The Garden Store

The Garden Store. Historical Significance of. The California Nursery property includes noteworthy landscape features, such as the many mature trees, in addition to historically and architecturally significant buildings like the garden store. Unfortunately, due to years of use and multiple modifications, the building could not be saved and had to be removed in 2019. Below are architectural drawings that show how the garden store looked before it was demolished., Design of the garden store at the California Nursery was attributed to architect Fredrick H. Reimers. The nursery was the largest in the state, and the store was a significant symbol of the transition from a wholesale business from its beginning in 1865 until its shift to retail in 1927. The garden store was the first permanent building whose function was to accommodate the new type of business, and it remained the focus of retail interaction with the public during the boom years of the company in the 1950’s and beyond., The garden store was also an early example of the modern ranch style in California. This style is associated with an effort to recognize California’s Hispanic past and to interpret that past for modern life. Its unpretentious, informal character; its long, low, horizontal form; its unpeeled log columns, beams, and rafter; its board-and-batten siding; its openness to the outside; and its blurring of the lines between indoors and outdoors, combined in a classic representation of the modern ranch style.