California State Building
Architect: A. Page Brown, San Francisco, California
Area: 59,948
Cost: $106,000
Picturesque World’s Fair, An Elaborate Collection of Colored Views—Published with the Endorsement and Approval of George R. Davis, 1894
CALIFORNIA BUILDING.—The reputation of California as a State possessed of an abundance, which it has no hesitancy in showing in an original way, was fully justified in imposing and novel structure at the World’s Fair and by its contents. The building stood near the northwest corner of the grounds, on the right of the thoroughfare leading south from the Fifty-seventh Street entrance, and was a not only striking but, to most observers, a curious object. With a length of four hundred and thirty-five feet and a width of red and forty-four feet the structure was a reproduction on a large scale of the style of the old Spanish Missions of Southern California, which, in some localities, are still preserved. surmounted by a Moorish dome one hundred and thirteen feet high, and had an extensive roof garden decorated with semi-tropical plants. There was but one departure in construction from the Mission style, the southern porch being on the classic order; but this contrast served rather to accentuate the general idea than to detract from it. The staff used here, Spanish Building and in the Convent of La Rabida, was just the thing for the purpose, serving to imitate to a nicety the stucco and adobe of the old convents and mission houses. The State Buildings that of California was exceeded in dimensions by only one upon the grounds, that of Illinois. The interior showing of the California Building was excelled anywhere. Not only were the resources of the State made manifest by the most profuse displays, but all its exhibits in other departments of the Fair were duplicated.
THE INTERIOR OF THE CALIFORNIA BUILDING AND THE ORANGE GLOBE.—The buoyant Californians had planned many dramatic displays of the products of their fruitful state, and it is but fair to say of those gallant exploiters that very few of their plans miscarried. All the world was astonished at the display of California’s horticultural wealth and all the world admired it. Among the effects produced, there was nothing exceeding that of the mighty globe of oranges which stood near the main entrance of the building. Very interesting to the fruit-grower was the Californian display, as were also the statistics of fruit-raising in that state. The fact that one man had shipped three hundred tons of apricots, that a prune orchard had produced nine tons of prunes an acre, which sold green at fifty dollars a ton, and similar figures of horticultural profit, were all matters of deepest interest to the Northern and Eastern agriculturist. What the Californians did not know of the art of telling about successful fruit-raising, would not have formed an exceedingly large volume. There was but one California, and all Californians were its prophets. The orange globe serves as but an illustration of the capable manner in which the resources of the state were illustrated, and the advantages to immigrants royally apparent. The people of more than one other state, could they have seen California’s display a year before the Fair might have learned a lesson, the result of which would have been of material benefit.
California State Building
Next to the building for Illinois that of California is the largest of the State buildings. Its dimensions are 144 by 435 feet. It is in the style of architecture of the old California mission building. The exterior is of plain plaster, artificially seamed and cracked, giving it the appearance of the old mission buildings.
The south front is a reproduction of the old Mission Church at San Diego. The main tower is an exact reproduction of the San Diego church tower, while the remaining towers on the corners and center of the building are all studied from the mission architecture. This building is not of the club-house character of most of the other State buildings. The entire first floor was open and devoted to the California State display, principally of fruits and canned goods. There are three fountains on the ground floor, one in the center and one at either end. The central hall is surrounded by a wide gallery, and on the gallery floor in the north end of the building is the banquet hall, a kitchen and an assemljly room. On either side of the main entrances are elevators running to the roof garden. These elevators are a Californian product, the power being a combination of steam and water. The roof is of California red tile. Architect, P. Brown, of San Francisco; contractors, the Heidenrich Company, Chicago. Cost, $75,000.
Portico of California State Building
California State Building
Harper’s Weekly
February 1893
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