Historical Spanish Colonial Homes
The history of Spanish colonial architecture is commonly found in the southern USA society. Its popularity soared through during the early 19th century—between 1915 to 1931—when the Panama-California exposition was ongoing. However, way before this style was influenced in North America, it had historical backgrounds in both Mexico and Spain.
The Panama-California exposition was an important event that impacted the growth and popularity of Spanish colonial designs in America, specifically becoming a popular theme in cities such as Florida and the coast of California. As there were many nationalities involved in the creation of exhibitions and market stands for every American and immigrants to attend, the Brazilian exhibit became one of the most visited commercial exhibits during the time. The staff workers styled a two-story native house consisting of Brazilian deer skin and heads, and other wild animals put on decoration. Later on, the former President William Howard Taft held a speech across the Organ Pavilion, where 7,189 people listened to him praise the Spanish architecture. He offered to keep treaty obligations, as well as create an international congress.
The Hearst Castle in California, designed by an American architect, Julia Morgan who exemplified the Spanish styles in this national historic landmark.
A classic architectural style that shares similarities with both Mediterranean and Mission styles, too. Many of the buildings are designed with a combination of these three regions. Although Spanish colonial housings go back to Hispanic states, its initial appearance in Southern America was when Spanish colonizers settled in and began building their estates. Naturally, they chose regions like California, Florida and other parts in Southwestern states to colonize as it closely matched with climates common in Spain. These areas further helped develop their Spanish culture as it had similar building resources available to utilize, including adobe and clay suitable for roof tiles. Therefore, the settlers’ colonial style was thoroughly complimented by the fact that the homes are interconnected to the surrounding environment.
