I’m currently in the Bay Area of California; with palm trees, oranges, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Palm trees to me are associated with a specific type of architecture. Long flat walls, Roman arches, and rounded tile roofs: Mission (Revival) style.
Short history lesson:
The Viceroyalty of New Spain was created in 1521, in total it spread from southeast British Columbia, Canada to Costa Rica. In the modern US, it curved from northwest to southeast, Washington to California & California to Florida. Of course, claimed land and settled land were different; their primary successes within the US were California and Florida. Missions were established in Florida through the 1600s, they spread through Texas and Arizona as well, but the first California mission wouldn’t be built until 1769.
The Mission style was based on the architecture the Franciscan missionaries leading the undertakings had left in Spain or New Spain/Mexico, with the minor inconveniences that a) they had no or minimal architectural training, b) no skilled labor, and c) differing geological accessibility to construction materials. The results were relatively basic buildings usually constructed from adobe, sometimes brick. Because adobe is not waterproof, the roof eaves have a significant overhang to protect the walls. The buildings were built in a long, relatively thin style because they only had short lumber for crossbeams and minimal milling capabilities. The earliest buildings had thatched roofs but after 1790, once that had proved to be a fire risk, they began using clay tiles. The missions were often laid out around a central court, cuadrangulo, with quarters, workshops, kitchens, and so forth in buildings around the roughly square court. A church and cemetery were built outside the enclosure, as well as gardens.
When Mexico (at the time including California) was given independence, the missions came under the control of the government and were secularized by 1834, marking the end of the Mission Style. However, towards the end of the 19th century, after California had become a US state, concern for the dilapidated original missions (adobe deteriorates quickly) and a sentimentality for the “simpler times” sparked the Mission Revival style. It was used primarily for schools and train depots at the time, and continues to be used for homes and even grocery stores.
