H. H. Brix Home
2844 Fresno Street
This lavish Italian Renaissance home was designed by Edward T. Foulkes. It was constructed for Herman H. and Helena S. Brix in 1910-1911. Herman H. Brix made a pioneering contribution to the development of Coalinga and was influential in the commercial expansion of Fresno. Much of his wealth came through oil holdings in Coalinga.
Herman H. Brix made a pioneering contribution to the development of Coalinga and was influential in the commercial expansion of Fresno.
Born in Namslau, Silesia, Germany in 1862. After military service in Germany, he immigrated in the early 1880s to Eldora, Iowa. He left for California a year later. Brix and his wife were among the pioneering settlers of the Coalinga area, on the western edge of the San Joaquin Valley. After an unsuccessful attempt at grain farming, Brix left to seek his fortune in the Alaskan gold rush. Meanwhile, Coalinga underwent an oil boom. Returning with a modest stake from his Yukon endeavors, Brix formed a water company on his homestead and made a fortune investing in oil properties. By 1915, Brix and his associates owned 1400 acres of west-side oil lands. He was associated with the Confidence Oil Company, was President of the B & B Oil Company, President of the San Francisco Oil Company, a director of the St. Paul & Fresno Oil Company, and a one-sixth investor in the Coalinga Syndicate.
Having relocated to Fresno by 1903, Brix invested heavily in properties in that city after 1909. Not only did he commission his magnificent mansion on Fresno Street, but he was an important stockholder in the Hotel Fresno development. He also was responsible for the construction of the attractive four-story Brix Apartments in 1912. Though Brix died in 1915, his dream of a multi-story office building was accomplished by the Brix Estate in 1922 with the construction of the imposing Brix Building on Fulton Street.
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Description
The H. H. Brix Mansion is prominently sited on a
large urban lot at Fresno and S Streets in downtown Fresno. The
three-story, twelve-room mansion contains over 4500 square feet of
formal living space. It adheres to the principal features of the
Villa Style, including an L-shaped plan, an asymmetrically placed
observation tower, smooth stucco finishes, and baroque ornamentation.
At first glance, the Brix Mansion has an almost
austere quality. This effect results from the use of smooth plaster
as the primary finish on all exterior walls. Ornamentation is almost
totally restricted to structural openings, including windows, doors
and larger passageways. Such decorative treatments vary widely in
composition, but generally follow the precepts of the Villa model.
Among these characteristic patterns are windows grouped in units of
three, Corinthian mullions, and a simple foliated cornice windowhead.
The basic windowform on the second floor is a double sash casement
with a single-light transom. Clustered in couples and groups of
three, or used alone, this basic window is surmounted by a
shallow-relief spandrel panel in a foliated "bull's-eye"
motif. A broad arcade composed of Tuscan columns runs between the
tower and a porte-cochere. Such a loggia is typical of the Villa
Style, althought the balustrade atop the Brix loggia has an inventive
variation: clay tiles are used as screened inserts rather than turned
balusters. Equally unusual are the free-standing iron railings, which
are mounted between the columns along this veranda. These are
necessary since the first floor is nearly forty-four feet above
ground level.
The tower structure has a simple arched passageway
that opens onto the loggia directly in front of the formal entrance.
The front entry consists of a single-light natural oak door flanked
by thirty-light sidelights. A flat-iron window grating is mounted on
the door to protect the single glazed panel. Compared to this
relatively simple entry treatment, the upper levels of the tower are
dripping with ornament. The bedroom windows on the second floor are
bordered by a running decoration of architectural paterae, fronted by
a balconet, and topped by a cornice windowhead enriched with carved
foliage, twin volutes, a heraldic escutcheon, split finials, and
cabled pendants. Each of the three observation openings on the third
deck of the tower have pairs of scrolled iron brackets. The tower is
capped by a clay tile roof with a simple fascia, exposed scalloped
rafter tails and dentils.
The main structure of the Brix Mansion has the
heaviest cornice of any residence in Fresno. A simple striated fascia
rests on exposed scalloped rafter tails, which in turn rest on a
secondary fascia supported by enriched modillion brackets. A modified
frieze is embellished with foliated "bull's-eye" ornaments
and a band of continous cable molding. Rosette panels are inserted
between each bracket along the soffit. A third, though much
simplified, variation on this cornice is repeated on seven
dormer-style attic windows. Even the chimney stacks are embellished
with bull's-eyes and triglyphs, attesting to the architect's
intricate understanding of classical detailing, and his ability to
manipulate that vocabulary for dramatic effect.
The most elaborate rooms in the mansion are the
reception hall, the dining room, and the living room. The latter has
been divided into two office spaces. A gold-leafed cast plaster
frieze, embellished with a low-relief Rinceau pattern, borders the
cornice molding in the living room. A similar frieze composed of
swags runs below the cornice molding in the reception hall. A
transparent stain has been applied to darken these plaster details to
a bronze tone, and the natural oak millwork in these two rooms also
appears to have been stained to give it a darker finish. Two sets of
French pocket doors in the reception hall have been replaced by
solid-core oak doors for privacy, and the hardwood floors have been
carpeted wall-to-wall throughout the home. Acoustic tile also has
been installed on the ceilings, although with minor effect on the
appearance of individual rooms. Exquisitely detailed fireplaces
remain in both the living and dining rooms, which now serve as
professional offices.
Other changes to the Brix Mansion have been
minimal. Two upstairs sleeping porches were closed in with permanent
windows, the upstairs master bath was converted into office space,
commercial boxed fluorescent lighting was installed throughout, a
forced-air refrigeration system was added, and an early solar hot
water system was abandoned, although a rusted storage tank survives
in the attic.
Historical significance
The Brix Mansion was constructed for Herman H. and
Helena S. Brix in 1910-1911. Herman H. Brix made a pioneering
contribution to the development of Coalinga and was influential in
the commercial expansion of Fresno.
Born in Namslau, Silesia, Germany in 1862, Brix
lost his parents and seven brothers and sisters in a
cholera
epidemic. After military service in Germany, he immigrated in the
early 1880s to Eldora, Iowa. He left for California a year later.
Brix and his wife were among the pioneering settlers of the Coalinga
area, on the western edge of the San Joaquin Valley. After an
unsuccessful attempt at grain farming, Brix left to seek his fortune
in the Alaskan gold rush. Meanwhile, Coalinga underwent an oil boom.
Returning with a modest stake from his Yukon endeavors, Brix formed a
water company on his homestead and made a fortune investing in oil
properties. By 1915, Brix and his associates owned 1400 acres of
west-side oil lands. He was associated with the Confidence Oil
Company, was President of the B & B Oil Company, President of the
San Francisco Oil Company, a director of the St. Paul & Fresno
Oil Company, and a one-sixth investor in the Coalinga Syndicate.
Having relocated to Fresno by 1903, Brix invested
heavily in properties in that city after 1909. Not only did he
commission his magnificent mansion on Fresno Street, but he was an
important stockholder in the Hotel Fresno development. He also was
responsible for the construction of the attractive four-story Brix
Apartments in 1912. Though Brix died in 1915, his dream of a
multi-story office building was accomplished by the Brix Estate in
1922 with the construction of the imposing Brix Building on Fulton
Street.
In addition to its historical associations, the
Brix Mansion possesses considerable architectural significance.
Designed by architect
Edward
T. Foulkes, it represents a brilliant example
of a period-inspired Italian Villa, the only residence in Fresno
built in this lavishly-embellished style.
Adapted from the National Register of Historic
Places nomination, originally prepared by Ephraim Smith and John
Edward Powell.
National
Register #83001178
Brix Mansion
2844 Fresno Street
Fresno
Built 1911
Edward T. Foulkes designed this
Italian
villa for Herman and
Helena Brix.
Mr. Brix, born in Germany, immigrated to Coalinga
in the early 1880's. He and his wife were among the pioneers of this
region in the western San Joaquin Valley.
After failing as a
farmer, Mr. Brix went to the gold fields of Alaska where he had more
success. Upon his return to Coalinga, he invested in the emerging oil
industry, securing his fortune. In 1903, he moved to Fresno, invested
in many properties, and built a suitable home, the only pure Italian
villa in Fresno.
Today the Brix Mansion is a commercial
property housing law offices.
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82.
In 1878, Catholic settlers in the area recognized the need for a
church and began to raise funds. The Central Pacific Railroad donated
two lots and Bishop Francisco Mora Borrell of the Diocese of
Monterey-Los Angeles who purchased two adjacent lots. Construction on
the sanctuary began early in 1880 and the structure was completed in
November. Bishop Mora dedicated the church to St. John the Baptist in
May 21, 1882. It was a brick structure with a 90 ft (27 m) steeple
and served the five Catholic families in the area.
iego
in 1922, St. John’s was selected as the Cathedral for the new
Diocese. When Monterey and Fresno were further split in 1967, St.
John’s became the seat of the new Bishop of Fresno.