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The popularity of towers on buildings has risen and fallen several times in Santa Cruz history, beginning of course with the mission. The original is long gone, but the 1870s painting at right shows how the mission chapel may have looked, circa 1820.
Our earliest towers were purpose-built for bells and/or as defensive lookouts. We didn't originally have any of those lookout towers here, but several later buildings include pseudo-lookout towers as decorative features, such as at Piedmont Court.
Another early purpose for a tower was as a lighthouse. One of those was built in Santa Cruz in 1869, memorialized by the current lighthouse-shaped building that houses the surf museum. A later lighthouse stands at the end of the Santa Cruz Harbor jetty.
The Queen Anne style of the 1880s-90s featured round corner turrets whose steeply-sloped pointy roofs towered above the rest of the building. Later, in the Art Deco era of the 1930s-40s, buildings sometimes featured towers as decorative elements, such as the one at the corner of Church and Chestnut. The image here shows how the building originally looked, before the unfortunate later "Spanish" remodel.
One well-known tower survived because of historic preservation efforts. The new La Bahia Hotel incorporated the existing 1920s tower and its Spanish Colonial Revival style. And just for fun, the designer added a couple more decorative towers.
Another early purpose for a tower was as a lighthouse. One of those was built in Santa Cruz in 1869, memorialized by the current lighthouse-shaped building that houses the surf museum. A later lighthouse stands at the end of the Santa Cruz Harbor jetty.
A third purpose for a tower was to elevate a large clock, for visibility. The original version of today's town clock sat high atop an 1873 commercial building for that purpose.
The Queen Anne style of the 1880s-90s featured round corner turrets whose steeply-sloped pointy roofs towered above the rest of the building. Later, in the Art Deco era of the 1930s-40s, buildings sometimes featured towers as decorative elements, such as the one at the corner of Church and Chestnut. The image here shows how the building originally looked, before the unfortunate later "Spanish" remodel.
One well-known tower survived because of historic preservation efforts. The new La Bahia Hotel incorporated the existing 1920s tower and its Spanish Colonial Revival style. And just for fun, the designer added a couple more decorative towers.
