Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Hotel Virginia
Photographed By Alvis Hendley, March 14, 2017
1. Hotel Virginia Marker
Inscription.
Hotel Virginia. . The Hotel Virginia at 17 West Haley Street was originally built in 1916 as a two-story brick hotel by Charles Maas, with a third story addition in 1925. Haley at this time was a residential street with small redwood homes set on large lots. The construction of the hotel just off State Street, Santa Barbara's primary commercial street, marked the entry of commercial buildings on Haley Street. In 1922 Maas' next door neighbor, Freas Hayman, demolished his home and constructed a three story hotel adjacent to the Virginia Hotel, at 31-31 West Haley Street. Although separate buildings, the hotels were linked on the upper floors and functioned as a single unit. , In 1925 a major earthquake in Santa Barbara caused the buildings to be damaged, and both Mr. Maas and Mr. Hayman hired the Los Angeles architect, C. K. Denman, to make the repairs. His Spanish Colonial Revival design unified the facades of the two buildings, yet maintained their separate identities through the use of different window treatments on the upper floors and spacing and style of openings on the ground floor. Denman's use of the Spanish Colonial Revival style was applauded by the City of Santa Barbara as part of its on-going desire to create an image for itself as a romantic Spanish town. As early as 1909, Santa Barbara was looking for a visual image with which to link its Spanish past to future development within the City. During the many decades after the 1925 reconstruction the Hotel fell into a state of disrepair. In 1998 Laurie and Marc Recordon, local Santa Barbara investors, bought the property and completed a major renovation. In keeping it's [sic] link to the Spanish past the hotel reopened with much of the original character of this historic hotel.
The Hotel Virginia at 17 West Haley Street was originally built in 1916 as a two-story brick hotel by Charles Maas, with a third story addition in 1925. Haley at this time was a residential street with small redwood homes set on large lots. The construction of the hotel just off State Street, Santa Barbara's primary commercial street, marked the entry of commercial buildings on Haley Street. In 1922 Maas' next door neighbor, Freas Hayman, demolished his home and constructed a three story hotel adjacent to the Virginia Hotel, at 31-31 West Haley Street. Although separate buildings, the hotels were linked on the upper floors and functioned as a single unit.
In 1925 a major earthquake in Santa Barbara caused the buildings to be damaged, and both Mr. Maas and Mr. Hayman hired the Los Angeles architect, C. K. Denman, to make the repairs. His Spanish Colonial Revival design unified the facades of the two buildings, yet maintained their separate identities through the use of different window treatments on the upper floors and spacing and style of openings on the ground floor. Denman's use of the Spanish Colonial Revival style was applauded by the City of Santa Barbara as part of its on-going desire to create an image for itself as a romantic Spanish town. As early as 1909, Santa Barbara was looking for a visual image with which to
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link its Spanish past to future development within the City. During the many decades after the 1925 reconstruction the Hotel fell into a state of disrepair. In 1998 Laurie and Marc Recordon, local Santa Barbara investors, bought the property and completed a major renovation. In keeping it's [sic] link to the Spanish past the hotel reopened with much of the original character of this historic hotel.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.
Location. 34° 24.972′ N, 119° 41.754′ W. Marker is in Santa Barbara, California, in Santa Barbara County. Marker is at the intersection of West Haley Street and Fig Avenue, on the right when traveling east on West Haley Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 17 and 23 West Haley Street, Santa Barbara CA 93101, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. Both markers are located outside the hotel near the main entrance.
Regarding Hotel Virginia. Hotel Virginia was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the year 2000.
Photographed By Alvis Hendley, March 14, 2017
3. The marker is to the right of the hotel entrance.
Photographed By Alvis Hendley, March 14, 2017
4. Hotel Virginia NRHP Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 25, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2017, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. This page has been viewed 433 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 13, 2017, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.