Okay, I feel as though I just took a trip to Greece - Thank you! Love, love your travel log!
These walking photo tours are great. It’s really the best way to notice all the fascinating details in a neighborhood. Regarding the yellow lamppost flourishes: they were meant to represent wind blown corn tassels. P.S. you somehow missed The Shop restaurant. Creative casual delicious food!
Sharon,
What town/city was friend's driveway in?
Great stuff! Keep on sharing. Love the local ‘editorial’ perspective on things SB and…elsewhere.
Wonderful photos and scribe??
I had the giant stiletto made for a dear friends birthday years ago! She didn’t know what to do since she had it in storage for years… so she put it outside on her driveway and someone picked it up and next thing we know it’s on the highway!?
Huguette Clark generously left her property, the home that her mother built in Santa Barbara, to the private Bellosguardo Foundation, not to the city of Santa Barbara. People keep saying, "it's ours," but it's not. It belongs to a private foundation, as her will directed.
Second, the foundation's primary purpose, according to the will, is "fostering and promoting the arts." The president and board chairman of that foundation have laid out how they intend to do that: long term, with art exhibitions and arts events, but a lot has to be done to get to that point; and in the short term, starting as soon as possible to have public tours of the mansion.
Third, the foundation, like other property owners, is allowed to have private events without needing a permit.
Fourth, events such as wedding parties help the foundation accomplish its goals by raising funds for its publicly stated plans of opening the property to the public, the very goal the author of this piece claims the foundation is not working toward.
Fifth, city meetings -- with minutes and videos and plans available online -- show that the foundation is doing what it has promised: working to open the home to the public, planning public restrooms and a ramp to meet ADA requirements, and sufficient parking. The foundation president, Jeremy Lindaman, made public comments at these public meetings, describing the foundation's plans to open for public tours as soon as possible, as soon as it gets the city's approval. You'll be able to go online, buy a ticket for a docent-led tour.
Sixth, the foundation did not take possession of the Clark property until 2017. These things take time. Especially in a home not used for 60 years.
Seventh, the foundation and the Santa Barbara Historical Museum are planning an exhibition of artwork by Huguette Clark, art which just came to the foundation this summer from her estate.
In short, I'm glad that Mrs. Clark's home is on its way toward meeting her stated goal of promoting the arts.
I was glad to help lead a tour of the home as a fundraiser for the foundation. I did this as a volunteer, for no pay, just as others in the community have generously volunteered many hours of their time. The tour that I helped lead was advertised on the foundation's website. Again, raising money for a charity so it can meet its goals is a good thing.
It's a good thing that the Bellosguardo Foundation is making ambitious and thoughtful plans.
It's a good thing that it is raising money, partly by being a sought-after venue for weddings.
Raising money will allow it to open this historic home for public tours, once it gets full city approval.
See more info and photos at http://facebook.com/investigative.reporter.
Bill Dedman
co-author of "Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune"
Reach me at [email protected].
You got it!
In the Los Arcos building, at the corner of East Ortega and Anacapa Streets.
Bellosguardo is a cluster .....
Another masterpiece by Mary Beth. What a dynamic duo. The property is so thoughtful in every way. A hidden gem and a gift to the community.
I'm in complete agreement.....including five star food poisoning!!! Sadly, it happens.
Hopefully our town won't end up divided into "teams." I agree Alex's isn't a Michelin Star destination, but they have no trouble doing business so there are many people who like it even if you're not one. They never missed rent, even during the pandemic. The decision to end their lease seems like an aesthetic one by the business owner. And perhaps also motivated by the profit sharing agreement for tenants at the Country Mart (which works for some, but I also know other local business owners who have been propositioned to join the Mart and declined because of this arrangement). While the private property owner certainly has the right to do whatever he wants, longtime community members don't have to like it. Some of us think something is lost when the texture of everything is leveled to the same glossy sheen. And FWIW, I got food poisoning at a five star hotel, but I digress.
I agree. The same people who shop at much of the high-end retail are also many of the people who eat at Little Alex's. A few weekends ago we got coffee at Cafe Luxxe, picked up an $85 cake at Merci, snagged a $125 birthday present at Mate Gallery for the cake recipient, and then got breakfast burritos to go at Alex's, where I've been eating since I was a little one. This stinks of aesthetic cleansing, and while I also love Corazon, towns filled with chains, even nice local ones, become boring quickly. Try living in London. Every neighborhood has the same 15 local chains on its high street and it's surprisingly dull once you realize this.
I'm confused...do people actually think Little Alex's was....good? I've eaten there a handful of times and the food was always downright awful. No seasoning, no creativity...and they gave me food poisoning once. Put me on team Corazon!
I have to challenge "Country Mart needs traffic to support its high-end retail and Little Alex's just wasn't going to do that". It would be interesting to see just how much traffic Little Alex does generate - resulting in more customers for the entire Mart. There are just too many of us who regularly frequent Little Alex (a destination business in my mind) compared to some of the other merchants in the center. Can't help but think it goes deeper than this. Many of us are not ok with the decision for what it's worth. If it was aesthetics, this certainly could have been worked out - wish more of us knew earlier if it could have been fixable. They have a tremendous amount of community support, and many of us would have helped.
I just so love Shelton's playful work.
I updated the link and it should work now.
Link for the 2910 Sycamore Cnyn project doesn’t work.
It’s right near the desal plant, right? /s
I’m with you. SB has plenty of hotels. We need more housing for locals who are aware of our water emergency.
Little Alex’s provides great food at a good value. It is a shame that the landlord thinks Montecito wants only a high-end Brentwood style “country mart” for our visitors from LA.
It’s a magnificent looking house. Thank you so much for sharing this treasure.
The news about Little Alex's is depressing. I had hoped to hear it was a retirement, not a forced closure.
Nope. There's no liquor-license application for the address yet.
Do we know who is taking over Santa Barbara Winery’s old spot?
