••• Edhat ran a Goleta History post about two decrepit airplane hangars near the airport, noting that they date from the early 1930s and are slated to be demolished, and arguing that they should be preserved, possibly as an aviation museum. As a renowned sightskipper, I’d prefer that Santa Barbara spend as much time thinking about the future as it does about the past. (Related: the Goleta History post kicks off with driving directions to find the hangars, and you know I like discovering new areas, so I went for a look. The hangars were interesting enough, but for me the real architectural winner is this beauty next door. UPDATE: Lucas says that the beauty next door “was the headquarters for Deckers Outdoor for decades before they moved into the new buildings on Coromar in 2014-2015 or so.”)
••• Noozhawk wrote about the battle between former Countrywide Financial CEO Angelo Mozilo and the Montecito Club, which—as first reported here in March—”is seeking after-the-fact, so-called ‘as-built’ approval from the seven-member panel for two pickle ball hard courts, a sand volleyball court, a turf soccer filed, a children’s sliding hill, a batting cage, an unroofed trellis, retaining walls to extend the event lawn, and other landscaping, hardscaping and grading.” Leaving aside the attorney’s rants and the totally irrelevant plea from a member (“It is my humble request and imperative statement that I say this MUST be approved for my family’s sake”), the article is mostly a rehash of what we already knew. I did find this interesting, though: “The batting cage on the family event lawn replaced three approved golf hitting bays. The two pickle ball courts and sand volleyball court replaced one play court previously approved. The grading created a children’s sliding hill.” Now read that again and imagine how much noisier the changes must have made the area.
••• Someone is inflating a white elephant around town but not explaining why just yet. —Independent
••• An update on the drought situation and water supplies. —Noozhawk
••• A pedestrian bridge in Hope Ranch “used to have a metal sign advising drivers ‘No Motor Vehicles.’ However, a bicyclist hit the sign and got injured. Since the sign was removed”—the accident was the sign’s fault?—”neighbors have complained to Santa Barbara County about people driving their cars over the bridge.” Now it will get “striping and a sign on the median to prevent cars from using the bridge.” —KEYT
••• From a Sansum Clinic press release on Edhat: “Sansum Clinic is now offering elective rapid Covid-19 testing so people can return safely to travel, sporting or music events, or any personal reason not related to suspicion of Covid infection. […] The test is performed using the direct nasal swab method. These rapid Covid-19 tests are performed 7 days a week at our Urgent Care location at 215 Pesetas Lane. Walk-in and same-day appointments are offered, or you can schedule up to 4 weeks in advance through MyChart, or by calling 805-563-6110. Test results take approximately 20 minutes and a printed copy of the result is provided. There is a fee of $100 due at the time of the test that will not be billable to health insurance. Individuals age 4 and older are eligible for testing.” If anyone out there works at Sansum, I wouldn’t mind being added to the distribution list for these announcements.
••• Circus Vargas opens this week at the Earl Warren Showgrounds. —Santa Barbara News-Press
••• The new issue of 805 Living has an item about two new boatels docked in the Ventura harbor and a profile of designer Carly Blumberg, who has opened a store, Carly Home, in the Meiners Oaks part of Ojai.
••• As if SFGate’s recent travel story on Ostrichland wasn’t dopey enough, now the publication is calling Solvang an “adult Disneyland.” Talk about setting people up for disappointment….
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I share your feelings that Santa Barbara ought to revere and preserve the past as much as construct its future. Old structures provide crucial texture and character and in my opinion this includes the hangars. Something is lost when we demolish everything old and only preserve a few pristine specimens embodying an exalted style (for SB that’s Spanish). It’s too bad about the hangars and I’d love to see a way we could save more old things. I believe you can see the back of them from Hollister but I could be wrong. We’ve recently been enjoying getting coffee at Dean and milling around the area for a change of scenery from our usual SB routine. There are some real architectural monsters nearby (like the tire store on Fairview) but I love the look of the old hangars and I like that the airport echoed design elements from hangars in the new development where Dean is located (corrugated metal, etc. – the airport owns the buildings). My other favorite relic in the area is the still very much in business Orient Laundry. And I’d love to see something new go in the defunct Elephant Bar space – maybe a great family-friendly brewery with excellent food. A facelift to better match the airport zone would be go a long way toward turning it into a successful destination.
Then again, perhaps I’ve misunderstood you and you’re actually convinced they should be demolished! I read this before coffee and am now doubting my interpretation. :) Either way, I stand by my opinion. I love the old date palms too and hope they’ll be preserved. One can dream.
I adore old buildings but these strike me as (a) beyond repair and (b) unlikely to be much of a draw if rehabilitated into a museum about the history of local aviation. (The airport terminal seems like a far better spot for such a museum.) And that land, in a city that doesn’t have much to spare, could be put to much better use. For example, incentivize a landowner in the Garden/Haley area to move industrial operations there and build residential close to downtown.
I agree; I don’t think best use is an aviation museum. Aviation museums appeal to exactly one specific group: aviation enthusiasts. Ha. I’d love to see the hangars either salvaged or something rebuilt in a very similar style for a purpose like you mentioned. Then again, despite zero interest in aviation, I just adore hangars so I’m biased. I also love a bit of decay, if it’s the right sort. I’d hate to live somewhere pristine to the point of perfection. It doesn’t feel right, and there’s something romantic and magical to me about a bit of rot a la New Orleans or Rome or Hong Kong (before the last few years as things like flakey old neon signs disappear and are replaced by glaring LED). I’ll keep enjoying the hangars and the palms and the overgrown lot as long as it lasts.
That beauty next to the hangars was the headquarters for Deckers Outdoor for decades before they moved into the new buildings on Coromar in 2014-2015 or so. Looks like it’s sat vacant since the move.