Santa Barbara Community is one of the most beautiful in the world with such a distinctive style. The Spanish colonial revival architecture that makes our city unmistakable and unforgettable. Today Santa Barbara is known for many things from its beaches, mountains, and tree lines. It was not always like that, in 1925 there was a devastating earthquake that hit Santa Barbara. Prior to the quake Santa Barbara was a typical old west town with wooden structures and unpaved streets. The near complete devastation allowed the city a unique opportunity to select the single style life of architecture that could be implemented during reconstruction. After careful consideration it was decided that the Spanish colonial revival will be the theme. The total destruction of Santa Barbara Court House lead to then decided that instead of building a traditional Greek revival court house, Santa Barbara would create a structural work of art. After four years of construction of a cost of 1.3 million dollars the new Santa Barbara Court house was open to the public.
The components of the Spanish colonial revival architecture. Buildings are often rectangular or L-shape, they are also predominantly 1 or 2 stories. Many have indoor or outdoor court yards as well as features like asymmetrical shapes, cross cables and many feature red adobe roof styles. The red roofs of Santa Barbara are truly unmistakable from the mountains and the ocean or even ground level. They are a majestic feature of the cities sky light.
In the heart of down town Santa Barbara is the old Spanish Presidio being one of the few buildings to service the 1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake. Remarkable the central structure of the Santa Barbara presidio is the second oldest standing structure in Santa Barbara. Built in 1782, it became a national historic sight in 1972 nearly 100 years after its construction.
From the Presidio we head to state street lined with boutique shops, restaurant and art galleries the Spanish colonial revival style is everywhere to be found. From Paseo Nuevo, La Arcada court yard, El paseo, to De La Guerra Plaza. The adobe bricks, red roofs, to the flag stone walk ways make Santa Barbara pleasant and a welcoming city for locals to wonder
One of the most important architects during the area of reconstruction was gorge Washington smith. Smith began his career as an artist he first came to California in 1915 to show his work at the palace of fine art in San Fransisco. He then came to Santa Barbara and fell in love with the coastal community and after constructing a residence for himself he was immediately met with request from the neighbors to design there house. That is how it began his long period of a smith architecture shaping the style of Santa Barbara. Smith was also responsible for the 1924 of the restoration of the Lobero Theater in down town Santa Barbara. Although he was clearly one of the most famous, smith was not the only architect to shape the colonial revival style in Santa Barbara.
