What’s Next for Franceschi Park

••• Hearth Hospitality has added to its portfolio—the Craft House Inn, the De La Vina Inn, Barbareño, Bistro Amasa—with the purchase of the 15-room Simpson House Inn at 121 E. Arrellaga Street (Anacapa/Santa Barbara) for $9.5 million and the adjacent 111 E. Arrellaga Street (below) for $2.5 million. (The Independent ran a history of the Simpson House Inn in 2016.) Over time, the two properties will be merged into one business.

••• Franceschi Park on the Riviera goes before the Historic Landmarks Commission tomorrow, January 14. The plan still calls for the house to be demolished, and happily, the simplest design was chosen, with a view terrace and interpretative markers about Dr. Francesco Franceschi. The landscaping, meanwhile, will attempt to walk the line between paying homage to Franceschi (who liked exotic species) and hewing to the horticultural norms of today.

••• Charlie Puth, whose family has a house here, plays the Santa Barbara Bowl on April 25.

••• An exhibit of photographs by Jeff Bridges opens at Tamsen Gallery on January 18. Below: “Seabiscuit” and “The Big Lebowski.”

••• Unfortunately, more shops join the list of recent closings. Below: Whistle Club at 1235 Coast Village Road. Thanks to P. for the tip.

••• A. commented that Antique Alley (706 State Street, between Ortega and De La Guerra) will close because the building is being sold. I tried calling to verify it, but the staffer couldn’t cope with the question.

••• J. pointed out that the Arrediamo rugs-and-more store is leaving the Big “Yellow” House in Summerland this week. Its shop at 911 State Street (Canon Perdido/ Carrillo) remains open.

••• And Mācher has closed its Santa Ynez store. The ones in Goleta and Carpinteria are still open.

••• Opening January 17 at Rubenstein Chan: Held in Motion, with work by Clara Berta and Chenhung Chen. Below: Berta’s “Sunrise in Gold.”

••• The Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce visitor’s center vacated the cute building at 1 Garden Street (at Cabrillo Boulevard) a few months ago—the one on State Street in the Funk Zone is still there—and so the city’s Waterfront Department will clean it up and advertise it via an RFP process this week or next. (Paging Xanadu Skate Boutique….) The structure at 1 Garden Street was originally at 214 State Street (where it was the Larco Fishmarket Building, constructed in 1911) before it was moved to the current location in 1988).

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