There’s a Fisherman’s Inn sign visible from De La Vina, just above Cota. Was a hotel once at that location? —L.
I had never noticed it before, so the first thing I did was go take a look. The sign is on 613 Bradbury Avenue, the building behind 124 W. Cota Street.
John Ummel of Free Walking Tours Santa Barbara was helpful back when someone asked about the history of 124 W. Cota Street, the building to the south, so I tried him again. He pointed out that if you look closely at the bracket, you can see “RI” and “1973” near the wall. “Based on your prior article about 124 W. Cota, we know that a German restaurant called Redwood Inn did operate there, and I believe that date coincides with the opening of the Redwood Inn.”
Ummel then tracked down Jim Smock Jr., who owns the two buildings and who was the owner of the Redwood Inn. “Jim was given that sign by Richard Hedley, who owned, as I understand it, part of the Harbor Restaurant along with the Castagnolas. Richard was very adept at making or restoring nautical stuff, much of it put in the Harbor Restaurant. He owned other restaurants, too (e.g., Poor Richard’s in the Carrillo Street building that’s now Rusty’s Pizza). Richard made that sign, according to Jim, for one of his restaurants—presumably the Fisherman’s Inn, which Jim believes was located somewhere in Southern California.” Smock invited Ummel to visit the Bradbury Avenue building, which he uses for woodworking and storage. Among the many good reasons to take Free Walking Tours’ Old Town Tour is that you’ll get to see photos of what’s inside. Here’s how he describes it:
What makes this house standout is not its architecture or its past use as a restaurant and antique shop, but the back of the house that serves as a workshop for Jim Smock Jr. Jim is a collector and wood worker extraordinaire. He started out making the wooden carousel animals at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk amusement park. Now he spends his time “whittling” away making Disney characters, Nutcrackers, Winnie the Pooh characters, and just about anything else from wood. The workshop and house are stuffed with his many creations but also serve as a collector’s bonanza: including WWII memorabilia, carnival arcade games, original old movie posters, neon beer signs, cigar stands, mounted buffalo heads, and vintage electric guitars—some of which he made himself!
Is there a question you’d like investigated? Email [email protected] or text 917-209-6473.
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Previous Burning Questions:
••• What are those old buildings at the corner of Castillo and Montecito streets?
••• What’s this scaffold structure on Las Positas Road?
••• Why does street striping take so long to happen?
↓↓↓ Why do rocket launches look the way they do?
••• How is the San Ysidro Debris Basin designed to work?
••• What’s this building on Helena Avenue?
••• What are those old pilings in Arroyo Burro Creek?
••• What’s this building under construction in Toro Canyon?
••• What’s the story behind the seal of the City of Santa Barbara?
••• Butterfly Beach steps, green power lines, SBAG license plates, and more
••• What’s this pole with a flashing blue light?
••• What are these sculptures on the Riviera?
••• What’s the origin story of this fence on Hot Springs Road?
••• Why is part of this West Beach mosaic covered in concrete?
••• What was the Weeping Willow Inn?
••• What does the “S” on certain chimneys stand for?
••• What’s the status of the decommissioning of Rincon Island?
••• What happened to the gas flame on Highway 101?
••• What do we know about the proposed apartment complex at 1 Hot Springs Road?
••• What’s the history of this tower on Ortega Ridge?
••• What’s up with these sculptures on a hillside in Summerland?
••• Is there a master plan for the new walking paths in Montecito?
••• Why are the Thousand Steps still wet?
••• What’s happening with Sola Street?
••• Why is this lot on Milpas Street still vacant?
••• Where else do cruise ships that visit here go?
••• What is this large memorial in Ennisbrook?
••• Who bought the former St. Mary’s seminary—and why?
••• What will happen to the SBPD building when the new building is completed?
••• What’s the story with this house on W. Cota Street?
••• What are those little houses on Santa Barbara Street?
••• What’s the point of this light pole near the freeway?
••• What’s inside Paseo Nuevo’s State Street tower?
••• What’s the point of these markings on Laguna Street?
••• Why is there a giant red shoe off Highway 101?
••• What’s up with the “no e-bike” signs on local trails?
••• Why is Franceschi House in a holding pattern?
••• What’s happening with this derelict house in Summerland?
••• Can you explain how sundowner winds work?
••• Why is there a pressure cooker attached to this utility pole?
••• What’s this concrete ramp thing on East Beach?
••• Why does “USA” get written on the street?
••• What are those poles in the ocean near the Ritz-Carlton Bacara?
••• Are people really allowed to set fires in the middle of Montecito?
••• What’s the story with the half-finished lot next to the Montecito Country Mart?
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