Spanish Colonial or Adobe Architecture of California, 1800-1850

In the 1920s, two young architectural draftsmen, appalled by the continuing disappearance of adobe and Spanish colonial buildings, spent 4 years tracking down, photographing, sketching and measuring those worthwhile ones which still remained. Authentic Spanish colonial houses were built for comfort and convenience. Their construction and ornamentation were of well worn and tried traditions of both New England and Spanish settlers. Architectural historians will value this book (published in 1951 and out of print for 50 years) for many of the buildings no longer exist.