Bertelson Building/Paloma Wilder Studio

Portrait photographer Helen Bertelson wanted somewhere special for her home studio. So in 1927 she hired MartinTullgren & Sons’ to design this very unique Spanish Colonial / Mediterranean Revival. Featuring walls and doorways festooned with terracotta sculptural elements, wrought-iron Juliette balconies, and plenty of large arched windows, the Bertelson Building is truly one of a kind. Adorned with faces both grotesque and angelic, and animals both local and mythical, the ornate attention to detail has been impressing visitors for almost 100 years.

Paloma Wilder will be opening her goldsmithing studio upstairs for tours with live demos, while faience tile maker and historian, Ben Tyjeski, will be signing copies of a new book, The Bertelson Building: A Story in Terra Cotta, from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, Sept. 23. Book will be available for sale all weekend.