Historic Adobe Building
Encyclopedia
The Historic Adobe Building, also known as the Mountain View Adobe, is a multi-purpose structure in Mountain View, California
. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
on October 28, 2002.
The land under the structure was purchased by Mountain View in 1929 for $10 from Wallace and Alice Angelo; it was used for a pump station and reservoir and served as the town's primary water source. Several years later, the city wanted to create a meeting place between downtown Mountain View and the Navy's Moffett Field
; the land's location at the corner of Moffett Boulevard and Central Expressway proved ideal.
The structure was built in 1934 as a New Deal
, Civil Works Administration
project during the Great Depression
, and was constructed by local laborers using adobe
bricks. The project also involved the time and money of members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, one of the building's first tenants. Once World War II
broke out, the building was also used as a serviceman's club and hospitality house for veterans.
After the war, the structure took on many more civilian events, and was renamed the Eagle Shack teen center as it hosted high school dances numerous weddings in the late 1940s. In 1949, the first National Guard leased it for four years as its armory
. It then served city programs, including housing the Mountain View Recreation Division and the preparation of a senior lunch program. Over the years, the building had been altered and worn down to the point that it was commonly referred to as the "Adobe Shack".
In 1987, new seismic
building regulations forced the city to close it. As the structure sat abandoned over several years, a community-driven, "Save the Adobe" campaign began in 1995. As a result, the building was restored to 1935 appearance and reopened for public use on September 29, 2001, at a cost of $1.2 million. The building is now rented by the city as an event center, and includes a modern catering kitchen, office and great room with space for 100 in indoor dining.
The building was designated a California Historical Landmark
on August 2, 2002. It was nominated to the NRHP based on its use as a community hall and its method of construction. It was placed on the NRHP primarily in recognition of its historic value was a Works Project Administration project; it was also noted for its aesthetic value in Spanish Revival architecture.
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 28, 2002.
The land under the structure was purchased by Mountain View in 1929 for $10 from Wallace and Alice Angelo; it was used for a pump station and reservoir and served as the town's primary water source. Several years later, the city wanted to create a meeting place between downtown Mountain View and the Navy's Moffett Field
Moffett Federal Airfield
Moffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale, California, USA. The airport is near the south end of San Francisco Bay, northwest of San Jose. Formerly a United States Navy facility, the former...
; the land's location at the corner of Moffett Boulevard and Central Expressway proved ideal.
The structure was built in 1934 as a New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
, Civil Works Administration
Civil Works Administration
The Civil Works Administration was established by the New Deal during the Great Depression to create manual labor jobs for millions of unemployed. The jobs were merely temporary, for the duration of the hard winter. Harry L. Hopkins was put in charge of the organization. President Franklin D...
project during the Great Depression
Great Depression in the United States
The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement...
, and was constructed by local laborers using adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
bricks. The project also involved the time and money of members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, one of the building's first tenants. Once World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out, the building was also used as a serviceman's club and hospitality house for veterans.
After the war, the structure took on many more civilian events, and was renamed the Eagle Shack teen center as it hosted high school dances numerous weddings in the late 1940s. In 1949, the first National Guard leased it for four years as its armory
Armory (military)
An armory or armoury is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
. It then served city programs, including housing the Mountain View Recreation Division and the preparation of a senior lunch program. Over the years, the building had been altered and worn down to the point that it was commonly referred to as the "Adobe Shack".
In 1987, new seismic
Seismic retrofit
Seismic retrofitting is the modification of existing structures to make them more resistant to seismic activity, ground motion, or soil failure due to earthquakes. With better understanding of seismic demand on structures and with our recent experiences with large earthquakes near urban centers,...
building regulations forced the city to close it. As the structure sat abandoned over several years, a community-driven, "Save the Adobe" campaign began in 1995. As a result, the building was restored to 1935 appearance and reopened for public use on September 29, 2001, at a cost of $1.2 million. The building is now rented by the city as an event center, and includes a modern catering kitchen, office and great room with space for 100 in indoor dining.
The building was designated a California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
on August 2, 2002. It was nominated to the NRHP based on its use as a community hall and its method of construction. It was placed on the NRHP primarily in recognition of its historic value was a Works Project Administration project; it was also noted for its aesthetic value in Spanish Revival architecture.
External links
- The Historic Adobe Building rental information, City of Mountain View