Spanish-Mediterranean and Spanish-Eclectic
1890 - Present

A Spanish eclectic in Petaluma’s Brewster District. Arched windows, eccentric detail pieces and red roof tiles add to the romance of the style.

California’s Romantic Style

Identifying features:

• Stucco wall surfaces
• Low-pitched roof, usually with little or no eave overhang
• Arches above doors, and principal windows or beneath porch roofs
• Ornamental effects which include patches of molded decoration, stained or otherwise darkened wood, and wrought-iron grillwork (Spanish-Eclectic)

Perhaps second only to the Craftsman – the Spanish style is common throughout Petaluma’s vintage and modern architecture. Some of Petaluma’s definitive historical estates are built in this style, as evidenced from a drive down D street. Open, practical, and timeless, Spanish style homes are found in many of Petaluma’s historic and modern neighborhoods.

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A modern interpretation of the Spanish style. One of East Petaluma’s most exclusive neighborhoods, Kings Mill features many Spanish Style inspired homes such as this example on Castle Drive

Historical information provided by Realtor.com

“Architects of this style were inspired by many sources: the adobe and Spanish Colonial buildings of Southern California, late Moorish architecture, medieval Spanish church architecture, the Baroque architecture of colonial Spain, and Portugal, and the Pueblo Mission styles. This broad base of sources made it relatively easy to create a believable harmony among the exterior image, interior space, decorative elements, and the building's function.

The American movie industry of the early 1900's helped to glamorize a certain sub-class of the style known as the Spanish Eclectic style. Stars weren't just seen at night; in true photo-op fashion, they were often captured lounging by their oversized pools in back of their Spanish Colonial mansions, dripping with water by day, and diamonds by night. It was also through the influence of the movies that the Spanish Colonial mansions came to be built in areas of the country like Minnesota, where the largely Nordic-rooted culture was far removed from Spanish heritage.

The most lasting legacy of the Spanish Colonial Revival as a national type was the one-story house that we know as the ranch house. Its characteristic U-shaped floor plan with a protected patio in the courtyard derives from the California ranchos of the late 1830s.”

A Kings Mill custom. Spanish style architecture with lavish landscaping creating an oasis effect.	Another vintage Spanish-Eclectic, a signature Petaluma estate in the D Street Historic District

Search Other Styles

• Craftsman/Arts and Crafts - Practical and Open yet Inspiring
• Spanish-Mediterranean and Spanish-Eclectic 1890 - Present California’s Romantic Style
• Queen Anne Victorian (1880-1910) - Romantic, Exuberant Style
• Nostalgic Style - Colonial Revival (1880 - 1940)
• Victorian Stick Style (1860-1885) - Colorful and Unrestrained
• Suburban Style - The Ranch House (1932-1980)

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