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| SOUTH END OF THE CALIFORNIA BUILDING - In the
engraving, on the left, is the orange grove erected by Los Angeles
County, and covered with six thousand five hundred oranges. The
central object is Ventura County's Bean Pagoda, which was invented by
Captain N. Blackstock, a leading attorney of Ventura. The architect
was George C. Powers, of the same city, and his fellow-townsman, F. A.
Foster, arranged the beans. The exhibit was shown to visitors by
Captain W. H. A. Thompson, of West Saticoy. This octagonal structure
was twenty-three and one-half feet high and twelve feet in diameter.
The builders used seven thousand and fifty-six pieces of redwood and
one thousand two hundred and thirty-six pieces of glass, making six
hundred and fifteen cases for beans. The word "When" may be seen on
the roof. This was part of a legend wrought in beans: "Do you know
beans when the bag is open?" The name of the county, "Ventura," was
spelled in beans vertically on the outside twenty-two times. The
arabesquerie seen in the foliated panels over the doors and windows
was wrought in beans, and these patterns numbered forty. Two
five-pointed white stars with red center star, all beans, ornamented
the frieze over each double door. This peculiar structure advertised
to the world the existence of its largest bean ranch, owned by Dixey
W. Thompson, a man who plants nearly thirty-seven tons of beans each
year. It is said that one variety of the beans used in the pavilion
cost fifty dollars a bushel, and another variety cost ten dollars a
bushel. The artistic arrangement of palms and other foliage may be
seen. |
