Local architects to showcase work at ArchiTec Tour on Saturday
“Celebrating Santa Barbara” is the theme for the 13th annual ArchiTec Tour presented by the American Institute of Architects, Santa Barbara.
The in-person event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday will be followed by an after party from 4 to 6 p.m.
Included are several unique residences — a contemporary cliffside home on the Mesa, a renovated modern farmhouse in downtown Santa Barbara and two homes in Montecito that share a strong relationship with their natural surroundings.
Also on the tour are several historic building renovations and two new multifamily housing buildings downtown that offer a range of unit sizes and amenities.
Tickets are $75 for AIA members and seniors, $85 for the general public and $25 for students who must show proof of enrollment.
Attendees, who will receive a tour brochure and/ or app with maps, photos and information detailing all the projects, can meet the architects and design professionals and discover how design impacts art and art impacts design.
ArchitecTour is an annual celebration of local architecture and cultural identity. Projects on the tour showcase the design and depth of knowledge of AIA architects. The self-guided tour offers a rare opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at exceptional properties.
For more information, visit www.aiasb.com.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
Casa Anatega
Casa Anatega is a Spanish Colonial Revival-style mixed-use development at the corner of Anacapa and Ortega Streets in downtown Santa Barbara. Designed in classic Santa Barbara style architecture, the multifamily housing units are adorned with Spanish tile roofing, juliette balconies and are built around a colorful, landscaped central courtyard.
At street level, the spacious commercial/retail/restaurant space opens onto Anacapa Street, a short walk from State Street and Stearns Wharf.
Architect: Cearnal Collective.
Appleton Partners, Architects
The new location of the office and Marc Appleton Library of Appleton Partners, Architects, is rich in history. In 1931, descendants of Colonel William Wells Hollister hired the architectural firm, Edwards and Plunkett, to design a Spanish Colonial-style brick building with porches and an open garage for their family’s office. Exclusive to tour participants is a book signing with Marc Appleton from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Architect: Appleton Partners.
Modern Farmhouse
An adventurous couple bought this historic house on Olive Street in Santa Barbara, which was in need of significant repair and improvement.
No new square footage was added to the house, but portions were rearranged and simplified to meet the couple’s preferences for a more open floor plan and stronger connections to the outdoors.
Architect: Bildsten Architecture and Planning.
State and Pedregosa
Located at the southwest corner of State Street and Pedregosa, this Santa Barbara lot was a gas station for many years.
The owners waited almost 20 years for the passive soil contamination to reach a level of development.
The desire to embrace Santa Barbara’s heritage style of Spanish colonial was important. The project is a mixture of residential duplexes and a small commercial building. Garden walls and separate patio gates have been carefully placed to balance the feeling of privacy and openness while still encouraging a sense of neighborhood within the complex.
Architect: Thomas Ochsner.
Pepper Lane
Designed to bring the outside in, this residence was under construction for a major remodel when the Montecito mud flow almost completely destroyed it.
The residence was originally constructed in 1978 as a modest three-bedroom French influenced contemporary. The new design reconfigured the dated architectural forms and compartmentalized floor plan into open interior spaces that seamlessly flow to the outside. The new program included an ADU and pool pavilion.
Architect: Thomas Ochsner
Cabrillo Commercial Complex
Home to an aging restaurant for 30 years, the Cabrillo Commercial Complex renovation project involved breathing new life back into an existing, deteriorating building on a prominent site.
Remaining true to the architectural style of downtown Santa Barbara, layering of lighting and natural materials combine to create a dynamic exterior and interior dining experience adjacent to a historic waterfront setting. Essential to the design solution was the introduction of several pedestrian-oriented outdoor dining spaces on both lower and upper levels, activating the street-front facade.
Architect: DMHA Architecture + Interior Design in association with Henry Lenny Design.
Romero Canyon
Organized around a large central courtyard with a pool, the compound’s four structures include a single-story residence, a pool cabana, a recreational structure and a two-car garage.
The buildings in Montecito are carefully sited around several large existing oak trees and oriented to take advantage of sweeping views of the Santa Ynez Mountains.
Architect: Studio William Hefner.
Mayee Plaza
This mixed-use development is located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara at 226 E. De La Guerra St.
The building is a central two-story Monterey style structure, surrounded by three-story Spanish Colonial-style apartment housing. Beneath it all is a garage that features automated parking lifts to provide maximum parking in the minimum amount of space.
Architect: Cearnal Collective.
Edge House
The residence utilizes an “upside-down” floor plan with the kitchen, dining, living room and primary suite upstairs, and the entrance and guest rooms downstairs. Also a feature of the ground floor is the elegant carport with its magnificent, exposed, steel structural system.
The home’s four façades were designed to each be in direct dialogue with the surroundings facing it.
Architect: Winick Architects.
