Monterey County Trust & Savings Building
The Monterey County Trust & Savings Building, also known as China Art Center, is a historic Spanish Mission Revival commercial building in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It was designed by architects H. H. Winner Co., of San Francisco and built in 1929–1930, by Hugh W. Comstock and Michael J. Murphy. It was designated as an important commercial building in the city's Downtown Historic District Property Survey on October 18, 2002.[1]
| Monterey County Trust & Savings Building | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Dolores St. &, 7th Ave., Carmel-by-the-Sea, California |
| Coordinates | 36°33′20″N 121°55′24″W |
| Built | 1929-1930 |
| Built by | Hugh W. Comstock |
| Built for | Monterey County Trust & Savings Bank |
| Original use | Banking |
| Current use | Retail store |
| Architect | H. H. Winner Co |
| Sculptor | Jo Mora |
| Architectural style(s) | Spanish Mission Revival |
  Monterey County Trust & Savings Building Location in the Monterey Peninsula#Location in California  Monterey County Trust & Savings Building Location in United States  Monterey County Trust & Savings Building Monterey County Trust & Savings Building (the United States) | |
History
The building is a large two-story concrete rectangular commercial building with an overhanging Spanish tiled gabled roof and quatrefoil window in the apex. It is located on Dolores Street and Seventh Avenue. The lower exterior was constructed with Carmel stone with wrought iron display windows railings. It has a large arched entryway with a carved wooden gate at the entryway. The entrance foyer has a wrought iron lighting fixture. The design is similar to other California missions.[2] Jo Mora did most of the artwork including the bas-relief outside and paintings inside. Inside are historic wooden beams and figures.[3]
The building qualified for inclusion in the Downtown Historic District Property Survey because it is an example of the Spanish Mission Revival style designed in 1929 by architects H. H. Winner Co., of San Francisco, which specialized in banks, and built by Hugh W. Comstock and Michael J. Murphy. The building also represents Comstock's building style change from fairy tale houses to commercial banking construction and design.[1][4]
On April 26, 1930, the Carmel Bank on Dolores Street in Carmel-by-the-Sea, was inaugurated as a new banking establishment, serving the local community.[5] An ad was place in the local newspapers announcing the completion and opening of the new "banking home" in Carmel-by-the-Sea.[6][7]
The Carmel office of the Monterey County Trust and Savings Bank, which originated in Salinas, was established alongside branches in Gonzales, King City, and Castroville, California.[5]
The bank was created by pioneers in the early development of Salinas and Monterey County after the Gold Rush. In 1930, assets of the bank were $7,090,143.18. The board of directors of the bank were A. C. Hughes (president), H. E. Abbot, Chapman Foster, L. W. Sanborn, Henry F. Dickinson, George P. Henry, L. A. Wilder, E. E. Hitchcock, and J. J. Gross.[8]
The bank building became the Carmel Museum of Art in September 1967, dedicated to the "collection, preservation and presentation of works of art and original research material."[9] At that time, the building was remodeled and the bank equipment and counters removed. Comstock did the work.[1] It was then owned by Frances and Joan Chew in the 1970s as the China Art Center.[4] On March 27, 1971, the China Art Center had its grand opening.[10] In June 1986, The China Art Center redid the roof.[1] The China Art Center building was closed in 2017.[4]
The building's Mission and Spanish Revival design is similar to El Paseo Building, Kocher Building, and the Isable Leidig Building, all located on Dolores Street between Ocean Avenue and 7th Street.[1]
H. H. Winner & Co.
Henry H. Winner (1874-1962) of H. H. Winner & Co., was in San Francisco. They were experts in bank construction and planning. They constructed a number of banks in California, including the Bank of Los Banos (1922), Bank of Napa (1923), and the Sonoma County and Savings Bank (1925).[11]
H. H. Winner also designed the Spanish Revival style Monterey branch of the Monterey County Trust and Savings Bank in 1931, that is now occupied by Wells Fargo on Alvarado and Franklin Streets in Monterey, California. M. J. Murphy was the builder.[1][12]
References
- Richard N. Janice (October 18, 2002). "Department Of Parks And Recreation" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- Seavey, Kent (2007). Carmel, A History in Architecture. p. 110. ISBN 9780738547053. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - "Historic Walking Tour". www.carmelcalifornia.com. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
- Dramov, Alissandra (2019). Historic Buildings of Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. Arcadia Publishing. p. 40. ISBN 9781439666890. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- "New Carmel Bank A Work Of Art". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. April 25, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
- "The Officers And Directors". The Californian. Salinas, California. 25 Apr 1930. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
- Hale, Sharron Lee (1980). A Tribute to Yesterday The History of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmelite Monastery, and Los Burros. Valley Publishers. ISBN 9780913548738. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
- "County Banking Firm Opens Branch". The Californian. Salinas, California. 6 Sep 1930. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
- "New Museum". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. 10 Sep 1967. p. 67. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- "Grand Opening China Art Center". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. March 25, 1971. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- "Sonoma County And Savings Banks to Occupy Same Building". Petaluma Argus-Courier. Petaluma, California. 10 Mar 1925. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
- "Construction of New Bank Building Started Wednesday". Salinas Morning Post. Salinas, California. 9 Jan 1931. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
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