General Phineas Banning Residence, 401 East M Street, Wilmington, Los Angeles County, CA (original) (raw)
Title: General Phineas Banning Residence, 401 East M Street, Wilmington, Los Angeles County, CA
Other Title:Banning Museum
Creator(s):Historic American Buildings Survey, creator
Date Created/Published: Documentation compiled after 1933
Medium:Photo(s): 107
Measured Drawing(s): 6
Photo Caption Page(s): 6Reproduction Number: ---
Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html)
Call Number: HABS CAL,19-WILM,2-
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
Notes:
- Significance: The General Phineas Banning Residence consists of a 23 room house built in 1864 in the Greek Revival style. The residence is set in 20 acres of parkland and gardens. The property is located in the Wilmington district of the City of Los Angeles, California. Since 1927 the Department of Recreation and Parks of the City of Los Angeles has managed the buildings and gardens and currently does so in cooperation with the Friends of Banning Park, a private, non-profit foundation. There are no records indicating the name of any builder or architect. Many Banning family papers were lost in a fire in 1946 and there is little documentation to indicate the exact details of the structure's construction. The residence's stylistic details recall many Greek Revival houses in the northeast that would be familiar to Phineas Banning from his boyhood. Skilled craftsmen were available throughout California at this time and redwood lumber and brick would have been relatively easy for Banning to procure through his lumberyard, freighting and shipping activities. A historic structure report commissioned for the house in 1992 noted the similarities in construction between the Banning Residence and the Drum Barracks for which Phineas Banning was the contractor. Extended study of the house, however, convinced these architects that both the Drum Barracks and the Banning Residence must have had the direction of someone very experienced with architecture and must have been constructed by workmen with previous experience in the building of major structures. Although there have been some modifications over time, the Banning Residence is relatively unaltered since its construction and appears little changed from an 1873 photograph. The front, or south, elevation has had window alterations and the insertion of French doors in the position of the original windows. The basement, rear and side wings have also been modified and added to over time, as shown in the sketch below taken from the historic structures report. Interior changes have been generally limited to modernization of kitchen and bathrooms and have not substantially affected the historic arrangement of rooms. However, these changes were made by the Banning family as successive generations lived in the house and may themselves be considered historic. There have been no substantial changes since 1927. General Phineas Banning was a major contributor to Southern California's role in the building of a nation. Several historic themes show Phineas Banning's national vision: his creation and development of the Port of Los Angeles as a gateway for international commerce; his part in the establishment of a transcontinental railroad system; his accomplishments as a Union supporter in holding California for the Federal side during the Civil War; and finally his untiring efforts as a community builder - an Easterner who imposed Yankee values and cultural norms on the commerce, architecture and politics of the pre-existing social order of Hispanic California. The Banning Residence served as a focus for these activities. Banning's choice of Greek Revival architecture, regarded as the first genuinely American architectural style, connects California frontier life with the politics, democrat idealism and enterprise that formed the national character in the period 1830-1885. The Banning Residence was lived in by three generations of the Banning family until it and the surrounding land were acquired by the City of Los Angeles in 1927. Eighteen rooms of the house containing furniture and decorative elements added during 60 years of Banning family residence in the house are shown to the public during regular tours of the house and grounds. On January 11, 1935, Banning Park was officially made California Historical Landmark #147 and the residence was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
- Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N218
- Survey number: HABS CA-2660
- National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 71000160
Subjects:
Place:
Collections:
Part of: Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)
Bookmark This Record:
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ca2250/
The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material. For further rights information, see "Rights Information" below and the Rights and Restrictions Information page ( https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/rights.html).
- Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
- Reproduction Number: ---
- Call Number: HABS CAL,19-WILM,2-
- Medium:Photo(s): 107
Measured Drawing(s): 6
Photo Caption Page(s): 6
If Digital Images Are Displaying
You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.
HABS/HAER/HALS materials have generally been scanned at high resolution that is suitable for most publication purposes (see Digitizing the Collection for further details about the digital images).
- **Photographs--**All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
- Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).
- If possible, include a printout of the photograph.
- **Drawings--**All drawings are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
- Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)
- If possible, include a printout of the drawing.
- Data Pages
- Make note of the Call Number in the catalog record.
If Digital Images Are Not Displaying
In the rare case that a digital image for HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is not displaying online, select images for reproduction through one of these methods:
Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). It is best to contact reference staff in advance (see: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/address.html) to make sure the material is on site. OR
P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR
Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers in available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).
You can purchase copies of various types, including quick copies, through Library of Congress Duplication Services (price lists, contact information, and order forms for Library of Congress Duplication Services are available on the Duplication Services Web site):
- Make note of the Call Number listed above.
- Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item:
- The entire group can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.
- All the items in a particular medium (e.g., all drawings, all photographs) can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.
Call Number: HABS CAL,19-WILM,2-
Medium:Photo(s): 107
Measured Drawing(s): 6
Photo Caption Page(s): 6
Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.
- Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)
- Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.) - No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.
- Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
- Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?
- Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
- No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
- If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.
To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.