Spanish dream castles: defining an architectural style for Los Angeles in the Depression Era
Date
2002
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Despite the impact of the depression, Los Angeles experienced a period o f growth over the course o f the late 1920s and 1930s. Throughout this time, Los Angeles designers, builders, and residents searched for an architectural identity that would symbolically unify the community. As a response, they turned to California’s pre-existing Spanish Colonial style to assert an architectural tradition for their burgeoning city. This thesis offers an interpretation of the way that their vision for Los Angeles’ residential architecture was expressed in both the specialized and popular-interest design sources and periodicals of the era. ☐ Numerous scholars have studied the way that the Spanish Colonial style grew out of the climate of the late 1900s. Others have examined the influence of individual architects in disseminating this style. Rather than studying the role o f isolated structures, designers, and clients, this paper examines the wider manifestation of the style as it evolved in relation to the Depression-era climate. In light of redefined values and tastes, the style that was initially adopted for its charming and romantic qualities was soon embraced as an expression of modem architectural ideals of simplicity and restraint. Beyond the significant racial, economic, and political implications o f its appropriation, the Spanish Colonial style could straddle the past, and simultaneously move Los Angeles into the future.