The City of Ventura Historic Landmarks and Districts consist of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods designated by the City of Ventura, California, as historic landmarks and districts.[1]
The first six sites designated as Ventura Historic Landmarks (VHL) were selected in February 1974. They are: the Olivas Adobe (VHL No. 1), the Ortega Adobe (VHL No. 2), the Father Serra statue (VHL No. 3), Ventura City Hall (VHL No. 4), the Grant Park cross site (VHL No. 5), and the Mission Plaza archeological site (VHL No. 6). In July 1974, the City also designated a second group of landmarks, including the Conklin residence (VHL No. 7), the Mission San Buenaventura (VHL No. 10), the Mission's Norfolk pine trees (VHL No. 8), and two large Moreton Bay fig trees located in city parks (VHL Nos. 11-12).[1]
As of April 10, 2018, the City had designated 111 sites as Ventura Historic Landmarks and five areas as Ventura Historic Districts.[1] The first historic district designated by the city was the Mission Historic District, extending from Poli Street at the northern border to Santa Clara Street at the southern border, and from Ventura Avenue on the west to Palm Street on the east. The Mission Historic District consists of the oldest section of the city's downtown area and includes more than 10 historic landmarks, including the Mission, the Mission Plaza archeological site, the Mission's Norfolk pines, the Mission Plaza Moreton Bay fig tree, Peirano Store (VHL No. 32), the Carlo Hahn House (VHL No. 78), the Mission Lavanderia (VHL No. 85), and China Alley (VHL No. 91).
A map depicting the location of Ventura's designated historic landmarks and districts can be viewed by clicking "OpenStreetMap" or "Google Maps" in the template found to the right below.
A one-story adobe structure was built in 1837 and expanded in 1849 by Don Raimundo Olivas; listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and designated as California Historical Landmark No. 115; operated as a museum
Adobe structure first built in 1857; the roof of the adobe used tiles from the Mission after the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake; it became the first home of the Ortega chili company; open to public for self-guided tours
Concrete statue of Junípero Serra in front of Ventura City Hall commissioned by Ventura County through the Works Progress Administration as part of the Federal Art Project. The original statue, sculpted by Uno John Palo Kangas, was replaced in 1989 with a bronze cast. Bronze and wood replicas are not deemed historic. Location of original concrete is not disclosed.
Neoclassical courthouse built in 1912, designed by Albert C. Martin Sr.; became Ventura City Hall in 1972; terra cotta exterior decorations, friars' heads, and copper-sheathed dome; listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 (first site in City of Ventura to be so designated) and designated as California Historical Landmark No. 847 and Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 12
Site in Grant Park where a cross has been located for many year; some accounts indicate that the first cross was erected in 1782; the cross has been replaced several times, most recently in 1941[2]
Norfolk Island pine trees (Araucaria heterophylla (synonym A. excelsa)) located adjacent to the San Buenaventura Mission, planted in the 1880s, lit during the Christmas season; designated in 2000 as California's Millennium Landmark Trees
Pepper tree formerly located on site of the Mound Guest House; had a trunk circumference of 23.5 feet, a height of 43 feet (13m), and a branch spread of 100 feet (30m); no longer exists
The ninth Spanish mission established in California, established in 1782 by Father Junípero Serra; also listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and designated as California Historical Landmark #310
Built in 1920s for Ventura Guarantee and Loan, later became Bahn's Jewelry Store, now operated as Limon y Sal; has interior murals by Norman Kennedy; original white paint removed 1982
Archaeological site at the location of the first outpost and center of operations that was established while the Mission San Buenaventura was being constructed
Wooden wharf first built in 1872, partially destroyed and rebuilt on multiple occasions; it was the longest wooden pier in California until a storm sheered off 420 feet in 1995
Began use in 1875 as a livery stable; used as a studio for the carving of a wooden replica of the Father Serra statue; has also been used as a coffeehouse music venue,[7] an arts center, and, later, as an improvisational comedy theater
Red brick structure built in 1877 with ornamental relief brickwork; the City's oldest surviving brick structure; operated as a general merchandise and, later, grocery store by the Peirano family for more than 100 years; archaeological remains of the Mission Lavanderia (VHL 85) discovered under the structure in 1991
Commercial structure built in 1872, it housed two general merchandise stores and later the Great Eastern Department Store; at the southeast corner where Rabo Bank now operates; demolished in December 1979
Seven-mile long aqueduct built starting in 1792 to supply water to the Mission San Buenaventura and local farms; the aqueduct began at the convergence point of San Antonio Creek and the Ventura River. The section of the aqueduct in the photograph is located at 234 Cañada Larga Road (south side), 1/4 block east of Highway 33, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 28 and California Historic Landmark No. 114.
Known in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as Chautaqua Flats, the area was camping and amusement enterprises; later a freshwater refuge on the Pacific Flyway; the seven-acre site extends east from the junction of Vista Del Mar and Alessandro Drives for about three-tenths of a mile along Alessandro Drive to the west of the northern border fence for Highway 101.
Art Deco or Moderne style concrete office building with Aztec Revival flower elements designed by architect William W. Ache; later operated as a Mexican restaurant and then as the Fluid State bar
Home of a local activist, designated as a landmark; located in the Simpson Tract. Owen and her husband bought the house at the end of World War II and lived there for many years.[8]
Victorian house built in 1905, then rebuilt and expanded in 1971; operated by a series of restaurants and bars ("Santa Clara House", "The Big Green House", "Andy's Barbecue Heaven," and most recently "The Tavern")[9]
Spanish Colonial Revival apartment building built in 1929 to house oil workers with retail on first floor; a city library branch now operates on the ground floor
American Craftsman style house built in 1910 on a walnut farm in east Ventura; moved to its present location in 1990 where it became a French restaurant (since closed)
On January 5, 1847, during the Mexican–American War, John C. Frémont and elements of his California Battalion encamped in an orchard west of the Mission orchard's wall; there was a skirmish with locals in which a merchant, Don Jose Arnaz, was captured and forced to provide supplies.
117-acre ranch established in 1916 by Attilio Vanoni; associated with the development of the Saticoy area; the small parcel on Telephone Road is the site of the original Vanoni homestead
Colonial Revival house with a rock foundation and decorative wood posts, pilasters, carved dentils; built by Franklin and Julia Cook Hobart between 1892 and 1905
The district includes Plaza Park and the historic homes across Thompson Street from the park, including the Conklin Residence and the Mary Mitchell House; "the only intact and relatively unaltered block of houses remaining downtown"[11]
Four city blocks and 182 homes located west of Ventura Avenue, built from 1925 to 1930 provided affordable housing to workers during the city's oil boom; designated a historic district in 1990[12]
Old Mission Reservoir. Part of the water system for Mission San Buenaventura (the settling tank or receiving reservoir; the site can be found in Eastwood Park); designated as California Historical Landmark No. 114.
Santa Gertrudis Asistencia (Chapel) Monument. The structure was built in 1809 and ceased operation around 1840. The site was in the path of the Ojai freeway, and the remains were moved in 1968 with several foundation stones being used to create the monument. Located 0.3 miles north of the Avenue Water Treatment Facility (VHL 100) on the east side of the road, flanked by two cypress trees. Designated as Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 11 in December 1970.[14]
Five Trees. Five blue gum eucalyptus trees on the hilltop overlooking Ventura were designated in 1987 as Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 110. Joseph Sexton planted a row of 13 trees in 1898, but a 1903 fire destroyed all but five of the trees. Three of the remaining trees were cut down by vandals in 1940 but were replaced. In 1956, four of the trees were cut down, leaving only one. Replacement trees were planted in 1966 but only two remain.[14]
Mission San Buenaventura, formally known as the Mission Basilica of San Buenaventura, is a Catholic parish and basilica in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The parish church in the city of Ventura, California, United States, is a Spanish mission founded by the Order of Friars Minor. Founded on March 31, 1782, it was the ninth Spanish mission established in Alta California and the last to be established by the head of the Franciscan missions in California, Junípero Serra. Designated a California Historical Landmark, the mission is one of many locally designated landmarks in downtown Ventura.
Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura, is a city in and the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist destination, owing to its historic landmarks, beaches, and resorts.
A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance.
The Ventura County Courthouse, known since 1974 as Ventura City Hall, is a historic building in Ventura, California. It is located on a hill at the top of California Street, overlooking the city's downtown district with views of the Santa Barbara Channel and Channel Islands. It was the first building in the City of Ventura to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has also received historic designations at the state, county and city levels.
Rancho Camulos, now known as Rancho Camulos Museum, is a ranch located in the Santa Clara River Valley 2.2 miles (3.5 km) east of Piru, California and just north of the Santa Clara River, in Ventura County, California. It was the home of Ygnacio del Valle, a Californio alcalde of the Pueblo de Los Angeles in the 19th century and later elected member of the California State Assembly. The ranch was known as the Home of Ramona because it was widely believed to have been the setting of the popular 1884 novel Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson. The novel helped to raise awareness about the Californio lifestyle and romanticized "the mission and rancho era of California history."
La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles is a historic Catholic church in El Pueblo de los Ángeles Historical Monument in northern downtown Los Angeles, California. The church was founded by the Spanish in the early 19th century when modern-day California was under Spanish rule and known as Alta California in the Viceroyalty of New Spain.
Wagon Wheel is a densely populated, planned neighborhood of Oxnard, California at the intersection of U.S. Route 101 and Oxnard Boulevard. The neighborhood was originally developed as an office, motel, and restaurant complex named Wagon Wheel Junction with a convenient roadside location near the historic community of El Rio. The site in Ventura County became a popular stop for travelers between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, particularly during its heyday in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The entire site was demolished in 2011 to begin the development of the community with 1,500 residential units.
The Carnegie Art Museum is a public art museum owned by the City of Oxnard, California in the building originally occupied by the Oxnard Public Library. The Neo-Classical building, located adjacent to Oxnard's Plaza Park, opened in 1907 as the Oxnard Public Library and was converted into an art museum in 1986. In July 1971, it became the first building in Ventura County and the first Carnegie library in California to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The San Buenaventura Mission Aqueduct was a seven-mile long, stone and mortar aqueduct built in the late 18th and/or early 19th century to transport water from the Ventura River to the Mission San Buenaventura in Ventura, California.
Elizabeth Bard Memorial Hospital, now known as The Elizabeth Bard Memorial Building, is a historic building in downtown Ventura, California. Built in 1901, it is a Mission Revival structure featuring covered terraces and a covered porch with a three-story bell tower at the southeast corner. The building was listed as Ventura Historic Landmark No. 19 in 1976 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Feraud General Merchandise Store, also known as 1903 Building, was built in 1903 in Ventura, California. Jules Feraud opened the Feraud Bakery and Grocery Store and the bakery stayed in the family until 1944. The brick building is a rare intact example of turn-of-the-century commercial architecture during Second Land Boom after the tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in Ventura. The City Council of Ventura designated the building Historic Landmark Number 35 by resolution on July 17, 1978. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The San Buenaventura Conservancy for Preservation is an historic preservation organization in Ventura, California also known by its early name of San Buenaventura. It works to recognize and revitalize historic, archeological and cultural resources in the region. The Conservancy is a non-profit 501c3 organization. The group was formed in 2004 after the demolition of the Mayfair Theater, an S. Charles Lee, Streamline Moderne, movie theater in downtown Ventura, California that was razed and replaced with a condominium project.
The San Miguel Chapel Site is an archeological site in Ventura, California, United States, at the location of the first outpost and center of operations that was established while the first Mission San Buenaventura was being constructed. The San Miguel Chapel was located just outside the southwest corner of the walled garden that was constructed as part of the ultimate layout of the mission complex. The open space park is located at the southwest corner of Thompson Boulevard and Palm Street in downtown Ventura. Interpretative signs and public art have been added to the site, which is protected and managed as a natural environment by the city parks department.
Ortega Adobe is a historic adobe house built in 1857 and located on Main Street on the west side of Ventura, California, not far from the mouth of the Ventura River. It was designated in 1974 as the City of Ventura's Historic Landmark No. 2. It is owned by the City and operated as a self-guided historical site.
The Father Serra statue in Ventura, California, representing Junípero Serra, the founder of Mission San Buenaventura, was commissioned by Ventura County through the Works Progress Administration as part of the Federal Art Project in 1935. This statue, made of concrete from a clay model by Uno John Palo Kangas, was placed in a prominent location in a public park across the street from the Ventura County Courthouse in 1936. After the Courthouse was repurposed as Ventura City Hall, the statue was designated as City of Ventura Historic Landmark No. 3 in 1974. As deterioration of the concrete statue became a concern, a wood replica was created by local carvers and used to make a bronze cast. The concrete statue was replaced by the bronze cast in 1989. The wood replica was set in the atrium of the city hall for public display.
The Mitchell Block Historic District is a historic district in Ventura, California. The district was designated as a historic district by the City of Ventura on May 31, 1980. It was also declared eligible as a National Historic District in 1982. It has been described as "the only intact and relatively unaltered block of houses remaining downtown". The district consists of Plaza Park, the Plaza Park Moreton Bay fig tree, and eight houses in the 600 block of East Thompson Boulevard. Two of the features have been designated independently as Ventura Historic Landmarks: the Plaza Park Moreton Bay fig tree and the Conklin residence at 680 East Thompson Boulevard.
The Ventura County Historic Landmarks & Points of Interest consist of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods designated by Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board as historic landmarks and points of interest in Ventura County, California. The county board of supervisors created the Cultural Heritage Board in 1966 and in August 1968, two sites were designated: the Faulkner House near Santa Paula; and the Edwards Adobe in Saticoy. The scope was established to include the entire county: both cities and the unincorporated areas. The cities of Fillmore, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks have the county Cultural Heritage Board advise them and those designations are listed here. The cities of Moorpark, Ojai, Santa Paula, and Ventura established their own separate historic designation systems with the City of Ventura Historic Landmarks and Districts developing into an extensive list. The Port Hueneme Historical Society Museum houses historical artifacts, photographs and information on the history of the Hueneme area. The museum is in the Hueneme Bank Building.
The Serra Cross, sometimes also known as the Cross on the Hill or the Grant Park Cross, is a Christian cross on a hill known as "La Loma de la Cruz" in Ventura, California. The site is in Serra Cross Park, a one-acre parcel within the larger Grant Park that overlooks downtown Ventura, the Santa Barbara Channel, and Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands.
The Peirano Market, also known as Peirano's Grocery and Peirano Store, is a historic building in Ventura, California. Located across the street from the Mission San Buenaventura, the red brick structure was built in 1877 and has ornamental relief brickwork and a mansard, Spanish revival tile roof.
The Santa Gertrudis Asistencia, also known as the Santa Gertrudis Chapel, was an asistencia ("sub-mission") to the Mission San Buenaventura, part of the system of Spanish missions in Las Californias—Alta California. Built at an unknown date between 1792 and 1809, it was located approximately five miles from the main mission, inland and upstream along the Ventura River. The site was buried in 1968 by the construction of California State Route 33. Prior to the freeway's construction, archaeologists excavated and studied the site. A number of foundation stones were moved and used to create the Santa Gertrudis Asistencia Monument which was designated in 1970 as Ventura County Historic Landmark No. 11.
References
1 2 3 "City of San Buenaventura Historic Landmarks & Districts". City of Ventura. May 3, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2018.Note: The list available on-line has 108 landmarks. Landmarks 109, 110, and 111 were added in 2017 and are included in the updated list available at Ventura City Hall.
↑ "Home of Mabel Owen made historic landmark". unknown– via Research Library at the Ventura County Museum (clipping is in Binder 3 of the library's binders on the Ventura Historic Landmarks).
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