Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Waitsburg's Plaza Theater is a fine example of Mission Revival style architecture.
The Neace Theater changed names in the 1950s and has remained the Plaza ever since.
The arcaded porch, parapets, blind arches and tiled roof on this 1907 Tucson house are characteristic of Spanish Mission Style.
Antoni Gaudi is perhaps the most famous architect in the Art Nouveau style. In Casa Batlló, every aspect of both the exterior and interior supports the theme.
Antoni Gaudi is perhaps the most famous architect in the Art Nouveau style. In Casa Batlló, every aspect of both the exterior and interior supports the theme.
WAITSBURG-In our shared recollection of history and knowledge, academia, sciences and the arts are thrust together. Arts, like sciences, can be looked upon objectively and placed historically in context. To do this, one must look beyond what you like and what you don't like.
Another way to study art history is to consider what styles have endured the test of time. Which styles, perhaps created afar, are treasured locally?
Along Waitsburg's Main Street, Mission Revival style architecture lends interest to the skyline. Mission Revival style is inspired by churches built by colonial Spanish missionaries in California in the late 18th and early 19th century.
The churches were housed in buildings with simple, stone or stucco exteriors fitted with red tiled roofs and hallowed archways. Due to its adaptability, the mission style was reproduced for restaurants and remains a popular style in home design.
Art Nouveau is a movement in both architecture and design that is based upon natural forms that could be mass-produced for a large audience. The idea is that every detail conforms to a theme, typically of a natural form such as a twining plant.
In an Art Nouveau home, detailed door frames would open to a room with wrought iron banisters that would span a staircase that might then join actual plants creating a harmonious aesthetic.
Art Nouveau translates to "new art" from French, and goes by that name in France, Belgium, Holland, England and the United States. Art Nouveau goes by other names in other places; Jugendstil in Austria and Germany (after the magazine Jugend "youth"), Modernismo in Spain, and Floreale in Italy.
Art Nouveau flourished in the early 1900s, but was eventually challenged by artists who scorned ornamentation such as Adolf Loos who, in a series of essays titled Ornament and Crime, suggested that such ostentatious displays were a waste of labor and materials.
From there, Art Deco emerged. A distant cousin of Art Nouveau, Art Deco blends together the two seemingly opposing ideas of simplicity of form and ornate decoration. Art Deco sought to bring back craftsmanship while taking advantage of technological advances in mass production.
In general, Art Deco could be characterized by streamlined, elongated, and symmetrical design. Though created in the 1920s, Art Deco enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in the 1960s, but in some select areas, such as Main Street Waitsburg's Plaza Theater, never left favor.
Built in 1928 as the Neace Theater, the Plaza confronts I-124 travelers with art history in action. The facade is brick and inlaid stucco, complete with the red tiled roof characteristic of mission style architecture.
Three arched windows nest symmetrically in a larger arch, which is also characteristic of Art Deco. The Art Deco theme is furthered by the lettering adorning the marquee.
While the Plaza Theater is not currently showing motion pictures, it is available to rent as an event space and is a treat to see. The building owners, Robbie and Marilyn Johnson, have put countless hours into its restoration.
Sources: Cinematreasures.org,
Gardner's Art Through the Ages
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