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I still think it has a little to do with Spanish roots. How else can you explain almost the exact same architecture in the southern half of every state from CA to FL with the exception of MS and AL (the two states that weren't heavily influenced by Spain).
I think you underestimate the early Spanish influence in California. Remember that Spain basically owned South and Central America and settled in Mexico centuries before the English colonized the U.S. Spain had already started building missions\ pueblos in California before the Revolutionary War and eventually established 21 missions from San Diego to Sonoma [north of San Francisco]. The U.S. did not conquer California until the mid 1800's when it was under Mexican rule [California became a state in 1850].
Spanish was the predominate language in Los Angeles until the late 1800's. California's cities, rivers, mountains, bays, you name it, are all overwhelmingly Spanish names. No other U.S. state has had such a strong Spanish imprint as California. The early buildings were, as you point out, build with adobe and held up surprisingly well in earthquakes. The style of architecture that maintained the Spanish look pretty much continued in California but even more so in the early 1900's. There are many examples of this style all over California and include the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego. Here's a photo of the Pasadena city hall built in 1927.
Little more than missions and trading posts were built under Spanish rule. Under Mexican rule, they built very little, given its 27 year hold, a blip on the radar of time.
Americans held to the Spanish theme in some earlier settlements (1848-1920), but became almost non-existent in new developments from 1930-1965). It was revived afterward. I'm inclined as others to believe that the climate and landscape plays the biggest role in the building materials and styles of architecture within the region today.
I still think it has a little to do with Spanish roots. How else can you explain almost the exact same architecture in the southern half of every state from CA to FL with the exception of MS and AL (the two states that weren't heavily influenced by Spain).
Coastal Mississippi and Alabama were once controlled by Spain and were known as "West Florida", along with the Florida Panhandle and parts of southeast Louisiana.
Coastal Mississippi and Alabama were once controlled by Spain and were known as "West Florida", along with the Florida Panhandle and parts of southeast Louisiana.
But nowhere near to the extent of the others, hence why Coastal Mississippi, Alabama, and the stretch of Louisiana from Baton Rouge to Mississippi north of Lake Pontchartrain are remarkably different from the rest of South Louisiana and Florida.
I still think it has a little to do with Spanish roots. How else can you explain almost the exact same architecture in the southern half of every state from CA to FL with the exception of MS and AL (the two states that weren't heavily influenced by Spain).
That's a good question. I was unaware that Spanish revival architecture was so prevalent in the South. What I have seen of the style in Texas and Florida [the only Southern states I have been in] seems less extensive and more recent [last 30 yrs] compared to California. Based on articles I have read the revival actually started in the late 1800's in California and re-emerged once again in the early 20th century.
"The style became especially widespread in the old Spanish colonies of Texas, Florida and California. Architects combined the elements of Mission-style, Spanish colonial and Pueblo architecture they observed there and made something out of them that was quite a departure from most of the American home building styles of the day. Before that, most American home construction drew from the design vocabulary of northern Europe.
In the 1920s and 1930s, entire neighborhoods in Southern California were graced with the homes and the style was even imported to upscale suburbs in the Northeast and Midwest.
The style does seem, however, best suited to California, where the stucco-clad, often single-story homes with the red-tile roofs look very much at home in the state's Mediterranean climate. Even the tropical planting often found in the yards compliment the colors and forms of typical Spanish revival style.
In California today, pre-war, Spanish revival homes are enjoying renewed popularity".
Coastal Mississippi and Alabama were once controlled by Spain and were known as "West Florida", along with the Florida Panhandle and parts of southeast Louisiana.
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
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Originally Posted by californio sur
That's a good question. I was unaware that Spanish revival architecture was so prevalent in the South. What I have seen of the style in Texas and Florida [the only Southern states I have been in] seems less extensive and more recent [last 30 yrs] compared to California. Based on articles I have read the revival actually started in the late 1800's in California and re-emerged once again in the early 20th century.
"The style became especially widespread in the old Spanish colonies of Texas, Florida and California. Architects combined the elements of Mission-style, Spanish colonial and Pueblo architecture they observed there and made something out of them that was quite a departure from most of the American home building styles of the day. Before that, most American home construction drew from the design vocabulary of northern Europe.
In the 1920s and 1930s, entire neighborhoods in Southern California were graced with the homes and the style was even imported to upscale suburbs in the Northeast and Midwest.
The style does seem, however, best suited to California, where the stucco-clad, often single-story homes with the red-tile roofs look very much at home in the state's Mediterranean climate. Even the tropical planting often found in the yards compliment the colors and forms of typical Spanish revival style.
In California today, pre-war, Spanish revival homes are enjoying renewed popularity".
In many ways, those two are the most Spanish influenced Southern states.
Texas is a border state, and has been under French, Spanish, Mexican, American, and on it's own before, I guess there's quite a lot of influence on it's style of architecture.
Florida has been Spanish possession, and has a lot of Latin influence as well.
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