“…Architects John Bakewell, Jr. and his partner Arthur Brown, Jr. of San Francisco chose California China Products to produce the floor and wall tiles accentuated by the striking Santa Fe emblem. Designs and colors even similar to these had rarely if ever been seen before in the U.S., much less on the West Coast. Even today they are imbued with a quality that tends to inspire.” - Joseph Taylor and Sheila Menzies, Tile Heritage Foundation
THE EXCEPTIONAL TILE WORK of California China Products of National City can be seen in all its glory at the Santa Fe Railway Depot in downtown San Diego. The spectacular display of CCPCo’s work on the 1914-1915 Santa Fe Railway Depot, designed by the San Francisco-based architecture firm of Bakewell and Brown, is the one of the Mission Revival style building’s most distinguishing features, inside and out. Extensive Hispano-Moresque style tile decorates the identical domed towers on either side of the entry arch, as well as the impressive and highly memorable interior walls and floor.
The waiting room's dominant feature is the eight-and-a-half-foot tall Moorish-style glazed tile wainscoting (lower portion of the wall), featuring the Santa Fe logo. The elaborate Spanish tile designs and the top and bottom edges are brilliant green, yellow, blue, white, and black, and finished with a frieze of ziggurats (raised, pyramid-shaped bases). Some consider the unique, multi-colored tile installation by Walter Nordoff’s revered CCPCo a bold and enduring masterpiece.
The original oak benches still run the length of the waiting room. Beyond this large room was a Fred Harvey dining hall, also adorned with the same dazzling tile work. The ticket counters, checkroom, and a few shops were originally contained in wood structures on the west side of the waiting room, and were later removed.
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