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Overview

Growth in the Watsonville school age population necessitated the construction of this added building to the high school in 1917. This Mediterranean Revival Style building supplemented space in the earlier Mission Revival building rebuilt in 1902 following a fire. The Mission Revival facility became known as the "West Building," the new building, the "East Building." Watsonville architect William Henry Weeks (1984-1936) designed both the East and West Buildings, in 1917 and 1895 respectively.

Building Notes

Architect Weeks designed this building to have a tri-partite plan, with a central bay joined by wings to end bays on either side. The central portion was wider than the end wings, and featured a colonnade on its East Beach Street facade. Entrances were located in the slightly indented sections joining the end wings to the center. The building had compound hipped roofs covered in Spanish tile. Ornamentation was vaguely Spanish or Italian, thus giving the building a Mediterranean Revival character. The colonnade recalled Moorish precedents, with their narrow-arched spaces. Small balconies trimmed second floor windows, recalling Spanish models.

Altered

This high school building was altered to become the Mello Center for the Performing Arts. The side wings were removed, and a new entrance was built on the northeast side of the building, including a rounded portion which housed the main entry.

PCAD id: 20972