Santa Barbara County Courthouse

The 1925 earthquake killed thirteen people and finished a Greek Revival courthouse that had stood on this block since the 1870s. What replaced it was a decision about identity as much as a building. The county hired William Mooser III, who had trained in Paris and spent seventeen years in France and Spain, and new codes pushed the rebuilt downtown toward Spanish design. Mooser said he meant the supervisors' meeting room as a throne room. It is painted wall to wall with the story of the conquest.

What the plaque says

Santa Barbara County Courthouse The Santa Barbara County Courthouse is one of America's finest representations of Spanish-Andalusian architecture in a public structure. It stands as the prized jewel of the county whose people it serves and whose visitors it delights. After the devastating earthquake of 1925, the County of Santa Barbara hired the William Mooser Company to design a new home for county government. The building was completed in August 1929 at a cost of $1.3 million and is the culmination of community spirit, county leadership and the will of a people to express their historic roots. Architects, designers, artisans and craftsmen employed their talents in this building and the surrounding landscape with consummate levels of skill. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 1037 Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Office of the County Architect, County Parks, Courthouse Docent Council and the Pearl Chase Society, March 16, 2004.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Hill-Carrillo Adobe — steps away
• Old Lobero Theatre — 0.2 mi
• Site of Royal Spanish Presidio of Santa Barbara — 0.2 mi
• De La Guerra Plaza — 0.3 mi