Revisiting the Craftsman on the Corner

Address: 803 Bath Street

Status: On the market

Price: $2,695,000

I’ve written about a lot of local houses. Sometimes, I’ll walk into a house and be unsure whether I’ve been there before. When I visited the historic Craftsman home at 803 Bath Street this week, however, there was no confusion. Instead, I had a familiar sense of nostalgia mixed with pleasant anticipation, because I was walking through the front door of an old friend.

Built in 1906, this home sits on the prominent downtown corner of Bath and De la Guerra streets. I wrote about it in 2016 and fell in love with its wide front porch, charming upstairs balcony, and the original vintage details throughout. Stepping across the threshold for the first time felt like I had traveled back to the early 20th century. Visiting a second time eight years later only intensified that sensation.

The house has all of my favorite Craftsman features, including an awesome, oversized covered front porch that runs the entire length of the home’s facade, covered by the sweeping eaves of the roof. When I saw it for the first time, I noted that the porch was sure to be used year-round. In the ensuing years, lush landscaping has been added to increase the feeling of privacy. Even though you’re right downtown, you’ve got a secluded outdoor dining room in your front yard.

Just inside the front door, the living and dining room hold court at the front of the house, separated by hidden pocket doors. Built-in cabinetry and matching window seats show off the original gleaming wood. I smiled as I admired these classic features all over again, especially the concentrically patterned hardwood floors in these two rooms. Their obvious craftsmanship is well worth an encore of appreciation.

The kitchen is beyond the dining room, and a bedroom and one bath round out the downstairs floor plan. The remaining three bedrooms and two baths lie upstairs, along with my favorite feature: a huge balcony accessed by both front bedrooms. This veranda provides a perfect lounging spot high above the neighborhood, and it echoes the front porch as an extension of living space to bring the outside in.

Throughout the house, immense improvements have been made since I last visited. Dual-paned windows have replaced the originals, and full-house air conditioning has been installed, adding quiet and comfort while staying true to the original look and feel. Even bigger changes include a newly built, architecturally equivalent garage, plus a new interior staircase leading down to the basement, which has been finished to create ample additional living space. Additional history has been uncovered as well.

In 2016, I noted what a marvel it was that all the fine shaping and finish work would have been done by hand at the turn of the century. Since then, historical documents and photographs have been uncovered, showing that the first owner of the house was a grocer named JC Kenney. Kenney used his horse-drawn cart to bring loads of sand up from the beach to use at the site of the home as it was being constructed.

Visiting 803 Bath Street for the second time really was like visiting an old friend. All the qualities that I looked forward to revisiting were on full display, and the years since we last spent time together revealed changes that made me appreciate the good old days even more.

The property at 803 Bath Street is currently for sale in Santa Barbara, listed by Alex Gallop and Bruce Venturelli of Sotheby’s International Realty. Reach Alex at (805) 451-1695 or alex.gallop@sothebys.realty. Reach Bruce at (805) 448-3644 or bruce.venturelli@sothebys.realty. See 803bathst.com.