Structures and Monuments in Which California Stone was Used

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Structures and Monuments in Which
California Stone was Used

Finished Product from California Stone in California (Continued)

Victorville and Oro Grande (between), San Bernardino County, California – the Rubble and Riprap along the Santa Fe Railroad Roadbed (Granite) (From Report XV of the State Mineralogist, Mines and Mineral Resources of Portions of California, Chapters of State Mineralogist’s Report Biennial Period 1915-1916, Part VI. San Bernardino County and Tulare County, California State Mining Bureau, 1919, pp. 775-954. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

“Mr. (Joseph) Scheerer (of Victorville, San Bernardino County, California) has also a quarry in Sec. 29, from which considerable granite has been quarried by the Santa Fe Railroad for use as rubble and riprap along its roadbed between Victorville and Oro Grande. The stone is hauled from Scheerer’s Siding.”
Visalia, Tulare County, California – Visalia Court House & Jail built circa 1890 – the Court House Steps & Pillars at the Jail – Excerpt from the Tenth Annual Report of The State Mineralogist For The Year Ending December 1, 1890, California State Mining Bureau, Sacramento: State Printing Office, pp. 1890, pp. 731.
Tulare County, by Myron Angel, Assistant in the Field.

“Granite, of which much of the mountain range is constituted, affords abundant material for architectural purposes. A granite quarry has been opened three miles from Exeter Station, on the Fresno Branch Railroad, thirteen miles east of Visalia. The steps of the Court House and jail are from the quarry and are large and fine specimens. At the new jail (circa 1890) are two very beautifully polished pillars, sixteen feet in height, fourteen inches in diameter, each of a single flawless piece. This rock also finds a market in Fresno, Stockton, and other localities. Ashlers as large as can be handled can be quarried.”
Volcano, Amador County, California - Adams Express Building (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.) The American Express building was constructed of locally quarried blue limestone (Fig. 107).

Fig. 107. Adams Express Co. building, HABS 1518.
Volcano, Amador County, California - Buildings of Blue Limestone (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

"A side trip east of Sutter Creek via Gopher Gulch will bring the visitor to the most picturesque of all the Mother Lode towns, Volcano (Fig. 103).."

"Nearing Volcano the limestone cliffs and road cut exposures prepare the visitor for the stone material used in the Volcano buildings. On all sides are massive buildings of quarried and rough-dressed blue limestone (Figs. 104, 105). The Gianinni family of Bank of America fame hails from Volcano, and this town may also boast the first rental library in California (1850)."
Volcano, Amador County, California - the Brewery (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

The brewery was constructed of locally quarried blue limestone.
Volcano, Amador County, California - the I.O.O.F Hall Building (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

The I.O.O.F. Hall with two stories was constructed of locally quarried blue limestone (Fig. 106).

Fig. 106. I.O.O.F. and Masonic buildings, Volcano, HABS 1545.
Volcano, Amador County, California - the Lavezzo Building (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

The Lavezzo Building was constructed of rough-dressed blue limestone.
Volcano, Amador County, California - the Masonic Hall Building (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

The Masonic building was constructed of locally quarried blue limestone (Fig. 106).

Fig. 106. I.O.O.F. and Masonic buildings, Volcano, HABS 1545.
Volcano, Amador County, California - the Wineshop (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

The wine shop was constructed of locally quarried blue limestone (Figs. 108, 109)

Fig. 108. Wineshop, Volcano, DMBS Ama-H6.

Fig. 109. Detail of doorway of wineshop, Volcano, DMBS Ama-H7.
Weaverville, Trinity County, California - Buildings in Weaverville (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.)

The lime which was quarried and burned about 1856 at the head of Oregon Gulch was used in several buildings in Weaverville.
Weaverville, Trinity County, California - the Courthouse Masonry at Weaverville (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.)

The masonry on the Courthouse was limestone quarried from the South Pacific Railroad Company Brown Mountain Quarry on Brown Mountain. "The limestone is coarsely crystalline."
Wellesley Park, San Mateo County, California - the Arch in Wellesley Park - Excerpt from the Tenth Annual Report of The State Mineralogist For The Year Ending December 1, 1890, California State Mining Bureau, Sacramento: State Printing Office, pp. 1890, pp. 588.
San Mateo County, by W. L. Watts, Field Assistant.

Building Stone.

“During the past two years sandstone has been quarried at the Brittan Ranch, about two and one half miles from Redwood City, for use in Redwood and at Wellesley Park; the arch at the latter place, visible from the Southern Pacific Railroad, is said to be built of stone taken from these quarries.”
Whittier, Los Angeles County, California - Whittier State School (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.)

Brownstone (sandstone) from the Sespen Canon Brownstone Quarry (located from 5 to 6 miles from Brownstone, a station on the Southern Pacific Railroad) was used in the construction of the Whittier State School building.
Winters, Yolo County, California – the Benoit Bertholet Building on Main Street in Winters. The photographs below are of the Bertholet Building constructed in 1892 of Winters sandstone* by the Benoit Bertholet who quarried the sandstone from the quarried that he leased from E. F. Searles of San Francisco. (Photograph taken by Peggy B. Perazzo, July 2006) (* Winters sandstone is also referred to as Putah Creek sandstone and Devil’s Gate sandstone.)

The Benoit Bertholet Building on Main Street in Winters, California

The following short newspaper article seems to indicate that Benoit Bertholet’s son, A.J. (Alfonse John) Bertholet, sold the Bertholet building in 1943:

Winters Express, April 3, 2008, pp. A-2, “Yesteryear” column

April 16, 1943: “A.J. Bertholet has sold his Main Street property recently vacated by Wm. Maywood, to J. H. Roseberry.”
- The Bertholet Building is on the National Register of Historic Places – Yolo County, California.
  
  Bertholet Building – 1889 - 24-26 Main Street - Italianate
Winters, Yolo County, California – Winters Cemetery – Sandstone Curbing, Monuments, & Monument Bases. According to Brett Dunham, Manager of the Winters Cemetery, sandstone quarried at the Winters sandstone quarry was used for monuments, monument bases, and curbing in the Winters Cemetery. (* Winters sandstone is also referred to as Putah Creek sandstone and Devil’s Gate sandstone.)
Woodland, Yolo County, California – the Armstrong & Alge Building at 604-606 Main Street in Woodland - According to David Wilkinson’s book, Crafting a Valley Jewel,* Woodland businessmen George Armstrong and Richard Alge employed Woodland architect William Henry Carson “to design the handsome brick and stone Italianate building at 604-606 Main Street in Woodland…,” which is known as the Armstrong and Alge building. On pp. 40, David Wilkinson notes that the building is faced with Winters sandstone…”
Woodland, Yolo County, California – the Digg’s Building at 619-621 Main Street in Woodland - According to David Wilkinson in his book, Crafting a Valley Jewel: Architects and Builders of Woodland, the Digg’s building was constructed in 1893 of a “brownish-lavender” sandstone quarried in Sespe Canyon in Ventura County, California. (The Digg’s building - on the right - is joined to the Michael’s building (on the left), which was constructed of Winters sandstone.)
Woodland, Yolo County, California – the Michael’s Building at 617 Main Street in Woodland - According to David Wilkinson in his book, Crafting a Valley Jewel: Architects and Builders of Woodland, the Michael’s Building was constructed in 1893 of sandstone quarried at the Putah Creek quarry at Devil’s Gate, today the location of the Monticello Dam on the Yolo County side. Looking at the building from Main Street, the Michael’s building (on the left) is joined with the Digg’s Building (on the right). The Digg’s building was constructed of a “brownish-lavender” sandstone quarried in Sespe Canyon in Ventura County, California.
Woodland, Yolo County, California – the first Yolo County Courthouse built in 1864 (photograph and history) The following information is presented on the Superior Court of California, County of Yolo, web site, & from Crafting a Valley Jewel: Architects and Builders of Woodland, by David L. Wilkinson, Yolo County Historical Society, 2003, pp. 15, 26-28.

The first Yolo County Courthouse was constructed in 1863 on the city block bounded by Court, North, Second, and Third streets and faced Second Street near Court Street. Albert A. Bennett, a Sacramento Architect, designed the two-story Italianate Style building. According to the Yolo County Superior Court web site, the first Yolo County Courthouse exterior was constructed with a “… concrete exterior was faced with Colusa sandstone, and cornices were faced with terra cotta from the Gladding, McBean Co. factory in Lincoln, California ….”

This first Yolo County Courthouse was replaced in 1917 by the present Romanesque courthouse designed by William Henry Weeks. (See the next entry below for information on the second Yolo County Courthouse.)
Woodland, Yolo County, California – the second Yolo County Courthouse built in 1917, located at 725 Court Street (photograph and history) The following information is presented on the Superior Court of California, County of Yolo, web site, & Crafting a Valley Jewel: Architects and Builders of Woodland, by David L. Wilkinson, Yolo County Historical Society, 2003, pp. 76.

The new courthouse, built in 1917, was designed by William H. Weeks. in the Renaissance Revival style. In the 1980s, extensive renovations were needed. In 1987, the second Yolo County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Granite quarried at Raymond in Madera County, California, by John D. McGilvray’s McGilvray-Raymond Granite Company, was used for the exterior of the 1917 Yolo County Courthouse. Below are excerpts from the article cited below:

“‘California’ Granites Are Unsurpassed: John D. McGilvray, Pioneer Stone Man, Develops Great Industry Here Company Builds Mausoleums for Our Cemeteries: Many of Finest Structures on Pacific Coast Erected by His Firm,’ in the ‘Little Journeys to the Homes of Big Industries,’section of the San Francisco Chronicle, June 7, 1921, pp. 7.

“In 1897 he (John D. McGilvray) incorporated the McGilvray Stone Company for the purpose of popularizing the California product in building construction. Later in 1907, he reincorporated under the name of McGilvray-Raymond Granite Company, of which corporation he remained the head until his death in 1916.

“The first important building of granite erected by the McGilvray firm was the United States Custom-house, on Washington and Battery streets. Since that time it has erected the San Francisco City Hall and Public Library buildings, among the most beautiful in the world, the Union Trust Bank building, the First National Bank building, the Kohl building, the Newhall building, the St. Francis Hotel, the Examiner and Chronicle buildings, American National Bank building and the Courthouses of Sacramento, Solano, Kern and Yolo counties. The McGilvray company is now building that imposing and distinctive structure, called the Commercial Insurance building on Pine and Montgomery streets.”

“The McGilvray-Raymond Granite Company operates quarries at Raymond, Madera county, at Sites, (sandstone in) Colusa county, (sandstone) at Greystone, Santa Clara county, and (“Black Granite from) at Lakeside, San Diego county….The McGilvray-Raymond granite is of beautiful color and texture and lends itself to almost any kind of construction. The severest tests have shown this California granite to be superior to anything the East can produce.”
- Judges of Yolo County 1850-1985 (pdf), by James L. Stevens, Jr., Judge, Retired, Yolo County Superior Court, 2011. (Used with the permission of the author.) (Includes a summary of the history of the construction of the Yolo County courthouse buildings.)
  
  “Judges of Yolo County 1850-1985”
Woodland, Yolo County, California – the Yolo County Savings Bank at the corner of Main Street and College. According to David L. Wilkinson, author of Crafting a Valley Jewel: Architects and Builders of Woodland, the Colusa County sandstone, quarried near Sites in Colusa County, was used in the construction of the Yolo County Savings Bank. In his book, David Wilkinson states that the bank building, constructed in 1903, was designed by architect William Henry Weeks in the Romanesque style. The marble for the columns was quarried in Tuscany, Italy. There is a U. S. Geodetic Survey marker mounted on the side of the building.

The plaque mounted on the Yolo County Savings Bank building reads:

History

“This sandstone building was constructed in 1903 for the Yolo County Savings Bank, which occupied part of the lower floor. Other establishments in the building were J. D. Musgrove, F. V. Stening, Tailor and occupying the upstairs were offices of Drs. Kier and Guthrie.

“In 1914 the building was extensively remodeled so that the Bank of Woodland, a national bank, could share the quarters with Yolo County Savings, a state bank. In the remodeling, it seems no expense was spared, as the inlaid mahogany paneling, imported Italian marble floor, vault facings and entrance façade, and the brass and bronze work were installed at a cost in 1914 of $20.000. An equal amount was spent to build and equip the vault. This brought the total value of the building to $60,000. The Bank of Woodland, ranked as one of the leading institutions in this area of the state, took complete control of the building two years later. It survived until 1950 when it was acquired by American Trust Company which eventually merged with Wells Fargo Bank in 1960. A few years later Wells Fargo gained complete control and occupied the building until 1963.

“We invite you to enjoy the beautiful architecture of the vault and the wonderful building.”
Woodside, San Mateo County, California – the Rock Fountain/Stream at the Garden estate of Anaflor Smith (photographs) The following information is from “Wedding Form and Function: An extraordinary Woodside Hills home is on view for Symphony of Flowers event,” by Carol Blitzer, photos by Amy Pierre, May 26, 2004, on PaloAlto online.

According to this article Sierra White granite* was used to construct the recirculating fountain that appears to be a natural stream in the garden. (* Sierra White granite is quarried at Raymond in Madera County, California.)
Yreka (northeast of), Siskiyou County, California – the High School, Yreka Buildings, and Tombstones (From Report XIV of the State Mineralogist – Mines and Mineral Resources of Portions of California, Chapters of State Mineralogist’s Report – Biennial Period 1913-1914, Part VI. “The Counties of Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity,” by G. Chester Brown, Field Assistant (field work in September, 1913), California State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1916, pp. 746-925.)

Antone or Weeks quarry is 2 miles northeast of Yreka began operating in 1860. The sandstone was quarried in layers from 6 inches to 8 feet thick. The sandstone from this quarry was used for the high school, constructed about 1913, and other buildings in Yreka; also used for tombstones.
Yreka, Siskiyou County, California - Rhyolite Rock Used in Yreka For Building Purposes (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.)

Rhyolite taken from the north bank of Little Shasta River at a site owned by S. F. Terwilligen, was used for building purposes in Yreka before 1906. The color is indicated to be either a brick-red or a light bluish gray. At a quarry site half a mile up the river, the stone is a grayish-green color.
Yreka, Siskiyou County, California - Tuff Used in Yreka For Building Purposes (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.)

"...A prominent bluff of tuff, rising from 30 to 40 feet above the surrounding country, has been quarried and used in Yreka for building purposes. The rock is light yellowish, with narrow bands of light brown and white colors, rather coarse-grained. When fresh it is not very hard and can be easily dressed, but on long exposure to the air the outer coating becomes very hard. This quarry is from 7 to 8 miles by wagon road from Montague, a station on the Southern Pacific Railroad."

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