Ventura County Landmark No. 12: Former Ventura County Courthouse (now San Buenaventura City Hall)
Historical Background
The Ventura County Courthouse was built on a hill overlooking the city and the Pacific Ocean, against a backdrop of steeply rising hills. It was executed in the Neo-Classical Revival style, also described as French Renaissance style. A deep granite staircase ascends to a decorated bronze gateway. Notable features include white, glazed terra cotta panels and decorations, full Doric entablature, round arched first floor windows with unusual friars’ head keystones (attributed to the Gladding McBean Company), and three, two-story round arched bays. Interior features include stained glass domes, marble entrance lobby, sweeping staircase, and mahogany and walnut paneling. The 24 friars’ faces, situated between the first and second floor windows of the building, depict mendicant priests and serve as a historical reminder that the City of San Buenaventura was one of the nine original Mission towns founded by Father Junipero Serra and Franciscan friars in 1782 (City of Ventura, 2023).
The noted Los Angeles architect Albert C. Martin was commissioned to design the new courthouse from 1912-1913 at a cost of $278,000. Martin’s Los Angeles works include Los Angeles City Hall and Grauman’s (now Mann’s) Chinese Theater in Hollywood. His Ventura County works include St. Mary Magdalen Church in Camarillo and the Bella Maggiore Inn in downtown Ventura. The July 1913 dedication of the courthouse was celebrated with much fanfare, including two days of events and a crowd of an estimated 20,000 people attending the festivities. From 1913 to 1968, the building functioned as the Ventura County Courthouse. It also housed other offices of the County government and was the site of meetings of the County Board of Supervisors.
Expansion and Change of Use
Twenty years after the original Ventura County Courthouse was completed, the building was expanded with the construction of a two-story annex at the western end of the building. The five-year project (1927-1932) was supervised by architect Harold Burkett and built by the Union Engineering Company of Los Angeles.
In 1969, the Ventura County Courthouse closed its doors when it was determined to be seismically unsound. To save the building from demolition, the City of Ventura purchased it from the County. After three years of planning and two years of restoration and structural reinforcement and replacement of plumbing, electrical, and air conditioning systems, the building opened for City business in 1974 and continues to this day (City of Ventura, 2023).
Building Art
The building also houses the City of Ventura’s municipal art collection, established to document the history of visual art in Ventura by featuring and highlighting important works of art created by area artists. The collection provides increased access to artwork of high artistic merit and aesthetic quality through its display in the public areas of City Hall and other municipal buildings. The Municipal Art Collection on the first and second floors of City Hall features 100 works by 70 artists. The collection is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 5 pm (City of Ventura, 2023).
Designation
The building was designated State of California Landmark No. 847 in December 1970 and named to the National Register of Historic Places in August 1971. In addition, the former Ventura County Courthouse was designated a Ventura County Landmark in December 1970. The County of Ventura Cultural Heritage Ordinance has force and effect only in the unincorporated areas of Ventura County. However, any designated Ventura County Cultural Heritage Sites, including Landmarks, shall still retain their declared status.
Additional Reading
References
City of Ventura (2023). “City Hall”. https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov/1882/City-Hall.
Date Designated: December 1970
Location: 501 Poli Street, Ventura
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