados of history, Mr. and Mrs. Bowers added a stipulation to the trust that the Orange County Historical Society should have free use of the building and be permitted to assist in the assembly of the museum collection. The City accepted the terms of the trust by ordinance in 1931, and established an advisory committee composed of several of Santa Ana’s most distinguished citizens. The committee recommended the selection of the architects and contractor to the City Council and the project was initiated by the demolition of the 1888 Bowers home in February 1932. Special care was taken to preserve as many of the trees that had surrounded the Bowers house as possible. Although construction was completed by the end of the year, the Charles W. Bowers Memorial Museum did not actually open until February 1936. During the interim period, artist Martin Syvertsen painted murals with the theme of Historical California on the ceiling of the auditorium and sculptor Ada May Sharpless created a memorial fountain with a central figure of Juan Cabrillo. Mrs. F. E. (Bessie-Beth) Coulter, the museum’s first curator, was appointed; she assembled the local history collection that was the basis of the museum’s collection for many years. In the mid 1980s, the museum’s mission was redefined, and following extensive renovation, it reopened as the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, devoted to preserving and presenting the arts of world cultures, in 1992. RESOURCE ATTRIBUTES: (List attributes and codes from Appendix 4 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of Historic Preservation.) HP15. Educational Building. RESOURCES PRESENT: Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other MOVED? No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location: STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, geographic scope, and integrity.) Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative townsite on part of the Spanish land grant known as Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. Early growth and development was stimulated by the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1878 and the Santa Fe Railroad in 1886. By the end of the 1880s, Santa Ana’s downtown business district was defined by five city blocks of brick commercial buildings on Fourth Street, with the heart of the city at the intersection of Fourth and Main Streets. Growth of the city had accelerated during the 1886-1888 boom, and it was during this period that the Bowers family came to Santa Ana. Their reasons for doing so were typical of the period; they were attracted by the mild climate and the opportunities for farming and land development. Their legacy to their adopted city, the Bowers Museum, is historically and architecturally significant. It is the oldest museum in Santa Ana, one of the foremost institutions in Orange County, and has provided educational and cultural enrichment to several generations. It is architecturally noteworthy for its Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival design, a deliberate reference to California’s heritage in keeping with the historical purpose of the museum. It is also notable for its association with two architects whose work influenced Santa Ana, W. Horace Austin and Frank Lansdown. Character-defining exterior features of the Bowers Museum, which should be preserved, include but may not be limited to: arched entry and arcade (configuration, materials, architectural detailing), tiled roofs, stucco finishes, main entries (design and finishes), original fenestration where extant, trees dating to the Bowers’ occupation, fountain, and murals. Page 4 of 5 cm\historic\templates\Main N 2002 (Bowers Museum) 11/21/01 SUMMARY/CONCLUSION: The Bowers Museum is listed in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property, meeting Criterion 1 in that it displays the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style, Criterion 2 as a work of two notable architects whose style influenced the city’s architectural development, and Criterion 3 as an important center for cultural activity. The Bowers Museum has been categorized as “Landmark” because it “has historical/cultural significance to the City of Santa Ana,” as the city’s oldest and foremost museum and “has a unique architectural significance” as an example of Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival design and as an example of the work of architects W. Horace Austin and Frank Lansdown (Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2). In addition, the Bowers Museum appears to be eligible for inclusion in the California Register of Historical Resources and may be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. OWNER AND ADDRESS: RECORDED BY: (Name, affiliation, and address) Leslie J. Heumann Science Applications International Corporation 35 S. Raymond Avenue, Suite 204, Pasadena, CA 91105 DATE RECORDED: October 7, 2000 SURVEY TYPE: (Intensive, reconnaissance, or other) Intensive Survey Update REPORT CITATION: (Cite survey report and other sources) REFERENCES: (List documents, date of publication, and page numbers. May also include oral interviews.) Friis, Leo J. The Charles W. Bowers Memorial Museum and Its Treasures. Pioneer Press, 1967. Hallan-Gibson, Pamela. The Golden Promise: An Illustrated History of Orange County. Windsor Publications, 1986. Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York, WW Norton, 1998. Marsh, Diann. Santa Ana, An Illustrated History. Encinitas, Heritage Publishing, 1994. McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984. National Register Bulletin 16A. “How to Complete the National Register Registration Form.” Washington DC: National Register Branch, National Park Service, US Dept. of the Interior, 1991. Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969. Internet: www.bowers.org/abt.html Internet: “Charles W. Bowers Memorial Museum.” pamphlet at www.lapl.org EVALUATOR: Leslie J. Heumann DATE OF EVALUATION: October 7, 2001 Page 5 of 5 cm\historic\templates\Main N 2002 (Bowers Museum) 11/21/01 EXPLANATION OF CODES: • National Register Criteria for Evaluation: (From Appendix 7 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of Historic Preservation) A: that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. C: that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction. • National Register Status Code: (From Appendix 2 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of Historic Preservation) 4S2: May become eligible for separate listing in the National Register when more historical or architectural research is performed.