Mission Revival

The Mission Revival style originated in California and was inspired by the state's Hispanic heritage. The style was popularized by train depots and hotels built by the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads throughout the Far West.

The Mission Revival style peaked after World War I. It was superseded by the Spanish Colonial Revival style which attempted a more faithful rendering of New World Spanish prototypes than the more romantic Mission Revival style.

Characteristics of the Mission Revival style are:

red tile roofs with wide, overhanging eaves
shaped mission parapet and dormers
smooth, stucco walls
arcades and porches supported by large columns
quatrefoil windows
bell towers
coping

At the end of the 19th century, Mission Revival was considered to be the architectural style most congenial to the landscape and heritage of California. Books and periodicals romanticized the lost Spanish past while commercial brochures promoted an arcadian present to lure business, residents, tourists.