Monday Windows and California Buildings

I have shared a couple of these quintessential California buildings for Thursday Doors, but now I am focusing on their unique windows. Some of these buildings are new to my blog, and I am sharing for Ludwig’s Monday Window and Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Buildings. The first photo is of a stained glass window in the ceiling of the California State Capitol building; you can see more of its windows and doors in my previous blog: Thursday Doors.

Here is one building I have not shared with you yet. I visited this on a very windy day, when we were touring the Silicon Valley area and stumbled across this park on the bay. This Victorian mansion was built in 1867 by Henry Rengstorff, who was one of the wealthiest people in his time period. Apparently, it was built out of redwood trees from a nearby grove. The symmetrical facade and windows were typical of the Victorian Italianate architecture in the late 1800s.

Victorian Italianate architecture was quite popular in the late 1800s in California, and is on full display at the Bidwell Mansion in Chico, California. The Bidwells, whose friends included Presidents Andrew Johnson and Ulysses Grant, were influential in agriculture, politics, and philanthropist activities during a booming time in California. I am sharing photos of the outside of the three-story mansion, but if you ever get a chance, the tour of the inside is really interesting and informational.

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Here is another historical mansion in California, but its windows are different than the Victorian Italianate windows of the Rengstorff and Bidwell mansions. There aren’t as many arched glass panes, but the details over the tops of the windows are amazing. I shared its doors on a previous blog, Thursday Doors.

Lastly, I will leave you with an interior view of a historical building in downtown Sacramento. Built in 1925, this was the first skyscraper in Sacramento and is now the Citizen Hotel. All of the rooms are unique like this lobby. The lobby windows are very tall and symmetrical, but the amount of light pouring in allows you to see all of the details in the ceiling. I think my neck hurt after staring at this place for so long!

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you have a peaceful week.