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April 11, 2010
Library of Congress: Mission San Buenaventura
I spent some time (okay, hours and hours) recently poking around the on-line archives of the Library of Congress. Amongst the hundreds of thousands of images available are a few of Ventura County landmarks, first and foremost the Old Mission, built in 1809 and still standing 201 years later. In this shot, part of a series taken in 1936 for the Historic American Buildings Survey, a man in a suit sits with his back to us on the edge of the fountain. Visible across Main Street is the Mission Market, with a sign on the side of the building for Square Deal Auto Parts.
The high-resolution version of this photo, available at the Library of Congress site, features some interesting details, including the fact that the curb was numbered, indicating there was some sort of scheme in place before parking meters to regulate who parked where and for how long. There's a Santa Claus decoration mounted on the city-owned streetlamp (with additional lights rigged to bathe Saint Nick with a cheery glow!); clearly the ACLU hadn't yet turned its rancid gaze on Christmas in 1936.
I decided to try and replicate the photos taken 74 years ago, getting as close as possible to the position from which the original shots were taken, so I headed downtown on a sunny Saturday afternoon with my camera and proof sheets of the 1936 pics.
This shot was taken looking north from Figueroa Street, across Main Street. In the picture from 1936 you can see a car parked to the right, facing the Mission. In the picture on the right, taken last week, Figueroa Street is no longer open to automobiles; it's a pedestrian walkway, with a large, Moorish-style fountain running down the center. The bush partially blocking the view is growing along the patio of a restaurant.
In these shots we're looking northwest, from the south side of Main Street. I had to stand almost in traffic to achieve the same position the photographer was in back in 1936; the street has been widened over the years, and the sidewalk is considerably further to the south. The palm trees were planted some time after '36; I'm guessing no earlier than the '80s, based on their size. During the past seven decades a wall was built enclosing the Mission's courtyard, and the stairs were moved away from the sanctuary. Did you notice the Volkswagen New Beetle? The original, commissioned by Adolf Hitler as an affordable car for German workers, was announced by the Fuhrer in February 1936 at the Berlin Auto Show, a little more than six months before these photos were taken.
Looking across Main Street to the northeast, we can see some of the additions made to the western side of the Mission over the years. It looks like the cross on the roof was moved back away from Main Street for some reason, and the ornate, two-globe street lamps have been replaced by a vintage-looking, single lamp. For you vintage car fans, there's a pickup truck parked on the right -- is it a Ford or a Chevy?
Quite a few changes can be seen in the courtyard, beginning with the fence and landscaping now blocking the view south across Main Street. An additional entrance has been added into the sanctuary at the base of the bell tower, and the large, stained glass windows visible in the 1936 shot have been covered up, only a small square window left high up near the roof. The fountain, where a fellow with a hat sits with his back to the camera in '36, has been moved away from the church, much of the lawn covered with paving stones.
The back of the Mission used to have a sand box, presumably for the schoolchildren, as well as a basketball hoop and backboard (it must have been hard to work on dribbling the ball). There's a lunchbox on one of the benches, and some sort of a teeter-totter barely visible on the right. By 2010, the play area was gone, and a roof has been added to the top of the Mission's original settling tank, built around 1829 to supply the reservoir.
Posted by Mike Lief at April 11, 2010 11:00 PM
Comments
I love getting lost in some of their collections. Check out their dust bowl pictures and the map collection is incredible too.
Enjoy
Posted by: Brent Smiley at April 16, 2010 09:09 PM
I'm a public defender so I'll be frank and tell you that you are not my cup of tea. I check in on your website sometimes to see what the right wing is thinking and spewing. Today I think a compliment is in order because you have advanced culture instead of lowering it.
Today a pat on the head tomorrow, well we will see.
Posted by: Yo Esquire at April 18, 2010 03:12 PM