january

the iconic old mission santa barbara gets its name from the legend of saint barbara, the patron saint of mathematics and engineering. built in 1786, it remains under the guidance of franciscan friars who still reside in it to this day.

february

a winter wedding at the santa barbara county courthouse. it was built in 1929 in the spanish colonial revival style, an architectural style mandated by the city after the earthquake of 1925.

march

the granada theater hosts world-renowned dancers, artists, and authors. christen waits for aleks at the good lion, as they meet for brian greene's deeply existential talk about the cosmos and the nature of consciousness.

april

distancing itself from the doctrines of the other half of the methodist church, after a division over gay rights, this church has its doors open to all.

may

helena street in the funk zone, which is home to wine tasting rooms and local art galleries. santa barbara ranks 9th out of 367 municipalities across the country in working artists per capita.

june

the arlington theatre is the largest theatre in santa barbara. It was built in 1930 with a unique combination of mission revival and spanish colonial revival styles and serviced the movie industry for over 90 years.

july

local artist james jarvaise, influenced by moorish architecture, recovered these gothic church doors and incorporated them into his estate on foothill road. the doors are set into a traditionally designed moorish wall setting encompassing the ogival arch within a semicircular archway.

august

el zapato on garden street is one of many phantasmagorical buildings throughout the city designed by jeff shelton, who is continually challenging santa barbara's strict adherence to the spanish colonial revival architectural style.

september

the santa barbara county's hall of records is the well guarded northwest wing of the county courthouse. these defensive doors are ornamented by 30 hammered copper panels depicting california and santa barbara history.

october

the sacred space is an amalgamation of southeast asian architecture, landscaping, and iconography that can be summarized as an experience more so than a place. It is located in summerland, a community near santa barbara known for its promulgation of spiritualism in the 19th century.

november

meridian studios on de la guerra street, built by the famous architect george washington smith in 1923, is a vibrant studio reminiscent of a thriving movie industry that was at the center of santa barbara's economy a century ago.

december

our lady of sorrows church, relocated in 1929, traces its origins to the chapel serving the presidio of santa barbara in 1792. It was built in the spanish romanesque architectural style by father junipero serra.