Planet Protectors is a great local organization who is diverting Type 2 and Type 4 plastics from landfills - check them out!
Here's some good trivia and I swear it's not an April Fools joke. That tree you see leaning to the right is a Cook Pine, native to New Caledonia. It's unique that it leans to the south in the northern hemisphere, the farther away from the equator the more it leans. And south of the equator it leans north.
I love your humor! Keep it up!
Ha! We should call them the "Worsties." I went down a bit of a downtown historic rabbit hole this weekend, and found this amazing document with lovely photos and information about State Street as it existed in 1971:
https://issuu.com/santabarbaramuseum/docs/noticias_17_4_winter_1971
The main point that I was making before - that the HLC puts theme above all else - even at the expense of actual historic structures that are not Spanish Revival. Nowhere is this more evident than on page 41, where you can see what 834 State Street used to look like. It was a wonderful piece of architecture, that has since been given a "facelift" that utterly wrecked the original lines, seemingly in the name of theme. That was a BEAUTIFUL building to my eye, and now it's just part of the Spanish Revival Borg. (Trekkies will get that one.) The same happened catty corner to the building that was Forever 21. If you look on page 37, you'll see it had simple, modern lines. Maybe not the most exciting thing, but it's since been redone and themed to the hilt. The same for the Crocker Building that was on the corner of Carillo and State (page 25)- an absolutely LOVELY piece of mid century modern architecture, since given the same treatment. I hope that the same fate doesn't await the Marshall's building - It needs a little sprucing up, but I love the dramatic eaves and columns. All of this asks the question - what is historic preservation? Is it preserving historic structures, as wonderful time capsules of the time in which they were made, or is it forcing all building over time to conform to one single architectural style?
the pink outline is not part of the design, it depicts the neighbor property and the easement which give access to the self storage (dashed green area) the 40 unit 5 story is the south part of 102 WDLG and the storage is in the north side
The Keebler Kottage
The Frontier building is gorgeous. It’s such a shame it can’t become housing but I suspected as much. (I have similar concerns/questions about the News Press building.) The proposed building could be worse. At least it has some color with the green windows (please don’t let them end up black) and it’s white stucco, not craptastic cladding. Cearnal seems to have a near monopoly on proposals for downtown. What gives?
The ugly “Golds Gym” building is on Upper State across from Seven Points. Sorry, I don’t know its real name. We should have a contest! What’s the ugliest building in Santa Barbara? It would be interesting to see the range of buildings and opinions.
This is above Jules by the Sea’s new shop on upper state street. It is next to the SB Pack and Post and US Bank.
3rd Window Smashburger?
I agree. Love Shelton’s creativity and the combination of whimsy and classic Spanish style. When I first saw his work I immediately thought of the famous Spanish architect, Antoni Gaudi, who helped make Barcelona such an unique place. I think Jeff and his vision has enhanced Santa Barbara and contributed to our status as a beautiful city filled with remarkable architecture.
It seems appropriate to point out the background behind this one:
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/02/santa-barbara-grandfather-dies-after-being-hit-by-truck-in-crosswalk/
As locals, we frequently drive from Ventura to Santa Barbara. She makes me feel elegant and always makes me smile which makes me feel great! I always blow her a kiss and miss her when she was gone. Thank you for sharing the story of The Red Stiletto.
The Gingerbreadies?
The Solvang "house" deserves some kind of award - - but what would you call it? ; - )
Just curious - is it the Marshall's building that you refer to as the "Gold's Gym" building?
Wow, all this piling-on Jeff Shelton and the SB "look". I know I won't convince the critics here, but I love both. The argument for the HLC and preserving the SB Spanish Revival look can be found in almost any other city anyplace in the U.S. There is a new "look" out there that is repeated everywhere - metal siding, concrete, small balconies and bland bland bland. But cheap to build! If you like that sort of thing, Oxnard is there for you. I see new buildings going up in Carp that could as easily be built in Des Moines. Does the HLC go overboard sometimes? Maybe, but I prefer that to no care at all.
As far as Jeff Shelton is concerned, I like the creativity. He pushes the HLC to accept creativity within their restrictions. His buildings make people smile (at least the ones I drag downtown to look at them). You can't say that about the cement monstrosity I call the Gold's Gym building on Upper State or some of the other squat gray blocks in other towns.
One vote anyway . . .
Oh God no. I'd sooner eat Dominos.
And to add - the problem here is not really architects or architecture schools - the issue is the HLC and Design Review Board. They say there's no dumb questions, but I'd submit that "what would a multi-story municipal garage look like in the Spanish Revival style look like" is actually a very dumb question, and leads to extremely odd disputes like whether or not solar panels on the roof of said structure look like pergolas or not. Or extended fights over the color of bike docking stations. This is how you end up with countless architectural features whose sole purpose is to comply with theme, rather than serve an actual purpose. The El Paseo district above all is littered with fake balconies, cement painted to look like wood and other such oddities that serve one and only one purpose - to adhere to theme in a way that would make Walt Disney proud. The sad truth is that the surest way to develop a property with the current oversight structure is to propose that it's got stucco walls, some metalwork and a red tile roof. Instead of highlighting the actual historic structures we have - which are on the balance wonderful - these in my mind only cheapen them, offering crappy generic looking versions of the same idea, over and over again. One only has to look to Solvang or the French Quarter of New Orleans (where the current city historian served) to see that the eventual end point of thinking of your downtown as a theme park is the creation of spaces that serve the tourist visitors only, and become spaces that locals want nothing to do with. Unless, of course, you're Jeff Shelton, then yeah go ahead and make a building shaped like a shoe.
This post is riddled with falsehoods and inaccuracies: Huguette had not visited Bellosguardo since the 1950s. She did not own Madison Square Garden, nor did she winter in Hawaii or own a home there. And so on...
SBSince I actually agree with you that the idea that the default look for SB buildings should be some vaguely Spanish-Revival-ishhhhh has gone wayyyyyy too far. Especially in the downtown area, the purpose of the HLC seems to have morphed from preserving historic structures, to enforcing an almost theme park level of uniformity. But. I also think Jeff Shelton's stuff is wack.
Yes, every building should be a bland shade of white with orange tile roofs. As taught in art and architecture schools, all design should conform to the norm, as all good art and architecture looks the same, not like his.
(this is sarcasm).
I don’t understand Jeff Shelton architecture, It looks like a childish cartoon. In my opinion it doesn’t match SB at all especially in main areas like the State street underpass. Don’t like it at all.
I've studied Art, Design and Architecture my whole life. I don't get it either...
I heard it's going to be a Rusty's.
