Court of Mysteries

This "Court of the Mysteries" at 519 Fair Ave. was designed by Kenneth Kitchen, who came to Santa Cruz in 1934 with his partner and elder brother, Raymond. Both built their homes near the edge of town, where only a dozen houses stood on the 12-block stretch of Fair. (Raymond's home, converted to industrial use, still stands at 1211 Fair Ave.) Kenneth was a bricklayer, Raymond was a mason, and both exotic homes showed clients their individual craft at its most unfettered. Professional craftsmen have stood in awe at Kenneth's curving brickwork and Raymond's bulbous granite domes.[The remains of the yoga temple, April 1996.]