California’s Santa Cruz Architectural Styles have become historical icons, which the area proudly preserves with great care. There have been many eras that have left an indelible mark on the buildings, houses and structures of the city. A bit of a taste of the ages remains an undeniable element of the city’s long and varied history.

Santa Cruz, CA was established largely for the sake of a Franciscan mission and a Spanish garrison. The mission was built in 1791 and the garrison was erected in 1793. The Franciscan Mission was moved to the Mission Hill area where it still stands today due to precipitous flooding issues from the St. Lawrence River. The founders of the mission modeled it in a baroque manner as they are accused of. It was built with the square as its central focus, forming almost a triplex around the square. The style advertises those seen in Mexico and Spain. The mission is basically an adobe construction with deep layers of wall inside. This simplistic design was adopted due to the use of Indian workers who lacked extensive construction knowledge. Decorative bell towers and deep pillars surround the structure to this day.

Some of the oldest structures to have been erected in Santa Cruz were houses built in a non-decorative rectangular shape. Wooden planks were used to clad these basic dwellings in the area. They were very popular around the pioneer era dating back to 1850. Sylvar Street still has a house from this period that stands as an example of the architectural era.

From 1850 to 1890, the residential and office buildings went through many transitions and the architectural styles of Santa Cruz evolved, celebrating different style periods such as: Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Palo, Eastlake, Romanesque, Queen Anne, Revival colonial and pebbles. A Greek Revival house reflected an American taste in construction. Although the construction had large pillars like the Greek style and large porches, this style could be seen throughout the country during its time. The Gothic Revival showed churches and buildings with very sharp edges and interesting details much like Gothic structures in Europe. The Italianate period boasted buildings that were large and had large windows and a covered porch around the front. This style was indicative of the Renaissance Period in Italy. Both the Stick and Eastlake styles of houses had large windows and open-air porches or terraces.

Romanesque structures were quite popular for business. The miniature columns that are grouped together with the rock fronts are strong features of these buildings. The Queen Anne is a very nice Victorian looking structure. Houses in this style were designed with towers on the sides of the houses with decorative chimneys and an ornate overall look. The Colonial Revival produced buildings and homes that have much in common with American Revolutionary War-era homes. There was a revival of American pride as they moved west gaining more territory, and a tendency to emulate past American style developed. The Shingle style, just like its name, boasted houses with wispy shingles to clad the exterior of the house instead of siding. These houses were still very large in appearance, but discreet in exterior decoration, and all indicative of Santa Cruz architectural styles.

For a house or structure to have historical significance in the Santa Cruz area, it generally must be at least fifty years old. This is in line with the National Registry requirements, although it is not implicitly stated in the California state registry. However, there are exceptions and whether it is for births of historical figures, important historical events, religious buildings or cemeteries, sometimes the building can be considered historic as it is not even close to fifty years old.