Updated:
September 27, 2006
In 1931, the final phase of the Mission Inn was completed at the north-west corner of the hotel. This phase included the St. Francis Chapel and Atrio, the Galeria, and the Court of the Orient, which were all considered part of the International Rotunda or “Rotunda Internacional.” Literature published by the Mission Inn boasted that a variety of architectural forms were evident there, including arcades, buttresses, flying buttresses, balconies, turrets, domes, and pinnacles.
The International Rotunda project was designed by the architectural firm of G. Stanley Wilson. The structure was built almost entirely of concrete reinforced with steel. Concrete was poured into large wooden forms containing steel to create thick walls; when the forms were removed, impressions from the wood grain remained.
Six stories high and 33 feet across, the International Rotunda opens to the sky, unlike the rotunda in the California State Capital and other similar buildings which are topped with domed roofs. The Rotunda's sweeping wrought iron spiral staircase was designed with decorative motifs, including the Mission Inn “raincross” and various monograms. Tile shields representing different countries are embedded in the Rotunda’s concrete walls. At one time, statues of saints appeared in niches that had also been built into the walls. The circumference of the Rotunda appears larger at the top than at the bottom, creating an optical illusion that only enhances the Rotunda's beauty. |
