Mission Revival (1890-1920)

San Francisco Landmark 1: Misión San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores) Misión San Francisco de Asís in San Francisco
One of the Spanish missions which inspired
the Mission Revival style
Built 1782-1791
Photographed 27 May 2010
San Francisco Landmark #242: Infant Shelter Infant Shelter in San Francisco
Note the mission parapet with coping
and the quatrefoil window
Built 1928
Photographed 31 January 2012

(Click Photos to Zoom)

The Mission Revival style originated in California and was inspired by the state's Hispanic heritage. The style was popularized by the many train depots and hotels built by the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads throughout the Far West.

The Mission Revival style peaked after World War I. It was superseded by the Spanish Colonial Revival style which attempted a more faithful rendering of New World Spanish prototypes than the more romantic Mission Revival style.

Characteristics of the Mission Revival style are:

  • red tile roofs with wide, overhanging eaves
  • shaped mission parapet and dormers
  • smooth, stucco walls
  • arcades and porches supported by large columns
  • quatrefoil windows
  • bell towers
  • coping

At the end of the 19th century, Mission Revival was considered to be the architectural style most congenial to the landscape and heritage of California. Books and periodicals romanticized the lost Spanish past while commercial brochures promoted an arcadian present to lure business, residents, tourists.

Tiled roofs, stucco walls, arches and arcades were soon poular for railroad stations, schools, commercial buildings and houses all over California. According to David Gebhard in Architecture of San Francisco and Northern California, "although the style did not transform northern California as it did the southern part of the state, hardly a single town came out of the period without at least one building clothed in Mission Revival garb."

Source: Adapted from the NRHP nomination for NCO Railway Headquarters building in Alturas, California

Name Year Address City Sort Address Sort Name
Alexandria Hotel and Annex 1910840-844 Brown Street NapaBrown 0840Alexandria Hotel and Annex
Bard Memorial Hospital1902121 North Fir StreetVenturaFir 0121Bard Memorial Hospital
Burlingame Railroad Station1894290 California DriveBurlingameCalifornia 0290Burlingame Railroad Station
California Building19271000 Cowan Drive in Idlewild ParkReno, NVCowan 1000California Building
Carnegie Library: Woodland1904250 First StreetWoodland Street 01 0250Carnegie Library: Woodland
Cornell House1925121 Northeast B StreetGrants Pass, OR Street B NE 0121Cornell House
Cuneo Apartments193030 East Spain StreetSonomaSpain E 0030Cuneo Apartments
Davenport Jail19141 Center StreetDavenportCenter 1Davenport Jail
Davis Railroad Station1914840 2nd Street Davis Street 02 0840Davis Railroad Station
Engine Company No. 4019091249 Clayton Street San FranciscoClayton 1249Engine Company No. 40
Engine Company No. 431911724 Brazil AvenueSan FranciscoBrazil 0724Engine Company No. 43
Fireboat Company No. 11915Embarcadero At HarrisonSan FranciscoEmbarcaderoFireboat Company No. 1
First Baptist Church1911241 Hargadine Street Ashland, ORHargadine 0241First Baptist Church
First Baptist Church19321200 Truxtun AvenueBakersfieldTruxtun 1200 First Baptist Church
First Baptist Church1889127 East Pine StreetFort BraggPine E 0127First Baptist Church
Gilroy City Hall19047410 Monterey StreetGilroyMonterey 7410Gilroy City Hall
Hayes Mansion1904200 Edenvale AvenueSan JoseEdenvale 0200Hayes Mansion
Hotel Stockton1910133 East Weber Avenue StocktonWeber E 0133Hotel Stockton
Humphrey House1906467 Ralston StreetReno, NVRalston 0467Humphrey House
Infant Shelter19281201 Ortega StreetSan FranciscoOrtega 1201Infant Shelter
Woodland IOOF Building1905723 Main Street WoodlandMain 0723Woodland IOOF Building
Larkspur City Hall1913400 Magnolia AvenueLarkspurMagnoliaLarkspur City Hall
Las Vegas Grammar School1936400 Las Vegas Boulevard SouthLas Vegas, NVLas Vegas S 0400Las Vegas Grammar School
Lodi Arch1907Pine and Sacramento StreetsLodiPineLodi Arch
McClintock Storage Warehouse19251202 Kettner BoulevardSan DiegoKettnerMcClintock Storage Warehouse
McCullagh-Jones House190118000 Overlook RoadLos GatosOverlook 18000McCullagh-Jones House
McKinley Park School1909Riverside Drive and Keystone AvenueRenoRiversideMcKinley Park School
Milpitas Ranchhouse1930Infantry RoadFort Hunter LiggettInfantryMilpitas Ranchhouse
Mount Rose Elementary School1912915 Lander StreetRenoLander 0915Mount Rose Elementary School
Myrtle Arms Apartment Building1914Sixth and Central StreetsCoos Bay, Oregon Street 06Myrtle Arms Apartment Building
Nevada-California-Oregon Railway Headquarters1917619 North Main Street AlturasMain N 0619Nevada-California-Oregon Railway Headquarters
Nichols School1917400-406 Pyramid WaySparksPyramid 0400Nichols School
Palo Alto Post Office1933380 Hamilton AvenuePalo AltoHamilton 0380Palo Alto Post Office
Petaluma Depot1914210 Lakeville StreetPetalumaLakeville 0210Petaluma Depot
Plaza Building1910Plaza #2PattersonPlazaPlaza Building
Portola Valley School 1909775 Portola Road Portola ValleyPortola 0775Portola Valley School
Powerhouse1908South Perimeter Road and Cuesta AvenueSan Luis ObispoSouth PerimeterPowerhouse
Pumping Station No. 21912Van Ness Avenue at the Municipal PierSan FranciscoVan Ness 9999Pumping Station No. 2
San Francisco Women's Building 19103543 18th Street San Francisco Street 18 3543San Francisco Women's Building
San Mateo Main Post Office 1935210 South Ellsworth Street San MateoEllsworth S 0210San Mateo Main Post Office
Santa Fe Depot19151050 Kettner BoulevardSan DiegoKettnerSanta Fe Depot
Schuler Apartment Building 192638 North Oakdale AvenueMedford, OROakdale N 0038Schuler Apartment Building
Sebastopol Depot1917261 South Main StreetSebastopolMain S 0261Sebastopol Depot
Smiley Junior High School19371309 East 3rd AvenueDurango, CO Avenue 03 E 1309Smiley Junior High School
Sonoma City Hall1908Sonoma PlazaSonomaSonoma PlazaSonoma City Hall
South Berkeley Community Church19121802 Fairview Street BerkeleyFairview 1802South Berkeley Community Church
Sweasey Theater1920412 G StreetEureka Street G 0412Sweasey Theater
University High School19225714 Martin Luther King Jr. Way OaklandMartin 5714University High School
Western Pacific Depot19101025 East Main Street StocktonMain E 1025Western Pacific Depot
The Embarcadero Pier 281913The Embarcadero Between Harrison and BryantSan FranciscoEmabarcaderoThe Embarcadero Pier 28

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