Post #816701 by Bartrina on Thu, Aug 21, 2025 2:26 PM

In my borderland mural archive, there are two spaces that deserve special attention. Both are linked to the figure of Frank Howard Bowers, an American painter who, though scarcely documented, left a deep visual imprint in Baja California. His decorative style, leaning toward the Tiki aesthetic, unfolded in bars, clubs, and restaurants—and in these two cases, in spaces that still preserve his essence.

Frank Bowers was born in California on November 20, 1905, and passed away in Long Beach on December 11, 1964. He settled in California in the 1930s and traveled extensively throughout the state, creating interior murals in social gathering places. Occasionally, he crossed into Baja California, where he left at least two works that deserve recognition and protection.

The first is in Ensenada, at the former Hotel and Casino Playa Ensenada, now the Centro Cultural Riviera. Behind the bar of the old Bugambilias Lounge, there’s an unsigned mural depicting the god Bacchus, surrounded by festive and warm elements. Though unsigned, the style is unmistakable: immersive composition, rich color palette, and a visual narrative that interacts with the architecture. There are unverified accounts that Arthur Prunier, Bowers’s frequent collaborator in California, may have participated in this work, but I’ve found no evidence to confirm it.

The second work is in Rosarito, at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, in a section known as the Beachcomber. The ceilings of that corridor are decorated from end to end with marine and tropical scenes that clearly evoke Bowers’s style—exotic figures, flowing visual rhythm, and a decorative intent that guides the visitor’s passage.

While the exact dates of execution remain unverified, I believe the Ensenada mural came first, followed by the one in Rosarito, based on the tourism development timeline of both cities.

Both murals deserve protection. In particular, the restoration and conservation of the marine elements on the Beachcomber ceiling in Rosarito should be a priority. These works are part of the visual heritage of the border region, and preserving them is an act of cultural justice.