The Press Building of the Woman’s Publishing Company, known as the Printery, was the first civic building completed in Atascadero in 1915. The facility was to be one piece of the national Women’s Suffrage movement organization named the American Women’s Republic, initiated by Mabel and E.G. Lewis. Atascadero was founded by the Lewis’ to be a Utopian community of the Republic in the West, with focus on the Arts and Agriculture. Women could actually own property, receive an education at People’s University and prosper from their own earnings. The Printery employed at least 128 men and women and became the largest rotogravure press operation West of the Mississippi River. LA Times and San Francisco Chronicle inserts were printed weekly along with millions of copies of the Illustrated Review and Women’s Magazines from1915 to 1924.

Atascadero City was a very early planned community, in the Garden City movement style, with curvilinear streets and a well appointed civic center. Architect Walter Bliss, of San Francisco, designed the Press Building, an Italian Renaissance structure of brick. The facade has considerable terracotta adornment and tremendous pillars which support the large finely adorned exterior front archway. The interior entry hosts a combination of marble, plaster pilasters and beautiful wood doors. Wall and stairway panels are lined with a large collection of murals painted by Artist Ralph Holmes, who came to Atascadero to serve many positions including Art Editor and Writer of the Review.

The original press building is completely intact, some additions and modifications of the late 1920s now bring the total building size over 19,000 square feet. For over 100 years it has served many uses, including a national training program for young men. Most notably, Jackie Robinson was employed at the site as Athletic Director. The last use was a Community Youth Center before falling vacant following the earthquake of 2003. In 2015, after public outcry, the Atascadero Printery Foundation formed to save the structure. By May of 2017, the Foundation owned the historic property and began stabilization of the building. Listed on the National Historic Register, it cannot be significantly altered. The Foundation has taken on the challenge of seismic retrofit and work to repair considerable damage done by vandals, while completely maintaining the original character.

A visit to the Printery will bring a connection to the past, and a look into the future. The site is steadily being transformed into a vital resource for the community as a public facility for the Arts and Events. When complete, an operational Print Museum, two large rooms, six meeting/classrooms a catering kitchen and a community theater will be open, completely dedicated to public use. The site is currently able to be rented for outdoor only events on the large patio space with raised platform. The Foundation holds open house and fundraising events on the grounds, often showcasing a temporary museum filled with printing equipment and a variety of publications printed on site in the early years. Please visit the APF website for event dates and times or for further information about the project: www.atascaderoprintery.org. We encourage you to frequent the site, watch the progress or simply enjoy the view of this beautiful piece of history.