20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY july 18-24, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com I n downtown Salinas, there are remnants of a different city of a different time, viewable throughout the neighborhood. Buildings reflect an affluent one that in 1924 had the highest per-capita income nationwide. During the Great Depression, a worldwide economic downturn, the city was still bustling with business during the harvest season. Back then, agriculture was growing exponentially in the region. Now it is the most important industry in Monterey County, transforming Salinas from a local farm town into the Salad Bowl of World. This change didn’t happen overnight. It started thanks to a system we now all enjoy in our homes: a refrigerator. In the 1920s, as Salinas capitalized on the advent of refrigeration, iceberg lettuce was grown locally and sold across the country. This boom transformed the cityscape as well. Residents had money, and were adventurous in following trends. Important architects, including Charles Edgar Butner and Robert Stanton, designed and built several buildings across the city using a popular style: Art Deco. Buildings such as the Monterey County Superior Court, the California National Guard Armory and the U.S. Post Office on Alisal Street are some examples of this type of architecture that flourished during the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s. Art Deco is characterized by using geometric shapes and a linear appearance with decorative embellishments. It had different influences, including Bauhaus Architecture and Design (a German movement that focused on function and the premise that less is more), Art Nouveau, Cubism, Mesoamerican art, modern technology and ancient Egyptian art. In 2014, the City of Salinas, the Alliance of Monterey Area Preservationists, the Architectural Heritage Association of Monterey County and the Historic Preservation Foundation of the Native Sons of the Golden West collaborated and created a map that contained more than 50 places with a wide selection of Art Deco buildings, including John Steinbeck’s house and the Republic Café. On the map, local historian Kent Seavey wrote that Salinas “may have the largest collection of Art Deco to modern buildings for the city of its size between San Francisco and Los Angeles.” Michael Mazgai, a local architectural historian, says Butner was a contributor in shaping the cityscape in Salinas from 1931-1957. Benham, Richards and Armstrong, a construction company that specialized in newspaper buildings, designed the former building of The Californian, located at 123 W. Alisal St., which was constructed in 1948. “I suspect that really the facade was all Charles,” Mazgai says. He notes he hasn’t found evidence but “you can feel his signature on the outside and he would understand the Salinas Rodeo, the cowboy image,” he adds, referring to the sculpture of a cowboy riding a horse on top of a door. Across the street, the old Monterey County Courthouse (1937), a three-story building which was restored in 2018, is another Art Deco example. Stanton designed it and decorated it with artist Jo Mora’s sculptures. The facade has 62 heads of men and women, including Indigenous people, Spaniards and others that offer a different vibe depending on the time of the day. “They’re really remarkable. You’ll never see something like this built again. It’s too expensive,” Mazgai says. There is also a former fountain at the center of the old courthouse with geometrical shapes that depict Indigenous, Spaniards and priests. Salvador Munoz, a local architect and member of the City’s Historic Resources Board, has advocated to preserve historical sites for decades. The HRB was created in 2010 with a goal “to protect Salinas’ architectural heritage assets for education, community revitalization and the promotion of heritage tourism.” Munoz says it took decades to create this board, but to his mind, it was too little too late for the many facades that have been “modernized” in Oldtown, taking away their charm. “Imagine the Oldtown as a family architectural album, and someone takes grandma and defaces her photograph or facade; adding makeup, a wig, dressing her with a mini-skirt,” he says. “Isn’t it ridiculous?” Still, Munoz and other local historians say Salinas is doing a better job today at preserving architecture than in the past. Some historic buildings we only know through photographs. Others are still standing, but inside they differ from what they once were. On Main Street, revitalized historic buildings include the Rabobank building at 301 Main St. which is now a mixed-use building with 49 studio apartments, while the ground floor is home to Alvarado Street Brewery. The former J. J. Newberry store later housed Beverly’s Fabric & Crafts at 344 Main St. is now Live@Heirloom Pizza Co. These recent revitalization projects have come to fruition after Salinas City Council passed an adaptive reuse ordinance in 2018, allowing the conversion of non-residential buildings over 50 years old into residential spaces. Another space still in the works that might take several years to complete is El Rey. The theater is a remnant of Salinas’ affluent era in the early 20th century and the decadence of its downtown; it later became an X-rated movie theater. Owner Kurt Mayer has spent most of his free time since 2019 removing the 30-plus layers of paint from the walls to reveal beautiful frescos, as well as finding the right 1930s-style fixtures. The details rate high in his process. The plan is to turn El Rey into a multipurpose facility for concerts, weddings and meetings. “We’re very proud of what it’s going to look like,” Mayer says. In April, the council approved historic designation for the building, a status that might accelerate its renovation since it can provide access to grants and low-interest loans. Salinas’ affluence from the ’20s and ’30s may be long gone, but in many places, especially downtown, people can still catch a glimpse of this era. Architecture of Affluence Salinas’ extravagant past can still be seen through countless buildings in the city. By Celia Jiménez Above: Michael Mazgai in front of 344 Main St. in downtown Salinas. The building, built in 1934 as a J. J. Newberry store, is an example of how historic buildings have been repurposed for modern uses. Formerly a Beverly’s, the building now houses Live@ Heirloom Pizza Co. Below: El Rey theater on Main Street, built in 1935, is undergoing a renovation to return the historic spot into its former glory. Salinas at 150 Celia Jiménez Celia Jiménez
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