Santa Barbara Courthouse: Simple Exterior, Vibrant Interior

In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we visit a courthouse that expresses Spanish Andalusian style.

Constructed primarily with stucco walls and a terracotta roof, the courthouse is surrounded by a lush landscape. The 85-foot-tall clock tower with tall arched openings maintains its original clockworks and the clock has always kept good time. Surrounding the clock tower is a wrought-iron railing. The principal garden-side enhancement to the plain stucco walls is the carved sandstone façade surrounding the portal. Nagel Photography/Shutterstock

Taking up an entire block on more than four acres in downtown Santa Barbara, California, is the sprawling county courthouse, built in 1929.

The courthouse follows a modified-castle architectural plan designed by San Francisco-based firm William Moser Co., headed by father-and-son duo William Moser II and William Moser III. Having resided in Italy and Spain and studied at the famous Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, the younger Moser primarily informed the distinct architectural drawings of draftsman J. Wilmer Hershey.

Thus, the courthouse’s appearance became a collaborative project to achieve a basic Spanish Andalusian style, while reflecting an eclectic expression of additional styles. The courthouse’s aesthetic influences drew from Moorish and Spanish Colonial as well as classical Greek and Roman architecture.

Shaped like a capital “L,” the courthouse compound joins four buildings via arches, loggia, porticos, and doorways. The interior part of the “L” comprises a sunken lawn garden space. In true castle-like form, the design includes a clock tower as well as a rotunda tower, which is located at the inner corner of the two long wings.

From the pale yellow stucco exterior walls to the brightly painted murals of the original courthouse, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse is a favorite photo spot for special occasions.

The total building's 148,000 square footage is evident from this aerial view. The architecture mimics the look of a fortress or small castle, reflecting the intention of the original building supervisors and architects. The main portal’s carved-sandstone arched façade features a fountain flanked by 20-foot-tall Corinthian columns. The elaborate details of this pass-through from street to garden distinguish it from the structure's muted stucco walls. Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock

The garden-facing portal is set off by an asymmetrical carved sandstone facade that features Grecian-style carvings. These include a Titan image of strength at the center point of the arch, which is outlined in classic dental molding. A multilayer, inset Romanesque rose window is a standout among the variously sized arched and rectangular windows. Claudine Van Massenhove/Shutterstock

The original courthouse in Santa Barbara is where many couples choose to marry. Its stunningly colorful murals by California artist Dan Sayre Groesbeck depict the town’s early history of indigenous peoples before the Spaniards arrived, as well as 19th- and 20th-century history. Dark-stained oak and walnut pews and furnishings fill the space. Multitiered iron chandeliers hang from an open ceiling with exposed beams that were stenciled with copper-zinc-alloy paint to mimic gold leaf. The salmon-hued tile floor is inset with painted decorative tiles. Nagel Photography/Shutterstock

Multiple wide pointed arches provide a cavernous tunnel feel to one of the structure's long hallways. Iron and glass lanterns in a Spanish galleon-style hang from each arch. In between the arches are exposed wooden beams that contrast with the light color of the walls. The only other embellishments are the hand-carved benches situated on the tile floor. Nagel Photography/Shutterstock

The covered walkway area of the courthouse, referred to as a loggia, features a series of arched and columned openings to the garden. From the painted ceiling hang Moorish-style lanterns, defined by their unique glass and metal ornamentations. The loggia floor is tiled with terracotta throughout. Emily Marie Wilson/Shutterstock

Sixteen painted columns, each topped with a carved acanthus leaf design, support the spiral banister in the stairwell. Earth-tone Moorish tilework decorates the circular space, and an eight-pointed star pattern is the floor’s centerpiece. Inside the star is a bronze medallion engraved with “Native Sons of the Golden West,” the iconic California grizzly bear symbol, and the date of the building's dedication: Aug. 14, 1929. Emily Marie Wilson/Shutterstock

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