Kocher Building

Kocher Building
Location	Dolores St. &, 7th Ave., Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Coordinates	36°33′20″N121°55′24″W / 36.55556°N 121.92333°W / 36.55556; -121.92333
Built	1927-1928
Built by	William O. Koeting
Built for	Dr. Rudolph Kocher
Original use	Medical office
Current use	Retail store
Architect	Blaine & Olsen
Architectural style(s)	Spanish Eclectic Spanish Eclectic (Spanish Colonial Revival)
Website	www.labicycletterestaurant.com
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The Kocher Building, also known as La Giralda is a two-story steel and concrete framed Spanish Eclectic style commercial building in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It was designated as an important commercial building in the city's Downtown Historic District Property Survey, on September 4, 2002. ^[1] The building is occupied by La Bicyclette Restaurant on the ground floor.

History

Business Section, Kocher Building, ca. 1920s

Dr. Rudolph Kocher brought in the architects, Blaine & Olsen of Oakland, California, to design La Giralda, on the northwest corner of located Dolores Street and Seventh Avenue, across the street from the El Paseo Building. The building was built for Kocher's offices and included the Dolores Pharmacy. When Blaine & Olsen visited Seville, Spain in 1922, they were inspired by the 12th-century Giralda bell tower. ^{[2] [3]}

The building project began in August 1927 but was not completed until February 1928. Kocher moved his practice into the new building. Raymond Brownell, also located to the new building that same year. Kocher lived in the apartments on the upper floor of La Giralda. John W. Claywell opened a pharmacy on the ground floor on April 16, 1928. ^{[2] [4]}

The two-story building has a signature polygonal tower, exterior wall cladding textured cement stucco, decorated with colorful panels of Spanish tile. It is capped with a low-pitched hipped roof. There is decorative corbeling under the openings. It has two stucco-clad chimneys. The dragon-headed wrought iron grille work is the best example of wrought iron work of blacksmith Francis Whitaker in Carmel. The second story balcony has French doors that open out onto a balcony with views of Dolores Street. The Dolores Street side of the building shows three arched windows. ^[1]

The building was the first of three commercial structures designed by Blaine & Olsen in the Spanish Eclectic Revival style. It was followed by El Paseo Building (1928) and La Ribera Hotel (1929). ^{[1] [5] [3]}

In 1974, the La Bohème was established by Belgian-born Walter Georis, a Carmel artist and restaurateur. In 1978, he sold La Bohème to one of their top waiters and opened the Casanova Restaurant. Thirty-seven years later, the Georis family were back at La Bohème, which they remodeled and opened as La Bicyclette Restaurant. ^[3]

Historic preservation

Kocher Building Side view

On September 4, 2002, the Kocher building was designated as an important commercial building in the city's Downtown Historic District Property Survey, because it is the best example of Spanish Colonial Revival substyle of Spanish Eclectic style in Carmel. It was the first steel-framed concrete commercial building construction project in Carmel. ^[1]

See also

• Spanish Colonial Revival architecture

References

1. Kent L. Seavey (September 4, 2002). "Department Of Parks And Recreation" (PDF). National Park Service . Retrieved March 29, 2022.
2. Neal Hotelling (February 28, 2020). "History Beat" (PDF). Carmel Pine Cone . Retrieved March 29, 2022.
3. Dramov, Alissandra (2019). Historic Buildings of Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 50, 56–57. ISBN   9781467103039 . Retrieved 2022-03-27.
4. "Opening Monday April 16, in the La Giralda Building Corner of Seventh and Delores". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. April 16, 1928. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
5. Seavey, Kent (2007). Carmel, A History in Architecture. p. 101. ISBN   9780738547053 . Retrieved 2022-03-27.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

External links

• Downtown Conservation District Historic Property Survey