The Spanish Colonial Revival Style was a United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 architectural stylistic movement

Architectural style

Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...

 that came about in the early 20th century, starting in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 and Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 as a regional expression related to history, environment, and nostalgia. The Spanish Colonial Revival Style was also influenced by the opening of the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

 and the overwhelming success of the novel Ramona

Ramona

Ramona is a 1884 United States historical novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson. It is the story of a Scots-Native American orphan girl in Southern California, who suffers racial discrimination and hardship. Originally serialized in the Christian Union on a weekly basis, the novel became immensely...

set in Alta California

Alta California

Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...

. Based on the Spanish Colonial architecture from the Spanish colonization of the Americas

Spanish colonization of the Americas

Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...

, the Spanish Colonial Revival style updated these forms and detailing for a new century and culture.

The Panama-California Exposition of 1915 in San Diego, with lead architect Bertram Goodhue

Bertram Goodhue

Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue was a American architect celebrated for his work in neo-gothic design. He also designed notable typefaces, including Cheltenham and Merrymount for the Merrymount Press.-Early career:...

, is credited with creating national attention for the aesthetic popularity of this style.

The Spanish Colonial Revival movement enjoyed its greatest popularity between 1915 and 1931 and was most often exhibited in single-level detached houses and small commercial buildings.
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The antecedents of the Spanish Colonial Revival Style can be traced to the Mediterranean Revival architectural style.