Customer Reviews

Santa Barbara Architecture: From Spanish Colonial to Modern

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I browsed this book at Borders today. This is a labor of love. From the turn of the century to the present day, it has at least one photo of every building of significance and by every prominent architect of Santa Barbara, Monticito, and Hope Ranch. There are many buildings by local architects as well as by famous ones. Also, the landscape architect is listed when that is appropriate. I loved this book because I have visited Santa Barbara many times and fantasised about living there. In fact, for me, Santa Barbara is the most beautiful place I have actually been to. For those readers who love architecture, this is a must have book: Mission style, Bungalow style, Spanish Revival, Mission Revival,Hacienda, Classical, Modern, Prarie Style, Californian, all are represented here. More importantly, the homes (mostly, but many government buildings are shown also), were commissioned by clients with the money to make the scale of the project majestic enough to last the ages. I have great pleasure is being inside beautiful homes, and this affords us a chance to see buildings that we ordinarily never would. If you can afford it,buy this book and have many years of browsing and dreaming.

Santa Barbara Architecture, From Spanish Colonial to Modern, is a wonderful informative book for this genre of architecture. It is a survey book, following lovely homes and businesses for blocks and blocks of neighborhoods in Santa Barbara. As an architectural student, I found it very informative and correct. Spanish detailing is abundant. My only criticism is that the pictures would have been better if they were in color, given all the color in Spanish, mission-style architecture. However, it's well worth the price just for the information.

I had purchased the original edition of this book in the 1970's when I moved to Santa Barbara and it was getting a little dog-eared so I got the newest one expecting it to be mainly a reprint. I was surprised to find a large number of new entries done in the same style as the original. The text accompanying the photos by Patricia Halloran is refreshingly factual (rather than art-speak) although very brief. Most of the photos are excellent although all are still in black and white. For those wishing to view the actual buildings, street addresses are given in Santa Barbara proper, but not for those in the "royalty regions" of Hope Ranch and Montecitio.

This book is fantastic, the images are first rate and the book is very thorough, I found the text to be highly informative. When someone asks me where I would love to live if I could live anywhere, this is always my first choice, over Provance, over New South Wales, over anywhere, this is the place. The perfect climate, the wonderful architecture, the proximity to L.A., frankly this place is heaven on earth. This book lets you in on what makes Santa Barbara so special and the buildings chosen are perfect. I really can't say enough about this book, it is a book you will referance frequently and be proud to own. I assure you even if you have wonderful books, if you had one or two books to save this would be one, it is that good.