Two Myths about Santa Barbara
I wrote my history of how Santa Barbara became the way it is, Santa Barbara: An Uncommonplace American Town (2020)in part to dispel two common myths about the city. One is that the 1925 earthquake devastated Santa Barbara.
As an example, a few years ago there was an exhibit in the lobby of the County Administration Building in Santa Barbara about the earthquake. The information posted with photographs of damaged buildings included both myths. It said that 85 percent of the commercial buildings in the city were destroyed. The actual number was between 15 percent and 18 percent.
According to a report prepared by a group of engineers who inspected 411 commercial buildings between July 1 and July 3, 1925, 74, or 18 percent, were totally destroyed or had to be demolished. (This number includes 14 “shacks.” It’s 15 percent without the shacks.) The remainder were repairable or fine to use as they were. Because so many of the unreinforced brick facades of State Street buildings collapsed (making for some very dramatic photographs) there were many opportunities when repairing them to do it in Spanish Colonial Revival style.
The other myth is that Pearl Chase was responsible for Santa Barbara’s iconic look. The idea of building in Spanish style originated with Irene Hoffmann; her husband, Bernhard, carried it out. After they left Santa Barbara in 1927, Pearl Chase carried on their work while referring to it in a letter to Bernhard Hoffmann as “your project.”
In his book Santa Barbara History Makers, Walker Tompkinshas chapters on Chase and Hoffmann. While Miss Chase had much to do with the beautification of Santa Barbara, the Chase chapter says nothing about her and architecture. The one about Hoffmann gives him all the credit for the city’s iconic architectural style. A Michael Redmon article about Hoffmann also credits him with being the one responsible.
I recently had an email exchange with Cheri Rae, author of a full-length biography (2024) about Miss Chase. On October 18, 2024, she wrote, “Without the Hoffmanns arriving on the scene, I have my doubts that Pearl would have been able to do much beyond her social work.”
What a different view of Miss Chase! Still, the Hoffmanns and Miss Chase together helped create this special place.