100 years later, historian Neal Graffy explains how the earthquake affected local architecture and made the city a tourist destination
The 1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake is known for the devastation it inflicted on the community, but its impact is still seen today in the architecture and designs that have made the city the tourist destination it is now.
Neal Graffy, a local historian, shared the earthquake's impact on Santa Barbara's architecture during a Visit Santa Barbara presentation Thursday, ahead of the event's 100 anniversary in June.
Graffy explained that the natural disaster that killed 13 people and devastated downtown Santa Barbara a century ago directly led to the creation of the city's most famous landmarks and the reconstruction that created the iconic "Santa Barbara style."
He described the history of Santa Barbara as a colorful tapestry with multiple events and people acting like threads that make up the larger history.
"And each thread carries its own story, and yet it's part of the whole story. You can pull one thread and thinking that it's just a small piece, and yet an entire part of the tapestry will dissolve," Graffy said.
Despite its reputation as a tourist destination now, the early days of Santa Barbara were not appealing to many. People back east saw California as the Wild West, full of danger and lawlessness, he said.
After the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, there was a push to bring new people to California. According to Graffy, people worked to rehab the state's image by bringing on writer Charles Nordhoff to produce glowing reviews about the state.
Nordhoff was a writer for Harper's Magazine, and he collected his thoughts in a book titled "California: for health, pleasure, and residence. A book for travellers and settlers."
In his book, Nordhoff praised Santa Barbara's proximity to the ocean and the mountains to the north. He also complimented the weather, which he said was not extreme.
The kind words helped to change the city's image, and a series of hotels would pop up in the years after, including the 90-room Arlington Hotel.
Graffy said that put the city on the map as a wellness destination for tourists looking for first-class accommodations.
"The San Francisco newspaper summed it all up. 'After the climate, the Arlington Hotel has done more than any other agency towards giving Santa Barbara its favorable reputation as a health and a pleasure resort,'" Graffy said.
By 1925, the city had multiple first-class hotels, such as the Potter Resort.
Despite the destruction, Graffy said some buildings were able to survive due to the fact that they were constructed from wood. Other buildings were made from brick, which does not move as much as wood and is more prone to collapsing in a quake.
When the earthquake hit the city in 1925, it left about 4 miles of damage. State Street itself saw damage extend as far as one and a half miles from the Hotel Californian to Sola Street.
In the aftermath, there was a push for Santa Barbara to develop a building code that would require a unified Spanish architectural style.
Graffy explained that due to the building code, some of the city's buildings that were built in the 1800s and designed with the Victorian style now have a Spanish décor.
Graffy said that the new architecture was a hit with tourists who appreciated the unique style and how well the buildings flowed together due to the community's effort.
He ended by talking about how the community came together to rebuild after the earthquake and how that spirit has continued today. He referenced the 2018 Montecito debris flows and other natural disasters where the community stepped up to help others.
"And I think what makes Santa Barbara so delightfully special is that we take whatever barriers that normally people would see between us, they're gone, and we are just one community," he said.
Community events and historical exhibits are planned for the centennial anniversary of the June 29, 1925, Santa Barbara Earthquake.