#561 Owl Club #561
by William Lum
Title
#561 Owl Club #561
Artist
William Lum
Medium
Painting - Watercolor
Description
It took an Act of Congress to create the Owl Club in Historic Roseville, California. In 1920, this building was constructed as a grocery store for Louis Manfredi. In 1925, the Gee family opened a Chinese restaurant called the New China Café on the second floor, which operated until 1978. In 1933, Congress repealed Prohibition which created an opportunity for Frank Sellers, who converted the market to the Owl Club in 1934. The Owl Club stil operates today with a renovated 1940’s façade, distinctive neon sign, and a double owl statue on the edge of the roof.
By the 1930s, it was clear that Prohibition had become a public policy failure. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution had done little to curb the sale, production and consumption of intoxicating liquors. And while organized crime flourished, tax revenues withered. With the United States stuck in the throes of the Great Depression, money trumped morals, and the federal government turned to alcohol to quench its thirst for desperately needed tax money and put an estimated half-million Americans back to work. In February 1933, Congress easily passed a proposed 21st Amendment that would repeal the 18th Amendment, which legalized national Prohibition.
This 12” X 16” watercolor was done on Arches, 140 lb, cold press paper.
Uploaded
May 21st, 2021
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